How to get a 115 in TOEFL in 4 days

It is the time of the year when computer centers and education consulting firms are flooded with students aspiring to study abroad. Every university has separate criteria and perspectives regarding its admission requirements. However, the one thing almost every university has in common is an exam to demonstrate the candidate’s proficiency in the language he wishes to pursue his education.

TOEFL, among others, is the most widely accepted English proficiency test in the world. The breakdown of TOEFL is straightforward. It consists of 4 sections with a total achievable score of 120 marks:

• Reading (30 marks)
• Listening (30 marks)
• Speaking (30 marks)
• Writing (30 marks)

I’ll discuss the intricacies of each section and a deft way to approach them while preparing for the exam and actually taking it.

Reading

For those who have prepared for GRE and appeared for the exam, Reading would seem like the most intimidating section among the rest. Well, let me obliterate that myth and tell you that, IT IS NOT! Reading is TOEFL in no way resembles the Reading section in the GRE Verbal Tests. This section in the TOEFL Exam is concise, significantly easier to understand, and less vocabulary intensive. In fact, I would like to go ahead and proclaim that it is the section that requires the least effort but reaps the highest reward.

The questions in Reading are typical. One can give a couple of mock tests and get the hang of them. This is how you should prepare for the Reading section:

• Go through at least 2 mock reading sections to understand the pattern of questions they ask
• Revise Barron’s 800 or Maghoosh’s Basic word deck. That is more than sufficient.
• Practice 3–5 sets and ensure you get 26+ in the last test.
• While actually giving the test, read the passage once, peruse the questions asked, read the passage again, and NAIL it!

Listening

This is a tricky section yet the easiest one to score. There will be 4–6 audio recordings played to the candidate in the examination, each of which will summarize completely different scenarios. You have to listen carefully and answer the questions based on the recording. The most important thing the candidate needs to remember is, YOU ONLY GET TO HEAR THE RECORDING ONCE! In case you miss out on a sentence or couldn’t interpret certain words in the accent, there is no ‘reset’ or ‘help’. It sounds like an impediment, but don’t worry I’ve got you covered.

This is how you should prepare for your Listening Section:

• Get your hands on every *free* resource available for listening. Listening needs practice until you are confident.
• The practice I mentioned in the previous point is more about taking running notes at a speed at par with the recording. TAKING RUNNING NOTES IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT TO NAILING THIS SECTION (I got a 30 myself. I’m bragging but this is the only way)
• If one faces difficulty in understanding the accent, I would recommend watching at least 3 British movies (kidding…)

Speaking

Speaking, in my opinion, is the hardest section of them all. The candidate has negligible time to prepare and a long stretch to speak for (it’s all relative). It will comprise 4–6 questions where a topic or a particular scenario shall be given one has to speak in accordance for 45 sec or 60 sec with preparation times of 15 sec or 30 sec respectively. (Try it once, you’ll know what I am talking about)

There’s a way to emerge victorious here too. But before that, I need to highlight the factors which make a good answer:

• You can stammer once or twice, not more than that
• Start immediately when the timer begins. Don’t wait and think
• For every question, you need atleast 2 points and a maximum of three points to state your argument.
• Use simple words and only the ones which you can pronounce perfectly

And, here's how you can prepare for Speaking:

• Ask a friend, get him on google meet, download mock speaking questions from the internet, and practice for all 4 days! (15 mins daily).
• Always set a timer, even if you breach the preparation time, still work on the timer. This is crucial for tracking your improvement across various practice sessions.
• You can always rehash your stand for the question to consume your last 5 seconds
• In questions where we are asked to pick a side and explain the reasoning behind it, do it in the first 3 seconds. Not more than that.

Writing

This section is straightforward. It’s as good as attempting a high school essay in the language examination. There’s no guidance or tricks needed for this section. Nonetheless, one thing which can enhance your overall essay is, use atleast 5 GRE words (not the ones commonly used in our daily lives) in each essay. This makes the impression of your essay stellar.

Now how will you do it all in just 4 days? The key here is to remember that it’s not a lot. 3–4 hours a day every day will rock your world. Here’s how you can divide your preparation for each section spanning across the days.

Day 1: Revise the words (aforementioned), go through a reading section and practice speaking for 15 mins

Day 2: Go through sample essays for the Writing section, practice 2 essays of each type, and practice speaking for 15 mins.

Day 3: Practise Listening, as much as you can, and practice speaking for 15 mins.

Day 4: Give a full test, revise your words and practice speaking for 5 mins (Final polish).

Thanks a lot.

Cheers!