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General TOEFL Speaking Tips

ConradC — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:14:20 +0000

Fretting over the TOEFL speaking section? No need to worry – here are five practical tips to help keep you grounded:

1) Remember – it doesn’t have to be immaculately perfect. Each speaking question is graded on a scale of 0 – 4, with a 4 being the highest possible score. Even with the highest possible score, it is still acceptable to have minor pronunciation errors. In other words, the TOEFL graders are well aware you are speaking into a microphone in a room full of others, who are also doing the same and they take into account both your situation during the test and the stressful impact of the time. Aim for the best you can possibly do but remember – a few minor mistakes won’t rule out a score of a 4.

2) Don’t take risks. The TOEFL speaking section is not the time or the place to experiment with new vocabulary words and/or complex pronunciations that might confuse the grader. Try to expand your horizons with moderate-level adjectives but, as a whole, play it safe with your choice of vocabulary and particularly your choice of topics on independent questions.

3) Don’t go over the time allotted. Keep in mind that for all independent speaking questions you have 45 seconds to respond, and for all integrated speaking questions you have 60 seconds to respond. It’s important to give concise responses that do not exceed the allotted speaking time. If you get 7 or 10 seconds until the end of your response time and you aren’t finished, it’s best to complete the thought and/or sentence you’re currently responding to or go to a conclusion right away.

4) Take notes. Some students do not take notes on the speaking section of the TOEFL and this is a major mistake. Taking notes is crucial not only for the factual information you need for the integrated speaking but also to serve as a “guide” for your response. With the stress of having to speak into a microphone with a room full of other people doing the same, it’s easy to get lost in your response or stop speaking altogether. Take notes not only to help you deliver a complete response, but also provide you with keywords from the lecture and conversation to impress the graders.

5) Make the grader’s life easier. Last but not least, you should always keep in mind your job is to make the grader’s life easier. Graders have to listen to many responses within the time span of one hour and if they have to replay part or all of your response because they happen to question what you were saying, it can only count against you. Speak clearly, concisely and comfortably in order to make their job of giving you a high score easier than they anticipated.

All in all, the best way to improve your speaking is to practice, practice, practice! Hopefully these hints will help you as you tackle what some students say is the most challenging part of the TOEFL examination.

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CRACKING THE TOEFL READING SECTION: SKIMMING THE PASSAGE

LouisL — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:51:43 +0000

Many students are often very perplexed as how to finish the TOEFL reading portion of the test on time. On a TOEFL reading exam, you can expect anywhere from 3-5 reading sections. Each reading section is broken down, as follows:

1 page-long reading article on an academic topic (history, science, the arts, philosophy)
13-14 corresponding questions
20 minutes to read the passage and answer all questions

Reading on the TOEFL exam is not necessarily “normal reading.” In other words, students don’t have time to read the reading section in-depth, so a very essential skill is necessary: skimming. Skimming is basically reading quickly for a general understanding of the passage, taking note of main ideas and overall organization. How does one go about doing this? Well, when you are skimming, keep the following in mind:

Read only the first two or three sentences of the first paragraph and the first and last sentences of each paragraph after that. Move quickly across the words as you read them – do not be tempted to read the passage word for word.

Take note of key words. As you skim each TOEFL reading article, you will probably notice words that are repeated or words that are synonymous with the main idea of the passage as a whole. Taking note of key words, which are words that define the topic and supporting points of the passage, is crucial on the TOEFL. More than likely, questions that follow will ask specifically about key words and if you have an idea of where they are in the passage, you will be able to answer the questions faster.

Don’t be afraid to take notes. Overall, taking brief notes on a reading passage can be very helpful because it will give you an idea of where to find specific bits of information in each passage. Sometimes, it might even be useful to give each paragraph a word or phrase that best summarizes its main idea. Keep in mind that all note-taking will have to be on a separate piece of paper because the TOEFL iBt is now given on a computer.

When you finish skimming each passage, which generally takes about 1-2 minutes, you should have an outline of the passage in your mind. This outline will serve as a guide when answering the bulk of the TOEFL reading questions and hopefully, a tool to get you to finish each 20-minute reading section on time!

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TOEFL READING QUESTION TYPES: A QUICK RUNDOWN

JasonN — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:33:42 +0000

The TOEFL reading section is broken down into 10 different reading question types. Many TOEFL test-takers find it easier to complete a reading section on time if they are aware of the reading questions they will encounter, and then be able to identify them. Here is a quick rundown of each question type you will encounter:

FACTS/DETAILS: Fact/Detail questions want to know specific information found in the passage. The easiest thing about this question type? It’s always possible to find the answer, since it’s found directly in the passage!

NEGATIVE FACTS/DETAILS: These questions sometimes confuse students because they often ask for the wrong answer, not the right answer. These questions are easily identified because they contain the words “NOT” or “EXCEPT.”

REFERENT: Another word for “referent” is “pronoun.” These questions require a sharp eye and a solid knowledge of singular/plural, masculine/plural pronouns.

VOCABULARY: Vocabulary questions ask for definitions of specific words that are closest in meaning out of all four possible answers.

INFERENCE: Inference questions can be difficult because they are asking you to infer or imply something about the passage, meaning it’s not stated outright, like in a fact/detail question.

PURPOSE: This question type asks the reason, or purpose behind a reading passage or portion of a reading passage. Often times, the word “purpose” is actually found in this type of question.

PARAPHRASE: Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in similar words. On the TOEFL, paraphrase questions will ask you to choose a sentence that is most like a specific highlighted sentence within the passage.

COHERENCE: Another phrase for coherence questions is “sentence insertion.” For these questions, you are required to take a sentence in bold and replace it within the most appropriate place within the passage. Coherence questions require an eye for where a sentence is specifically placed within a sentence.

SUMMARIZING: Summarizing questions ask you to form a summary based off of six possible sentences. You are often asked to choose three out of six that most closely resemble a topic sentence given to you – all of which are related to the reading passage.

CATEGORIZING INFORMATION: When approaching categorizing information questions, you are asked to place specific bits of information into categories related to the passage. Often, categorizing questions are found at the end of a 20-minute reading section.

Overall, recognizing TOEFL question types can expedite your process when working through a reading section. Along with each question type comes specific strategies – all of which a very knowledgeable TOEFL preparation instructor at Manhattan Review can assist you with!

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TOEFL Listening Section Breakdown – Question Types

JoshD — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:28:12 +0000

While the Listening section on the TOEFL doesn’t have as many question types as the reading section, it’s still important to know the types you might encounter. As with the reading section, when you are able to identify a listening question type, it very well might help you move through the section faster. Keep in mind: the listening section on the TOEFL exam has 34 questions total with 6 main question types.

* Topic/Main Idea: When identifying the topic or main idea of a lecture of conversation, questions along the lines of: What is the subject of the conversation/lecture? What is the topic of the discussion/academic talk? Keep in mind these are general questions needing general answers.

* Details: These questions are asking for particular pieces of information, as stated by the speakers. Note-taking is essential for these types of questions, as well as a good memory!

* Attitude/Purpose: These questions types are not always easy to answer, as they are not details found specifically in the lecture or conversation. The purpose of a lecture or conversation is its primary function, whereas the attitude of a speaker is his/her feelings, thoughts and emotions. Remember – tone of voice is key to finding the attitude of a speaker.

* Inferences/Predictions: Similar to the reading section, the listening has quite a few inference questions, which require you to come to a conclusion about a statement not directly stated. Inference questions require a sharp eye for interpretation, often involving the words “infer” or “imply.” Prediction questions aren’t quite as common as inference questions, but they require you to determine what will more than likely happen in the future, based on what a speaker says or doesn’t say.

* Categorizing: Also like the reading, the listening has several categorizing question, which often come at the end of a series of questions. These types of questions often take longer to determine and requires a test-taker to filter through his/her notes. Pay close attention to any categories, types or divisions when taking notes on the TOEFL listening section.

* SUMMARIZING: When you encounter a summarizing question, you are asked to put a series of actions in order. This occurs through the “drag and drop” process on the computer, so it enables you to see the sentences in order right in front of your very eyes.

Above all – the most important skill you can do on the TOEFL listening section is to take notes. In the meantime, familiarize yourself with these listening questions so you can answer them with ease on test day.

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TOEFL Integrated Essay Writing: Useful Words

ChrisC — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:13:38 +0000

When writing either your independent or integrated TOEFL essay, keep in mind there are certain words that will make your writing come across as more academic and intelligent. Coherence is essential for getting a high score on the writing section. Often times there are specific words you can try to incorporate in your essay that will make your essay easier to read.

Perhaps the most difficult thing on the integrated essay is connecting ideas. After all, you are connecting ideas from both a reading passage and an academic lecture. As we know, sometimes the information from both sources is contradictory and sometimes similar. Several hints and corresponding words for your integrated essay would be:

1) Always tell the reader where your information is coming from. For instance, is the information you are comparing or contrasting from the reading or listening? It’s important the grader knows that you know which is which. When presenting information from either, keep in mind you should add some variety to your citations.

“According to the lecture…”

“The reading states…”

“According to the speaker/lecturer….”

“The reading made the point that….”

Remember to alternate how you quote your sources. Otherwise your essays can get repetitive and come across as not very sophisticated.

2) When showing examples, keep in mind variety is also key. After all, examples are the bulk of your information. So when presenting them in your essay, don’t forget to “mix it up.” Here are some ways you can do so, with many more options out there.

“For instance…”

“As an example…”

“In addition…”

“Also…”

Using variety in your integrated essay with how you cite your sources and give your examples will make for more interesting reading and can only help you attain the highest TOEFL score possible.

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