Preparing for your TOEFL Test

Darius Klasnik -

TOEFL iBT is the standard English proficiency test used by many universities across North America, Australia, New Zealand and the UK to screen prospective graduate students. The test consists of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking sections. Each section consists of 30 marks and 4 levels of proficiency. A candidate gets an overall score out of 120. Here is a breakdown of the TOEFL scores:

SkillLevel
ReadingAdvanced (24–30)
High-Intermediate (18–23)
Low-Intermediate (4–17)
Below Low-Intermediate (0–3)
ListeningAdvanced (22–30)
High-Intermediate (17–21)
Low-Intermediate (9–16)
Below Low-Intermediate (0–8)
SpeakingAdvanced (25–30)
High-Intermediate (20–24)
Low-Intermediate (16–19)
Basic (10–15)
Below Basic (0–9)
WritingAdvanced (24–30)
High-Intermediate (17–23)
Low-Intermediate (13–16)
Basic (7–12)
Below Basic (0–6)

Universities have different cut-offs for the various programs that they offer. The stiffer the competition to get into a university, higher is the minimum TOEFL eligibility requirements. Generally, candidates should aim to score an overall score of 110 or above and be at least in the High-intermediate ranges for all sections. An overall score of 95 and above is also acceptable at most universities. Unless, you are applying to the ivy league colleges or for an English language degree, do not fret about your below 100 TOEFL score.

Preparation Guide:

  • Plan to prepare between 1-2 months if you are a native or fluent English speaker and 3-4 months if English is not your primary language or you are not adept at it.
  • Understand the evaluation rubrics of the test. Go through each section here in detail. The goal of the test is to understand how well the candidate will cope in an academic setting.
  • Try sample questions within each section without a time limit and see how you score. (Reading & Listening)
  • Practice the speaking and writing questions with your friends or preferably with English language guides, teachers or former test-takers.
  • Focus on your weak areas and try to improve your scores by practicing more.
  • The last few weeks or months of your preparation should be dedicated to timed practice tests.
  • Writing: Keep your passages or essays simple and to the point. Try and maintain an easy to read format and stick to the context of the question. Do not be ambiguous in your answers and make sure you are clearly articulating your thoughts. You do not get a higher score for fancy vocabulary!
  • Speaking: Be comfortable in your accent and speak clearly. Use grammatically correct sentences and try not to use convoluted phrases to articulate your thoughts. Try and smile when you talk as this helps with intonation and alleviates nervousness.
  • Reading and Listening: Comprehension requires focus. Understand the context of the passage or audio clip before you answer. In case, you come across terms that you are not aware of, try and make a reasonable assumption based on the context of the passage.
  • Understand the patterns within various writing questions and prepare a template for your essay responses. Have a clear introduction, body and conclusion.

Additional Resources: