TOEFL is not exactly your everyday entrance test that you need to get into Harvard or any of the Ivy Leagues. Those are the SATs or perhaps the GRE.
If you have learned enough English in your country of origin, assuming you’re a foreign student, you will make it through.
Having said that let’s get a feel for what you can do to get through this relatively simple exam:
10. This might sound stupid or it may just be common sense, but the best way to do well on English exams in general is to start early. The more you read, and the more widely you read, the better you will do in the TOEFL.
11. Buy some CDs that are available, like Kaplan or Cambridge, and practice a minimum of three tests; this is so you get an idea about the format itself.
12. If you feel that you’re English is not up to par, you can even get some practice test books and do as many practice tests as possible. That should increase your confidence quite a bit.
13. For the reading section, you will want to learn how to speed-read. One way to speed-read would be to read a page in the shape of the letter “S.” That means, you do not read entire sentences. You simply “snake” your way through the paragraphs, looking for keywords, and concepts.
14. A lot of non-native English speakers have trouble understanding American, British, or Australian accents. For that reason, it is very important that you practice audio sessions with either CDs or audio cassettes. You may need to repeat the listening practice modules in books and CDs several times before you get the hang of it.
15. Another good way to understand native English is to watch shows on the Discovery channel, CNN, BBC, and the National Geographic. You will want to test your understanding of what is being said. Ask yourself some questions of your own.
16. If you are taking the Internet version of the test, you will need to practice your speaking as well. Additionally, you may need to stay well informed and well rounded in terms of your knowledge base. Again, watching streaming content on the Web, or TV shows revealing situational understanding such as sitcoms, nature shows, and any source that will enhance your creativity and ability to grasp modern ideas will help you to spit it out when the time comes.
17. Many students also tend to have problems with the writing section of TOEFL. Often, foreign students complain that they have little experience in writing. Well again, practice makes perfect. Reading widely can also help your writing. If possible, try to enlist a good writer to check your style and errors in grammar, spelling, and use of vocabualry.
18. When it comes to structure, there’s no other way to do it but to bite the bullet. That translates into just taking the exam and seeing where it goes. The fact is no one can or, I believe, is expected to improve on structure and grammar overnight. I know from teaching that students often remain at the same level or show little improvement when it comes to grammar even after six months of instruction – this is in reference to non-native English speakers of course.
But one thing you may want to do is to go out and buy a seventh grade or high school grammar book and test your grammar skills. And again, the emphasis is on starting as early as possible. So for parents who are reading, get you’re toddlers into books, however difficult that sounds!
19. Last but not the least, do visit the ETS site, which provides information on the TOEFL test and how to obtain the bulletin, which has sample questions and is a guide for the test as well. That site is http://www.ets.org. And don’t forget to mail in the registration form well in advance. Also, keep in mind that TOEFL is being phased out as an online exam, so keep updated. The computer-based exam is no longer available as of September 2006. And depending on where you are located, you will need to verify your center for taking the paper-based test. Good luck on the TOEFL and consider yourself informed!
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Jacob says, "I felt like a misfit when I had to abruptly return to India, after living in New York for 12 years (a number I thought very highly of), due to unforeseen circumstances. Incidentally, the reverse migration to the land of my roots helped to discover that I was really an émigré in New York. After my sojourn in "God's own country" and of course Arundhati Roy's too, (and yes, that would be a God of very small and trivial things if you must know), I realized my success, fame and fortune and most of all my family and my home away from eternity.
In the words of the immortal caucasian man who said never uproot for "he was a man from the east with his face to the west, and his back to the east." And so am I, and so am I.
Ok, that's about as unusually allegorical as I can get.
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