Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Billy]

How to prepare TOEFL?
There are three parts in the TOEFL test, and in most cases there is also a TWE test. For the first part -- listening, you should from now on insist on listening the VOA, but not the special English, please listen to the magazine show or the focus. Of course, sports news and politic news will also do good to you. Other stations, such as the BBC, should you listen only if you have much time till the time you plan to take the test. But if you have little time left, such is the case for students going to take the october one, you should not listen to non-Amerecan English any longer. And if there is only several days left, stop listening music tape too. Several refbooks are good. But you will find that most of them are only copies of the true TOEFL questions. So when you plan to have an objective evaluation of yourself, you will get angry and sad. So, my opinion is that you listen VOA until there is only one month left, then , turn to true TOEFL tests for help. At first, you are almost bound to have poor scores, but as time goes, you will improve you listening ability rapidly. The questions appearing on TOEFL test are somewhat alike. Remember, there are no questions which require you to remember in mind hard. But do be caution that several news voices have turned up in recent tests, and these are not familiar to you. Don't get worry when you hear them at the test. And if you are taking the test for the first time, please don't let the sound of your heartbeat overtake that of the speakers, though it is often the case.

And about the second part, I will say that there is no shortcut which can enable you to be a master of the English grammar. But there are some ways which are realy effective. First, choose some good refbooks. And I strongly recommend the Oxford "Practical English Usage" to you. If you often score above 65 in this section, please skip this section when you do the true tests. This part, you will get enough time. So please take it easy. Do it at a slow pace. And if you can, redo it after you have completed it. You should at least score 65 at this section while at the section one, a score of above 60 will be OK. And if you have problems on this section, why don't you send it here? There are many students in USTC who are more learned than even typical American. And they are ready to answer for you. So if you are going to take the test alone, don't feel lonely and helpless.

And the last section is the easy one too. In this section, you are to read five to six paragraph and answer 60 questions. Remember, you have only too much time. And the vocabulary used in this section is also easy. You are required to have a vocabulary of about 8000. Don't take too much credit on those refbooks. If you can, take a little dictionary of 15,000 words with you. No special training is needed for this section. Fact: There is no longer the replacement of words in this section now. Don't get too much nervous if others complete this section earlier than you in the test. Believe in yourself.

And the TWE, a score of 5 is satisfying. And if you only get 4.5, it is also good. But a score of less than 3.5 will not suffice. Read some good articles before you come in the classroom. You will take TWE first, then the TOEFL.

Best wishes to you all!


From:BBS.ChinaDaily.com.cn
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[Billy]

Get copies of old TOEFL tests and practice with them. This is what we advise in the US as students prepare for standardized testing. VOA will be more helpful than BBC....no question. These tests are REALLY all about reading comprehension. Depending on your time frame, read and read and read some more WITHOUT looking up all the vocab words......teach yourself to use context clues to figure out meanings of words. REMEMBER that you are trying to identify MAIN IDEAS in reading passages. Often times test MAKERS try to fool you by throwing in many unfamiliar words.....It is a TRICK on YOU. When you take the test, read the questions in the reading passages FIRST and then look for the answers in the text. You may NOT have to read everything to find the main idea........BE CONFIDENT as you take the test.......the reading passages will be BORING which IS the intent of the test makers who want to distract you. You CAN do it.............and as the Nike ad says........"Just do it"..........................
_________________
MSN: [email protected]
You are what you think and act.

[snowchocolate]

As for me, I think a lot of ways to prepare for your Toefl test . One of the best way to prepare is you need to make the timetable to pratice . Although you don't have a lot of time to prepare for your Toefl test , the most important thing is you should practice some model Toefl everyday .

[takenami]

Like other peers said, there are many ways to prepare TOEFL. Not to mention, it is very essential to practice TOEFL exercises as many as possible. It is good to choose a textbook which focuses on specific aspects of grammar. For examples, some exercises' focus is phrasal verbs. In terms of listening, exposure to English sounds through TV and radio is important. Communicating to native speakers of English if you have any helps ESL learners improve their listening skills. For the reading section, topics of science and technology seem to be very popular topics. Then topics related to social sciences are also seen in TOEFL. For essays, ESL learners need to practice a quick write. Sending emails in English is important, too.

[Fenerbah�eli]

Hi everybody. How can I find toefl questions? which website is free for this?

[nostril5]

[color=blue]If you need help with the TWE, please go to:
http://www.write4twe.bravehost.com
I look forward to helping you!
Mike MacDermott

[nostril5]

If you need help with the TWE, please go to:
http://www.write4twe.bravehost.com
I look forward to helping you!
Mike MacDermott