If you are trying to attend a university or graduate school abroad, the chances are that you have heard of the TOEFL. The TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language and is a test that measures students' mastery of the English language. The test consists of how English is used in an academic setting like a university.
The TOEFL test has four sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The minimum score that you must reach depends on the reason that you are taking the test. For some students, the speaking section of the test seems the most daunting. In order to accomplish your desired speaking score, you will need to practice, practice, practice. Here are a few helpful tips for preparing for the TOEFL speaking section.
First, you will need to understand the structure of the speaking section. You will need to know how the questions are designed and how you should answer them. There are four speaking questions, and each is a different type of question and has a different preparation and response time.
● The first question gives test takers two possible actions, situations, or opinions. You will need to pick one of the possible choices and explain your choice. This question will give you 15 seconds to prepare and requires a 45-second response.
● The second question will give you a short paragraph to read. After you read the paragraph, you will listen to a conversation discussing the topic from the reading. You will then have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to respond to a question related to the reading and conversation you heard.
● The third question will also have you read a short text, but instead of a conversation, you will hear a lecture related to the text. You then again have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond to the question based on what you read and heard.
● The fourth and last question will have you listen to part of a lecture. You will be asked a question related to the lecture. You will have 20 seconds to prepare your answer, and then have 60 seconds to respond.
Second, to help give yourself the highest score possible, you should give yourself enough time to study. This is a difficult test, and it will be hard for you to raise your score in a short amount of time. Cramming information in a small amount of time is not an effective way to learn a new language. 8 weeks would be considered a reasonable amount of time to give yourself to prepare. We recommend creating a study schedule in order to help keep yourself on track.
Another useful tip is to improve your vocabulary. Search for TOEFL related vocabulary on the internet or you can download apps that will help you to expand your vocabulary. You should practice using new words to demonstrate that you do not have a limited vocabulary.
Lastly, you will need to practice consistently. You should test yourself by talking about various topics for a limited amount of time. Typically, the TOEFL speaking questions require you to speak for 45-60 seconds, so you should practice speaking for that amount of time. You should practice speaking about your friends, family, school, favorite places, etc. This will help you prepare for the independent questions because they ask you to speak about familiar topics. To help practice for the integrated questions, you should read an academic course book and practice summarizing what you read out loud. Another way to help you improve is to record your own speaking. Listen to yourself to see where you can improve.
A different way to help you prepare for the TOEFL speaking section is to take a class. If you would like to have help with understanding the test, the questions, or just practicing, American English Language School offers TOEFL classes that can help you to prepare and practice. Email info@aels.edu for more information about how to get started.
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