The use of English is seen as very important in academic settings, so much so that higher education nowadays has decided to apply English language proficiency tests, such as TOEFL (Test of English for Foreign Language), to determine the eligibility for exit or entrance to their institutions.
TOEFL is a test that has been widely assigned to measure the English language proficiency of foreign students intending to study in an English-speaking country such as Canada or the US.
What is the TOEFL preparation test?
This is a test that a student undergoes with hopes to improve his/her test scores, he/she can carry on any type of activity before the test to be fully prepared for the exam.
The TOEFL test is divided into three categories namely:
- Listening comprehension
- Reading comprehension
- Writing
Listening comprehension
The listening comprehension section aims to test our abilities in understanding spoken language. However, to be able to understand spoken language in addition to having to get used to listening to English spoken, we must know English grammar (grammar) adequately.
All sentences in this section use the same sentence grammatical (grammatically correct) and usually in the form of a complete sentence. All these sentences are pronounced in casual English conversations.
Listening comprehension questions require you to have the skill to understand the stress and tone, understand the difference in sound, understand idioms, understand conversational phrases, understand groups or verb phrases, find implied information (not clearly stated), understand comparisons, and understand the meaning of the conversation or conversation.
The listening section is divided into separately timed parts. They are short conversations, long conversations, and talks/monologues. In each part, we will listen to the audio-only one time.
The participants are expected to be able to listen to every conversation well that comes from a tape recorder or other media. Listening Comprehension on the TOEFL test is always a frightening spectre for test-takers, not scarcely many participants fail to pass the test in this session.
The time to answer each question in the listening comprehension is very short. We only have no more than 8 seconds per problem. For listening questions, it is very important to read all the answer choices.
Difficulties faced by students taking the exams
They are some factors which test-taker may face when preparing for the test. These factors can be divided into two namely; internal and external factors.
Internal factors
Internal factors may include:
- Speakers accent
- Speed of speaker
- Speakers intonation
- Speakers pronunciation pause
- Choice of words used by the speaker
- Complex sentence structure
External factors
- Having previous test experience
- Lack of practice
- A time limit on the listening test
- Having hearing disability
- Memory limitation
- Lack in concentration
TOEFL Listening section is arguably a little more difficult than the other section. It is not surprising that many people find it difficult to improve their English Listening skills.
Unlike the other TOEFL sections, listening skills cannot be improved in just a short time. It takes stages and processes that are gradual until someone can sort out the words that are heard well. Listening is the most difficult part of the TOEFL test in most people’s view.
Reading comprehension
In this section, you will read three or four articles (about 700 words each) and answer questions that test your comprehension of them. The articles are similar to what you might find in a first-year university textbook.
The TOEFL Reading takes time, and it sometimes seems like the questions are trying to trick you because that is the primary aim of the exam.
So edugist blog has compiled ten easy tips that can help you to cruise through your TOEFL reading comprehension.
- Memorise the question type
- Find keywords and focus on them
- Practice reading with a timer
- Beware of modifiers in answer choices
- Store knowledge of academic vocabulary
- Learn word parts and apply them to unknown vocabulary
- Be an active reader
- Study the same test more than once
- Explain why you were correct or incorrect
- Practice with short passages
It is also important to note that constant preparation is key to success, you should also try reading a few articles and magazines daily to improve your reading. As you read, you should write short summaries (one or two sentences) of each paragraph.
This will help you prepare for test day because most questions in the reading section of the test focus on a single paragraph, rather than the entire article. As you read, don’t stop to look up every word you don’t understand, but jot down each one. If an unfamiliar word appears in three or four different articles it is probably important and you should take the time to learn its meaning.
TOEFL Writing
The writing section is the final part of the TOEFL test. In this part, you will spend about 50 minutes writing two essays. The first essay is an integrated essay which tests your reading, listening and writing skills.
The second task in this section is an “independent” essay, which tests only your writing skills. In this essay, you will support your position on a topic related to work, school or everyday life using personal examples.
A great way to prepare for this is to keep a short daily journal. Try writing about events that happen at school, within your family, or (if you have one) at your job. On test day you will probably support your arguments by describing specific incidents from your life in five or six sentences, so do the same in your journal.
Kaplan TOEFL preparation plan is also emphasised studying grammar. As part of your writing is scored based on your grammar by TOEFL E-rater software and its main focus is on grammar errors.
Finally, being successful in the TOEFL is easier said than done. I would recommend that you should visit credible platforms used in TOEFL preparation like the Kaplan preparation scheme that easy, reliable and effective means of preparation. All you need to know about the Kaplan TOEFL prep is in the article highlighted.
With the information listed above, you would have had the necessary tools at your disposal for the test.
That being said the rest is up to individual effort learning a new language takes hours and hours of practice so do well to keep practising.
All the best of luck with your test!
