Finally, I can say that I have received my scores for the TOEFL ibt Home Edition! My goal was to get 100/120 points, but I received 110/120 points! Reading; 29 Listing; 27 writing; 25 and speaking; 29!
I documented my study process on Instagram for almost two months. As a result, I received many questions regarding the exam and my study routine. I picked five of these questions to answer in this post. I hope this will be useful for anyone thinking about taking the TOEFL.
*Before digging into this article, it might be helpful to read this page on the structure of the TOEFL.
Why did I take the TOEFL ibt Home Edition?
When I signed up for the TOEFL, my country was in a state of pre-lockdown. The corona cases were rising rapidly, so I was worried it would be canceled if I signed up for an exam at a test center. Other factors played a role as well. There was no test center near my city, and due to certain deadlines, I had to take the test as soon as possible.
Which materials did you use?
Youtube
I binge-watched videos on TOEFL strategies and other people's home edition experiences. I mostly watched LinguaMarina, Magoosh, Test prep TOEFL, Los Angeles English School, and IELTS and TOEFL with Yuva. In addition, I took practice tests at TOEFL prep academy. In my opinion, they accurately represent the content you get on the actual exam.
Official Guide to the TOEFL Test Paperback Sixth Edition
I bought the official TOEFL preparation guide. In my opinion, this is the best one to spend your money on. The guide contains three essential aspects:
The assessment format
Strategies
Practice material, including four actual mock exams
I think my high TOEFL scores were due to the accuracy of the mock exams. Five days before the actual test day, I made one every day. If you are taking the computer-based exam like me, you can download the mock exams onto your laptop with a code. Make sure to do this! It is best to create a practice strategy as close as possible to the real deal. You have to consider things, such as; getting tired of staring at a screen and typing out your essay instead of writing.
Websites
Most TOEFL topics are biology, history, technology, astronomy, and psychology. The TOEFL texts and listening fragments are structured so that you don't need previous knowledge on these topics to get a passing score. However, reading about these can still help. I happen to be into history and biology, so I focused on reading about technology and astronomy. For this, I used the National Geographic website and the Atlanta times.
Furthermore, I noticed that the same topics seemed to return. For example, I was asked my opinion on self-driving cars in three practice exams—the first time, I did not know what to write. However, I could quickly form after reading a few articles on this topic.
What did your study routine look like?
My study routine was quite rigorous because I work full-time from 8 am to 4:30 pm. I had to practice and study on the weekends. I signed up for the test six weeks in advance. If you, unlike me, don't work full time, I think four or even two weeks will be enough.
I had six weeks to prepare for the exam, including two weeks of holidays. This is roughly what my preparation looked like:
Week 1 & 2
I spend most of the time watching videos on the exam structure. I mainly focused on the speaking and writing section because I heard they were the hardest. The speaking section has four different questions, so I practiced one question every day to get used to the format. The speaking section was challenging, and I genuinely thought I couldn't do it at some point. However, I had already paid the fee, so I kept going because I had to. Next to that, I spend 20 minutes every day reading either the National Geographic or an American news website.
Week 3 & 4
This is where I implemented an actual schedule. I studied from 7 pm to 9 pm every weekday.
7pm to 7:20pm - read National Geographic.
7:25 pm to 8:00 pm - make one of the two writing assignments and check. I wrote an essay every weekday.
8 pm to 9 pm - watching more TOEFL videos on strategies or reading the TOEFL guide.
On the weekends, I made one reading and one listening mock exam. My average scores ranged from 21/30 to 25/30 but never higher during this period.
Week 5 & 6
These were my two weeks of holidays which I had planned conveniently. This is where I doubled down on my practice hours. A thing that started to worry me around that time was that I had to stare at a computer screen and concentrate for 3 hours straight, which is a long time for anyone to stay focused. So this is what I did:
I dropped the 20 minutes of reading websites and solely started practicing the exam format.
Every day, I took one mock exam (all four sections) in order of the TOEFL; reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
I did the mock exam from 9 am, the actual time my real exam would take place.
In week 6, I started taking the mock exams from the official prep guide as a final assessment. I raised my scores from 22/30 to 27/30!
Were there any problems during the exam?
Yes, two to be exact, one before and one during the exam.
For some reason, the ProctorU equipment check did not work for my internet speed. I knew my internet was excellent, but the equipment check could not run the test. I contacted the ProctorU helpdesk, and they told me it was fine. I was still a bit stressed because I worried they might not let me take the exam on the test day if I didn't meet the requirements, but there was no issue.
My camera connection was lost for some reason during the exam in the middle of the listening section. I was worried that they might declare my exam invalid. After 1 minute of panic, all I could do was continue the exam and let the proctor fix the issue. It was solved after only 3 minutes, and there was no problem regarding my exam.
What was the most difficult section?
Personally, I thought it was reading. I thought the actual exam was more complicated than the mock exams. However, this was probably because I was super nervous during the exam. When I reviewed my questions before submitting them, I saw that I had made quite many mistakes (which I was luckily able to correct).
Final thoughts
There is a common misconception about the way TOEFL measures your English level. TOEFL does not necessarily measure your fluency but how you use English in an academic setting. Therefore, it is essential to practice the exam format and do all the assignments within a specific timeframe. If you are already fluent or near-fluent, taking the TOEFL is not hard.
Studying for the TOEFL is a wax-on wax-off approach. Create a schedule, stick to it, review your schedule and adapt where necessary.
''The TOEFL iBT ® test measures a test taker's ability to combine listening, reading, speaking and writing skills where it matters most.'' – ETS.org (the official TOEFL website.)
I think a few words of gratitude are in order as well. I am very grateful to my friend @fundriana who answered all my questions regarding the Home Edition, as well as to my study buddy @sparkletime_ who spent almost everyday studying with me! On top of that, I want to thank my Australian friend for giving feedback on my practice essays.
Comments