How to Practice for the TOEFL Exam

Taking the TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language is a very important thing for non-native English speakers who are faced with needing to do it. Quite often passing the test with a certain grade is a requirement for being accepted into college, professional licensing or even to be considered for select jobs. Therefore it is critical to prepare well and in a timely manner for this important exam.

The TOEFL test has become the standard way to test all people who do not speak English as a native language. The 45 year old exam determines how well an individual can use, understand and communicate in English in an academic setting. Therefore even if an individual communicates relatively fluently in everyday situations, it is still important to prepare for the TOEFL exam because academic setting English and everyday English are two different things.

The best way to practice for the TOEFL exam is to get some resources to help you. You can purchase a TOEFL preparatory course to do at home. You can also find websites that are free of charge and others that are fee-based which offer you the preparation you need for this critical exam. The course book can be obtained through any book seller. The online preparatory courses can be found with a simple Internet search.

A great way to get started practicing for the TOEFL exam is to determine exactly what the test is all about and what you need to work on. The way to do this is to take a sample test from start to finish and time it as it would be timed during the real thing.

You may find that you do excellent on the questions but consistently run out of time, meaning you need to work on working faster in your second language. You may also identify a problem area that you need to work on. For instance, you may do great on all the sections but the writing. If this is the case, you know to work on that area. Alternatively you may find that the test is difficult and you get a number of wrong answers. You can use the correction guide to help you determine exactly what types of questions you are getting wrong. You can then focus on improving your grammar skills for the things you are struggling with.

TOEFL is constantly changing with the times, so it is a relevant test. It used to be a paper-based test only, however now in most places it is an Internet-based test. In remote areas, the test can be done by paper, however increasingly the Internet-based version is gaining in popularity. If you are faced with taking the TOEFL exam for any reason, you need to get serious and practice for the exam if you expect to do well. Use the tips above to help you adequately prepare. It costs to write the TOEFL and you don’t want to have to pay the fee more than once because you simply didn’t practice enough the first time around.

Sample TOEFL Test
Take a sample TOEFL test to prepare for your exam.