TOEFL Preparation
To succeed on the TOEFL, you must use your time wisely. Many students do not finish at least one section.
To succeed, you must ration your time properly. The reason that time is so critical is that every question counts the same toward your final score. If you run out of time on any passage, the questions that you do not answer will hurt your score far more than earlier questions that you spent extra time on and feel certain are correct.
On the Reading section, the test is separated into passages. The reason that time is so critical is that every question counts the same toward your final score, and the passages are not in order of difficulty. If you have to rush during the last passage, then you will miss out on answering easier questions correctly. It is natural to want to pause and figure out the hardest questions, but you must resist the temptation and move quickly.
You probably know that guessing is a good idea on the TOEFL- unlike other standardized tests, there is no penalty for getting a wrong answer. Even if you have no idea about a question, you still have a 20-25% chance of getting it right. Most students do not understand the impact that proper guessing can have on their score. Unless you score extremely high, guessing will significantly contribute to your final score.
Many students delay the test preparation process because they dread the awful amounts of practice time they think necessary to succeed on the test. We have refined an effective method that will take you only a fraction of the time. There are a number of “obstacles” in your way on the TOEFL. Among these are answering questions, finishing in time, and mastering test-taking strategies. All must be executed on the day of the test at peak performance, or your score will suffer. The TOEFL is a mental marathon that has a large impact on your future.
Since repeatedly taking the TOEFL usually offers only marginal improvements and older scores are still reported along with newer scores, make sure that you are adequately prepared the first time. Even though you can cancel your score, that cancellation will still be reported in the future. Don’t take the TOEFL as a “practice” test. Feel free to take sample tests on your own, but when you go to take the TOEFL, be prepared, be focused, and do your best the first time!
In technical passages, do not get lost on the technical terms. Skip them and move on. You want a general understanding of what is going on, not a mastery of the passage.