How to prepare for the TOEFL iBT

Preparation for an exam like TOEFL is really a difficult task. The preparation for the test has to start from scratch as most of the students are not even aware of the basic information about the exam. A good TOEFL test preparation guide will be the one which prepares you completely for TOEFL. It should give you good knowledge about the subject, give you confidence, and familiarize you with the format of the test and the test conditions. So the aim of TOEFL test preparation guide should be to prepare you well for all the aspects of the test starting from answering all your queries about the test to keeping your calm during the exam and getting a good score at the end.

Proper Planning

A good TOEFL test preparation will require proper planning, good guidance and dedicated effort from a student. At the beginning itself you should plan for your TOEFL test preparation. You should give yourself adequate time by starting well in advance and pacing up your preparation in a planned manner. There should be a time plan to divide your time correctly between your study and practice. Adequate time should be spared for practice tests as well. You should have good books and tutorials. You should also visit the official web site of ETS or Education Testing Service (the organizers of TOEFL) before starting your preparation. This will give you a detailed explanation about the test and its requirements.

Good Guidance

Along with good planning, good guidance becomes very important for TOEFL test preparation. There are a large number of guide books and web sites which work as TOEFL test preparation guide. It is advised that you choose a good guide or a web site at the earliest. The guide book should be complete in all the respects and should help you to achieve the goals mentioned above. It should have adequate study materials on all the four sections of TOEFL along with sufficient practice questions and practice tests. Some of the good TOEFL test preparation guides that are suitable for preparation for TOEFL are: The Official Guide to the New TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Secrets, Delta's Key to the TOEFL Test, Barron's How to Prepare for the TOEFL Essay, Kaplan TOEFL iBT with CD-ROM and Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test. We recommend that you start with The Official Guide to the New TOEFL iBT (3rd edition) since it is published by ETS, the maker of the test. You can find it in the download section.

You also have an option to join any good TOEFL test preparation guide center or coaching institute. These institutes prepare you for the exam in a formal manner. They are well equipped in terms of teachers, study materials and classrooms. They also have adequate experience in the field and are helpful in your preparation. There are times when it becomes difficult for you to stay motivated. At that time, teachers and fellow students at the institute become a great company and morale boosters. Most of the students use these TOEFL test preparation guide centers for guidance and to keep their preparation and study regular.

Information About TOEFL

It is required that your TOEFL test preparation guide should familiarize you with the format of the exam, registration procedure, fee structure, examination centers, and the marking scheme. You should also be aware of the details of the institute you are likely to get admission in, like the institute code which is required for reporting of the score, minimum TOEFL score acceptable which you will be required to score higher than to get admission. TOEFL is an exam that is divided into four sections of 30 marks each. In the reading section, the time is 60-90 minutes and there are a total of 36 -70 questions. The listening section has been allotted 60-100 minutes and there are a total of 34-51 questions. After a break there is the speaking section. Speaking section, which is the shortest, has been allotted 20 minutes and there are six tasks of two different types to be done in the assigned time. The writing section lasts for about 50 minutes and you are expected to carryout six tasks in this time.

Study and Practice

You should be aware that TOEFL is planned to test you in the four basic skills required to know a language that are reading, listening, speaking and writing. These four skills are also the basis for the four sections explained above. You might have selected the best TOEFL exam preparation guide and you might be well informed about the test format but if you do not build a solid base of sound knowledge of English language in all the four skills, it will not be of much use. The major part of TOEFL exam preparation has to be the study for the exam. You should study hard. A good vocabulary and good knowledge of English language acquired over the years will be of great help. You should brush up your grammar and also concentrate on your pronunciation. Other than the TOEFL exam preparation guide mentioned above, there are books in the market which even guide you to improve specific skills or to improve your vocabulary. A good book or a good tutorial will certainly serve as a helpful TOEFL exam preparation guide for your study for TOEFL.

The other part of the TOEFL exam preparation is to practice for all aspects of the exam. You should practice a large number of similar questions of different types and develop techniques to answer them in minimum time during the exam. You should also practice to answer the entire section in the assigned time. You should take practice tests which are generally available with the books or on the web sites. There is an online practice test by ETS also. Generally your TOEFL exam preparation guide takes the responsibility of providing such practice tests. It is difficult to say how many such practice tests are required. Practice is necessary not only to familiarize yourself with the exam format but also to identify your weaknesses. A TOEFL exam preparation guide provides valuable feedback by correcting you where you are wrong. The feedback should be used to follow it up with regular study to amend the mistakes you have been making. A TOEFL exam preparation guide may also score your performance in the practice tests. The score from these tests will also tell you about your present level of preparation and how much effort you should put to improve your score in the exam.

Other preparations

The key to do well in an exam is to have confidence in yourself and your preparation. A state of low confidence is possible if you have not followed your TOEFL exam preparation guide in the right manner. It can happen if you are surprised, confused or you do not have adequate knowledge of the subject. Thorough study should take care of the third subject but for the first two parts you should make yourself aware of each aspect of the exam. You should make yourself familiar with the exam format, the exam center, and the directions of the exam and the timing of the exam. You should reach the exam center well in time and carry everything that is required for the exam as per the directions. You should not carry anything extra like mobile phones and calculators that may not be allowed in the exam center. A good TEOFL exam preparation guide helps you out in such things.

TOEFL exam preparation guide is a combination of four different parts. A good thorough study, dedicated and sincere practice, familiarization with the format and directions of the exam and confidence during the exam should help you get a high score in the exam. The correct balance of these four elements in your TOEFL exam preparation guide plan is very important.

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