Tips on the test day of TOEFL iBT

It is very important to know about what you will do on the test day to avoid surprises. Here are my tips

I registered for the 11.00 AM test slot. Please don’t take the test so early in the morning because our brain works well at the middle of the morning. I did not choose a slot at 12.00 am because I usually get hungry at lunch time. I arrived at the test center 30 minutes before. Do not arrive at the test center so early because you will get the stress to wait for a long time

When I entered the registration room, I need to sign a form. The test supervisor took a photo by a webcam. I think that this photo is to put on the test report.

The test supervisor asked me to put all personal belongings in a locker. I had to lock the locker and keep the key with me. He then showed me my seat. I saw my picture and my name on the screen. I needed to confirm my name before starting the test.

Then, I tested the volume and micro. When every thin was OK, I started the tests. 

My reading was a long format. There were 5 passages. They were no so difficult but I had to concentrate because test takers continued to come and they made noise.

My listening section was difficult. I had some topics about psychology. I could not write down person names and places. But the questions asked about theses names and places so I did not do well I think.

 
When taking notes, you need not to use so many spaces of 3 sheets of paper. You can not ask for more paper when you listen.

I took 10 minutes break to go to toilets. I spoke something to prepare for the speaking section. I just spoke to get ready.

The speaking section was not so difficult. The independent tastes had familiar topics. I had to speak loud on the micro because there were other people who spoke at the same time.

My writing questions were easy. I used 5 minutes to create layout. Then I typed the templates and fill in with information. I checked spelling and grammar when typing.

How to get a score of 116 in TOEFL iBT

I have to practice the TOEFL iBT on my own because there is not any class near my house and I don’t have enough money to pay for a private tutorial. Here is how I practice TOEFL iBT myself:


Step 1: Determine why to take TOEFL  and the score objective

I take TOEFL test to go study abroad. I want to study in the US, Japan, Australia, England or Europe. When I have this objective, I create a practice strategy and follow this strategy.

The score objective is very important because I can see where I want to go. My score objective is to get at least 100 to ask for scholarship.

Step 2: I read the TOEFL Planner (free download at https://www.ets.org ) and follow the instructions. I don’t apply all the tips in the book but modify to adapt with my situation (I have 2 kids and I work full time). I try to practice TOEFL at least 90 minutes a day.

Step 3: Get familiar with the question types and improve 4 skills. I read the book The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test from ETS. The, I read the book TOEFL iBT from Barron to improve 4 skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing.


                       
 
I did a test in the book The Official Guide to the TOEFL test and evaluated the skills. I improved the weak skills and took the 3 first tests in the book TOEFL iBT from Barron

Step 4: Practice TOEFL tests. At this stage, I practiced to type on the keyboard and to speak in front of a micro. I also practiced to stay 4 hours in high concentration like in the real test. I did the 2 tests of the book The Official Guide to toe TOEFL and the other tests in the book TOEFL iBT from Barron. After each mock test, I improved my test taking skills and the timing. I read carefully the solutions of wrong answers. We can see the score of the mock test of Barron.

You should think that the actual TOEFL score is always lower than the score of your mock tests because there are many factors that influence our score on the test day: health, stress, moral, noise in the test room, distraction in the test room, etc. When you do the mock tests, you can seat in a noisy environment and try to concentrate on your tests.

Practice speaking: If you have study group on the Skype or Google Talk or any other social network, try to make use of your group to improve your speaking skills. If you don’t have any group, try to ask your teachers or friends to help you improve your pronunciation, intonation meaning, etc. I practiced speaking myself. I did 3 questions every day. I recorded my answer by using the software PAMUS MP3 recorder and correct my pronunciation by Google Translation. When I did mock tests, I scored myself by using the scoring guide from The Official Guide to the TOEFL test.

Practice writing: I did 2 essays per week: 1 Integrated writing and 1 Independent writing. I scored myself according to the scoring guide from The Official Guide to the TOEFL test. For independent essay, I choose topics from 185 writing topics of TOEFL.

Time: I don’t have much time to practice TOEFL so I divide time into several sections. For example: I practice speaking on Monday, listening on Tuesday, writing on Wednesday, reading on Thursday. When I do mock tests, I find someone to look after my children. I usually do the mock tests on weekend. 

In sum, the most important thing is your determination to get a good TOEFL score. The, I choose a strategy to achieve this objective. Then I practice and practice until I get a good score on the mock tests. When the scores of several mock tests are higher and my expected score, I register for the real test. I try not to do the test several times because I’m sure that I will not do better for the next tests.

Practice speaking for TOEFL iBT: Question 3

For this question, you will read a short passage about a campus-related topic and listen to a conversation. You will be asked to summarize the speaker’s opinion. You will have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

The reading passage: an announcement about the changes on campus and why such changes
The conversation between a man and a woman: The man or women will speak if she or he agrees or disagrees with this announcement and give her or his reasons. Normally, there are 2 reasons and examples to explain these reasons. You should not miss any reason. Otherwise your score will be lower. You can miss examples to explain the reasons.

I divide an A4 paper into 2 columns: 1 column to write down the information of the main and the other to write down the information of the woman.

Here is my speaking template for question 3 TOEFL iBT:

The announcement states that the school is planning to  (state topic of reading passage) in order to (state reasons in the reading). In the conversation, the woman agrees/disagrees with this announcement for 2 reasons. Her first reason is   ...... For example..... Her second reason is .... For example,........ So for these reasons, she agrees/disagrees with the planning.

On the text day, I apply this template and fill in with the information of the actual questions.

How to evaluate your score on Speaking and Writing TOEFL iBT

Here is how I calculate my score:

My score objective is at least 25 for speaking and 25 for writing. To achieve this objective, I set some goals as follow:

 

For example, to have 26 on speaking, I need to have 2 questions at 4 and 4 questions at 3. If I want to have 28 on writing, I need to have 1 question at 5 and 1 questions at 4.5.

When I have such goals, I practice to have the goals.

Some topics of Speaking questions 2 TOEFL iBT (continue)

·         Would you like to become a leader or a follower

·         Do you prefer indoor activities or outdoor activities

·         Do you agree or disagree that we can judge a person by the appearance at the first glance?

·         Do you agree that people should always tell the truth

·         Some people like going to bed early and getting up early, while some others prefer staying up late and rising late, which one do you prefer

·         Which kind of life would you choose: a relaxed and unhurried life or a busy life?

·         Do you agree that childhood is the happiest (or precious) time in life

·         Getting advice from family and friends/learning through personal experience, which do you prefer

·         Do you think life is much better if your grandparents are still alive / Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: today's life is easier or more difficult than our grandparents'?

·         Young adult are influenced by the family members. Do you agree or disagree?

·         Do you like to make friends with people who have different interest with you?

·         Some people prefer to plan spare time while others do not, which do you prefer?

·         Some people prefer to eat the same food while others would like to try new food. Which do you prefer?

·         Some people think that the family is the most important influence on young adults. Other people think that friends are the most important influence on young adults. Which view do you agree with?

·         Do you prefer to live with roommates or you prefer to live by yourself

·         Choose profession that need you study independently or profession require you to work as a group

·         Do you prefer to make friends with a large number of people or would you rather spend most of your time with a small group of friends?

·         Do you like to go to movies or concerts alone or with a group of friends

·         Do you like to work in the office or at home?

·         Someone focuses on one job throughout his life, while others like to change from one job to the other. Which one do you think is better, why?

·         When you choose a career, what factor is more important, money or your personal satisfaction

·         Do you agree that it is better to have some working experience in university before you have a job

·         Some prefers to study in daytime and work at night, while others choose the opposite. Which do you like?

·         Does modern technology make life easier or more difficult?

·         Do you prefer to eat at home or outside in a restaurant

·         Which one do you prefer, studying in a large city or small town

·         The first year university students should live in the dorm with students of only first-year or with students of all the other grades

·         Will you spend your holiday in a city or in the countryside?

·         Do you like to live in the countryside or big city?

·         Which one do you think the government should finance: museums and theaters or arts?

·         Which one do you think is better in city planning, maintaining old building or replacing old building with new buildings

·         Do you think TV is positive or negative to a modern society?

·         Do you agree that cell phone should be prohibited in some areas?

·         Which can you learn more from, media (TV, internet) or people (family members, friends, teachers)?

·         Whether parents should lead their children to watch TV or the children should choose what they want to watch by themselves.

·         Do you communicate with your family and friends by E-mail and letter or by telephone

·         Some people read newspapers or magazines every day, and others prefer watching news on TV or listening to radio

·         Do you think it is good for students to use cell phones in school?