How to prepare for the TOEFL test yourself

Successful completion of TOEFL is a prerequisite for admission to universities in Canada, the USA and some other countries. Therefore, it is not surprising that more and more people are thinking about passing this exam.

So how do you get enough points? First, you need to understand the format of the exam itself. In TOEFL, your level of proficiency in American English is checked, so you should be able to understand the grammatical and lexical nuances of British and American English.

General recommendations

Solve a couple of tests to get used to the exam format itself. After you solve the tests, work on the bugs: look at which part you made the most mistakes and work on it. However, remember that you should not lose sight of a single TOEFL unit, even if it seems to you that you do not need to be prepared. Excessive self-confidence is often the cause of a poor exam result.

There are a lot of books on the web dedicated to exam preparation. The manuals can be either collections of tests or textbooks on one part of the TOEFL. Be sure to download them and practice them regularly. Remember, the key to success is practice!

And the last - you should not study right before the day of passing the exam. On this day, it is better to put the books aside and relax.

Types of TOEFL

There are two types of TOEFL in total: Paper-based Test and Internet-based Test. The second is more preferable, as this test also tests your speaking skills. TOEFL checks how well you manage listening, reading, writing and speaking tasks.

Listening

Since TOEFL tests American English, you need to learn some trends in American pronunciation. For example, instead of [hæv], [hav] may well be said. You must know these features in order to be able to distinguish words and not get confused on the exam itself. Listen to more radio, download audio books, special manuals for preparing for listening assignments.

A very important thing - do not make the typical mistake characteristic of those who pass TOEFL. Do not write the answers in the form immediately after listening. At the end, you will be given special time to fill out the answer form, and during the listening process it is better to concentrate on reading the explanation for the next task.

Reading

This block checks the speed of your reading and the ability to understand complex texts. You will need to fill in the blanks, perform exercises, where questions will be given to understand the text. For the successful completion of this part, you will need to replenish the lexical base, most often used in TOEFL tests.

Letter

The block that causes the most serious difficulties for most students. In this part, you must write two essays. Practice is needed here: try to write at least one or two letters a day. If possible, ask your friend who knows English to check your letter.

It is worth adding that you should not write long, catchy sentences if you are not completely sure of their correctness. Most Russian students are sure that this will certainly amaze the examiners, so they will certainly insert something very difficult to understand in their letters. Prefer simple, but grammatically correct sentences. Believe me, this will bring you much more points than the sometimes inappropriate attempt to impress the examiner.