TOEFL - Materials & Guidelines
TOEFL - Materials & Guidelines
Overall:
1. TOEFL Preparation in One Month (YouTube):
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fyoutu.be%2FUrOzouL3Wpc%3Fsi
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I had given my TOEFL exam on 13th October and would like to share my experience
with all the group members. Firstly, I would like to talk about the test center. I had first
reached the center two hours earlier than my exam time. The center consisted of a
separate section on the 7th floor of the building. The rest of the area was under
construction, but once you get inside the center section, it is decent.
Now about the test. I had an experimental reading passage, and my first section was
about 1 hour and 12 minutes. After that, I had the listening section. In both these
sections, I had used the strategies I had learned in the Gregmat TOEFL videos. The
passages were a bit hard but equivalent to the passages' difficulty level in the official
guide. Then after a 10-minute break. I started my speaking section. Now here comes the
most challenging part of my exam. Before I started, multiple candidates were taking their
speaking section simultaneously, and I'm sure every test center has at least one
candidate who speaks at the top of their lungs in the speaking section. It was a bit hard
to keep focus when all the candidates were taking the speaking section simultaneously,
but I would like to share a tip. Before you start the speaking section, you will have a
minute or two before the instructions on the computer window are shown. Make sure you
take your time reading the instructions and wait while a candidate finishes their speaking
section; after that, press continue to start the test. I could buy myself enough time to
complete two parts of the speaking section without difficulty, but I had faced some
problems in the third and fourth parts. I had practiced the speaking section from the test
glider and had scored between 25 to 27. I had practiced using templates for the
speaking section (the link is attached below) and had seen gregmat videos on the
speaking section. I had consulted the ETS rubric score to get an understanding of the
ETS scoring system. The scoring system in the test glider will give you an insight into
where you stand and what you need to work on. After taking a test on the speaking
section on testglider make sure you see the model answers. The model answers are
pretty long, and your answer does not have to be that long. But make sure you finish
before the time and cover the information effectively and in a structured way. Lastly, I
had the writing section. In the writing section, I had followed the template of Gregmat
and had practiced in testglider too. I had scored 28 to 29 on testglider, and the scores
were reflective of my actual exam.
Resource Materials
The testglider site offers free access for only 24 hours, and to gain access to the site
after the time limit runs out, you can create a temporary email address. I had learned
about the procedure in a post I had seen in the same group. The process is explained
clearly and in detail. I have attached the link to the post here.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nextop.usa/permalink/4295223137243498/ (See 6)
I had seen the season 2 of the TOEFL series in GregMat plus, which consisted of 12
videos. The videos clearly explain the steps you need to follow and give you a process
to follow for the exam. The strategies in those videos are enough to get a good score in
the exam. Another thing I have noticed is whenever you see a complex passage, most of
the time the questions seem to be straightforward, so there is no need to panic and keep
a calm head. I also used the testglider site for the reading section, which was a good
practice, but I would recommend everyone stick to the Official guides.
I had mainly used the reading and listening sections of the official TOEFL guide and the
TOEFL Volume 1 and Volume 2 books. **After you are done with the GregMat videos
you will already be done with more than 80% of the passages in official guide and some
passages on Vol 1. **
Reading
1. Official Guide TOEFL 5th edition
2. Official TOEFL iBT Tests Vol 1
3. Official TOEFL iBT Tests Vol 2
Listening:
Mostly testglider and the note-taking techniques suggested by gregmat. Make sure you
write whenever a new piece of information had been introduced. Some of the things
stated in the listening are irrelevant, and you need to master the technique of writing the
important things. This comes through practice.
Speaking:
I had used the following site to get an understanding of the structure I need to follow for
the exam and had practiced using test glider.
https://www.toeflresources.com/speaking-section/toefl-speaking-templates/?
fbclid=IwAR1JQ8ZKO98KOU4SCKXyLpy1xCNTodVnlASjdUISkBTpnNadAJtCJ7LUieg
https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/resources/scoring/
Writing:
I had followed the template of Gregmat for the writing section.
Practice Routine
3 speaking sections each day on test glider
2 listening and 2 reading passages on either testglider or official guides each day
2 writing tests from test glider once a week
This was my overall test experience, and I would be more than happy to help anyone
with any help regarding TOEFL. The TOEFL is a standardized test, and the preparation
time differs from person to person. But, with proper preparation and exam strategy,
anyone can get a good score.
Speaking:
1. Speaking Practice Test with Answers (YouTube):
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fyoutube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv
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mQYcXBGIiGsnNRWVKIcL1mY9iwMNhkkyA4yaygLqi5HRBFUiGonk454uE0s_zGuhSs
CKkBg
2. Speaking App:
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps
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mQYcXBGIiGsnNRWVKIcL1mY9iwMNhkkyA4yaygLqi5HRBFUiGonk454uE0s_zGuhSs
CKkBg
Writing:
1. Writing Template (YouTube):
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fyoutu.be%2F5EJUky2_u7Q%3Fsi
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mQYcXBGIiGsnNRWVKIcL1mY9iwMNhkkyA4yaygLqi5HRBFUiGonk454uE0s_zGuhSs
CKkBg
Listening:
1. Top 10 Tips (YouTube):
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fyoutube.com%2Fplaylist%3Flist
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UT5oOw&h=AT0jI98VQQaJp_VPlZkOU1eqJEmop7IFDyIWv7pVyd12FkskdYrZCyQc5X
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CKkBg
Reading:
1. Time Management (YouTube):
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fyoutube.com%2Fplaylist%3Flist
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CKkBg