HOW TO PREPARE FOR TOEFL TEST EFFECTIVELY FOR BEGINNERS  

Many of you are preparing to equip yourself with a TOEFL certificate, which stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language, an international English proficiency test by ETS (Educational Testing Service of the United States) to test your English ability in an academic environment, especially in English-speaking areas (USA).

TOEFL scores are required as one of the basic requirements for admission to most colleges and universities in the United States. In addition, some organizations such as government agencies, licensing agencies, businesses, or scholarship programs also require this certificate to promote candidates. The TOEFL test was first administered in 1964 and has had more than 25 million test takers to date.

Types of TOEFL tests

First, you must know that, based on the test format, there are three types of TOEFL tests:

• TOEFL iBT: This is the new generation of TOEFL test with the most popular online format today. The test lasts 4 hours with 4 skills: Reading - Listening - Speaking - Writing.
• TOEFl cBT: In this test format, candidates will take the test directly on the computer and are not allowed to use any other form of note-taking. The 4 skills of the Toefl cBT test include: Listening - Grammar structure - Reading comprehension - Essay writing.
• TOEFL pBT: This is the traditional paper-based test, this test format is currently rarely used unless there are conditions for taking the iBT or cBT test.

So, before you start studying, you must determine which type of test you will take. Currently, most people choose the iBT test because of its benefits and comprehensive content. At the same time, you must take a proficiency test to find out where you are strong and weak, you can refer to: http://test.etest.edu.vn

Determine TOEFL Test Preparation Time

Next, you determine how long you will prepare for the test. You should start reviewing the materials in a year and push the time faster in the last 3 months. Therefore, the way to study and review is also different for each stage. Some TOEFL review materials that you can refer to: Delta's Key, Barron, Notefull, The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test, ...

In the first stage, after testing your level, you will have strong and weak skills, so you should focus on improving your skills. However, for those who are new to TOEFL, you should focus on expanding your level, improving your vocabulary, structure, improving your skills and accessing more TOEFL test preparation materials. Not only that, try to read a lot of books, video clips from VOA, BBC, ... news from foreign pages.

TOEFL test preparation method for each skill

Learn TOEFL iBT vocabulary

TOEFL is a test that assesses all 4 English skills with each part having many different topics, so when learning TOEFL vocabulary, you can list words belonging to those topic groups to dig deeper and remember the vocabulary for a long time. The TOEFL iBT test is organized by the American Testing Institute, so the vocabulary used in this test is American English, so we should pay attention to this part to make the learning process effective.

You can create a list of 200 – 400 words and use flash cards to learn them or use suitable software. ETEST teachers advise: “Don’t try to learn too many words and too “big” words, adjust the normal words and phrases mixed with academic words and use them in the right context and with the right grammar to help you get a good score”.

TOEFL Reading Skills

With reading, what you need to practice is the ability to skim and analyze, so in the first 1-2 minutes of each reading, you should quickly summarize the structure and main content of each paragraph. This will help you answer questions quickly, especially summary questions of the paragraph. This is a difficult type of question that can easily lose points, the secret is that you have to find the right keyword of the paragraph and highlight it. The remaining task is to find similar ideas based on that keyword, for example, if the question asks about 3 impacts, just aim for the right place that talks about impacts and include it.

TOEFL Listening Skills

For the TOEFL iBT listening test, you will be tested entirely on a computer and will need to practice note-taking and organizing ideas and details in the passage. Regular listening practice is really important, whether you are listening to do the test or just listening to get used to English when you are too busy.

For those who are just starting to practice TOEFL listening, you can practice dictation. You don’t need to listen to TOEFL questions, but choose academic talks from TED, Coursera, etc. and spend 15 minutes a day on this. Gradually, you will be much more sensitive to the lessons, vocabulary, and pronunciation of words. If you have more time, you can look up new words and new structures of the dictation to add to your vocabulary.

TOEFL Speaking Skills

In the TOEFL Speaking test, you will not interact with the examiner but will speak directly to the computer, so we need to speak loudly, pronounce clearly and distinctly. Record all your answers and listen to them to see where you made mistakes, whether your pronunciation is correct or not, etc. Note that you should also time the test according to TOEFL regulations from the beginning of speaking practice to gradually get used to the time pressure.

Don’t hesitate to ask your teacher or friends for feedback on your speaking. A combination of reading and listening will help you come up with more ideas and vocabulary for your speaking test.

TOEFL Writing Skills

Normally, the TOEFL writing section requires a minimum length of 300 words, but to achieve a better score, you should try to write 500 words and include appropriate academic words and phrases. You can choose to write the introduction and conclusion first so that you have a firm grasp of the structure of this section.

To practice writing English effectively and without getting bored, you can create a blog or simply post on your social networks and write stories in English. This is a good way to learn and avoid getting bored during the long TOEFL preparation time.

Choose a place to learn and gain knowledge

Choosing a center to study is one of the good ways to prepare for the TOEFL test. The test preparation locations have a curriculum that focuses on training students, which greatly helps to avoid rambling in their review. Being in a disciplined environment also creates discipline for students to study more. Many people have chosen ETEST English Language School for Study Abroad for this reason.

Some of you may not have heard of this Center because ETEST focuses on studying abroad for students. If you are someone who likes to learn more about test preparation locations, you must know about ETEST. There is no need to appear much on promotional pages because ETEST takes quality as the main goal of the center.

Entering its 11th year, ETEST continues to affirm its position as a top quality center in education and studying abroad. If you ask about the achievements of ETEST students, there is no need to discuss, because most people exceed the requirements when registering to study here.

In particular, the Center's TOEFL iBT test preparation program is highly appreciated. Personalizing the language development path while developing thinking, knowledge and talent.

International university graduates use standardized curriculum built on the framework of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Cambridge University and the International Baccalaureate Organization in a 1-on-6 class to maximize multi-dimensional interaction; continuous online/offline practice with a realistic test bank.

TOEFL test preparation at home

However, the process of self-studying at home is also very important. You also have to create a timetable for yourself, make plans based on which you must practice regularly every day for the first 6 months. At the end of the period, when there are only 3 months left for the exam, you start studying closely and focusing on practicing test questions.

The best way is to choose to follow some of your favorite celebrities on Twitter. You will not only learn foreign language knowledge and common grammar, but unlike other foreign language certificates, TOEFL also integrates cultural and social information and some simple calculation skills. Therefore, studying TOEFL is quite heavy compared to some other certificates. You can also combine reading and listening to CD-ROMs.

But the common problem is that you do not read the whole reading or do not have enough time to do other exercises after finishing the reading part. Therefore, the skills of skimming, scanning, grasping the main idea and filtering keywords are extremely important. To do a good reading, you should learn a little about American culture, society and education.

You should combine it with knowledge of some basic majors such as anthropology, economics... This knowledge will help you a lot when having to solve questions about Summary or Inference.

Note-taking, skimming, scanning,… techniques need to be cultivated in combination with 4 important skills to bring higher efficiency during exam preparation. Some of you apply the skill of summarizing the listening passage in your head more than taking notes, this will be different for each individual.

Learn a lot of vocabulary and learn how to summarize the listening passage to grasp the meaning better. For listening skills, you must practice regularly. Combine learning new words and reading the correct pronunciation of that word and then "imitate" when you find any word in the listening file that is quite strange to you. Vocabulary is the key to listening skills.

The only problem for those who are just starting to learn TOEFL is SHY. You are afraid to speak, afraid to listen, afraid to write. This is a very big mistake and the only obstacle for you. Just naturally say what you think. The best way, although a bit "crazy", is to talk to yourself in the mirror or just "mumble" what you think in your head.

Some of you mistakenly think that speaking fast is good, but if you practice slowly step by step then gradually correct your pronunciation to be accurate, add the right local accent to get used to it, then you will definitely increase your speaking speed.

When reviewing for the writing section, it is best to read it again after about 2-3 days, at this time you will edit the grammar as well as review the connection between sentences to make it more solid, this is an important point to create a convincing factor for the reader. And typing speed when taking the TOEFL iBT test is also very important, practice your computer typing skills regularly so that it is not an obstacle when you take the actual test.

Keep trying. You will achieve success soon!

If you are the type of person who cannot study by yourself, you should find a good TOEFL test preparation center to practice the four skills needed to take the TOEFL test and achieve optimal scores. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are many English centers for TOEFL test preparation, one of the best and most prestigious centers in Saigon is ETEST English Center. Here, up to 90% students with TOEFL certificates were accepted into their desired universities. TOEFL iBT test preparation course At ETEST, students can maximize their in-depth knowledge and the ability to combine four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) when taking the test, improving their ability to interact and understand English when used in real life at university level, especially at schools in the US.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETEST ENGLISH CENTER AND OTHER CENTERS

► Study 1 on 1 or 1 on 2 with a teacher

► Comprehensively equip and continuously practice test-taking skills

► Standardized curriculum based on the framework from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of the United States

► Experienced teachers achieve near-perfect scores

► Easily transfer to higher courses such as SAT / ACT to apply for scholarships to study in the US

► Experience real computer-based testing with authentic test banks from ETS when used in real university settings, especially in the US.

►Personalize the path for each student at each level.

► TOEFL preparation course at ETEST commits to increase TOEFL score by 10+ after each course.