IMPROVE YOUR TOEFL SCORE
WITH EDUCARE'S ADVICE
 ←TOEFL STRATEGY GUIDE! (PDF)
(Download PDF file)
FASTEST WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR iBT TOEFL SCORE
(and REAL ENGLISH ABILITY!)
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Practice independent writing
Writing essays involves many skills, such as self-expression and critical thinking. Most importantly, writing means ACTUALLY USING the English words and grammar you have learned. Writing will also help you to better understand the structure of academic writing, which will make you a much better reader. If you can improve your TOEFL writing score just one point (from 2 to 3), your overall score will go up 6 points!
- Read a wide variety of English text
Reading natural English text everyday will improve your reading speed and allow you to naturally learn grammar and vocabulary. As TOEFL covers subjects such as history, the environment, literature, geography and art, it is important for you to read a wide variety of texts. These can come from newspapers, magazines, or even the Internet (English Wikipedia is great). Even if you are busy, I am sure you can find a few minutes everyday to practice academic reading (on the train, lunchtime, etc.). Remember, though textbooks can sometimes be helpful, they are NOT written in natural English. Instead read materials that you ENJOY.
- Practice taking dictation
Using Internet podcasts, news broadcasts, and recorded lectures and conversations (found in most TOEFL guides), try transcribing (writing down) what is said. This will allow you to practice using several skills at once. At first, you will probably have to listen numerous times before you can write everything down. However, over time, both your listening as well as writing speed and accuracy will improve. You don't need to spend hours doing this everyday - just a few minutes is fine. If something becomes boring- you won't remember it, so take breaks!
- Practice expressing your opinion
Everybody has an opinion. However, some people are not good at - or used to expressing it. On the iBT TOEFL (not to mention during college and working life!), your speaking and writing success depend on your ability to express strong, OBJECTIVE opinions. You can practice expressing your opinions by writing essays or by entering environments where you will be forced to speak your opinion (such as in an English conversation class). It is important to remember that an opinion doesn't have much value until it has some OBJECTIVE evidence or reason to back it up.
- Practice summarizing
Summarizing is another great way to practice several skills at once. In addition to improving your reading and writing skills, summarizing forces you to analyze information and decide what is most important. This is the key to several of the sections on the iBT TOEFL. Furthermore, summarizing can be practiced with either reading or listening materials.
- Know the test
There is a reason that first time iBT TOEFL test takers usually score very low - they don't know the test. The iBT TOEFL is very different from the PBT and CBT versions of the TOEFL as well as tests such as TOEIC and EIKEN. The iBT TOEFL tests APPLIED and CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, not grammar knowledge and vocabulary. iBT TOEFL questions typically ask what is inferred or meant, not what is said. Typing skills, note taking and time-management are also very important. By the way, be careful when searching for iBT TOEFL study guides and programs, as many have not yet adjusted their contents to the iBT format - and the iBT TOEFL is the best test made so far for improving your real academic English skills!
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