TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standardized English test conducted by the English Testing Service. The private organization conducts the test which acts as a certification for English proficiency. The TOEFL scores are accepted in over 150 countries and 8000 universities and institutions.
Much like the IELTS, TOEFL has emerged as a universal medium of assessing mastery of English, typically for the graduate level of study. The test solely assesses English proficiency based on an academic setting.
TOEFL is easy to get by if an examinee has clear directives. In addition to paid resources and test materials, there are useful free resources on the internet. Let’s have a look at them both.
Best Resources and Test Material for TOEFL Preparation
The TOEFL test is divided into four distinct sections – reading, writing, listening and speaking. The divisions are similar to IELTS. The article will be divided into each of these categories to better summarize the resource materials. To know more about IELTS resources, check out a comprehensive resource guide here.
Reading
There are about 3 to 4 passages in the reading section. Each of the passages is 700 words long with about 10 questions. The questions are designed in such a way that tests the colloquial and phrasal understanding of the test taker. Some free reading tests are available on the ETS website to get familiarized with the pattern.
The Exam English website also has several free reading tests for the prospective test-takers. ETS offers a few paid mock tests for the applicants. An applicant will get access to real past questions and mock tests designed by the real examiners of TOEFL. Visit TOEFL Practice Online to get a more detailed idea.
In addition to these, an applicant should make the habit of reading English dailies and magazines to get better at reading. TOEFL is mainly an academic English-based assessment. An applicant should check out the AWL Practice Sheets to develop their vocabs. There’s a separate section for vocabs later in the article.
Writing
The TOEFL writing test is designed to test the academic English writing capability. The test itself is divided into 2 sections. One is integrated and the other is independent. In the integrated section, the test taker reads an academic passage and listens to a discussion on the subject matter. Then they are required to write a summary of the passage. The independent section checks the free-flowing writing skills on any topic.
Since these writings are academic, a test taker should focus on structured preparation. TOEFL Resources has an amazing selection of writing samples and guidelines on how to summarize a topic. TST Prep also has several sample topics and essays tailored just for TOEFL. The ETS website and Goodluck TOEFL also have detailed guidelines and topics regarding the writing module. ETS also outlines tips to improve writing skills in the exam.
The TOEFL iBT writing test may focus on the academic side, but it still checks for the sentence structures and overall writing fluency. As a result, Virtual Writing Tutor can be a great place to get your writing constantly checked for errors.
Listening
The listening section of TOEFL is divided into 2 parts. The first part is listening to actual conversations. The test taker has to answer 5 questions each from 2 to 3 conversations. The next one is based on lectures with 6 questions each from 5 to 7 lectures.
Read IELTS vs TOEFL: Which is better for study abroad?
As usual, the best free materials are from the EST TOEFL iBT Sampler. A test taker can find a complete listening test kit complete with gradings. For a more interactive and real-world experience of the listening test, head over to TOEFL Practice Online. This is a token-based mock exam opportunity. Each token can be bought from the official website and can be used once for the test.
There are a lot of podcasts out there these days which can be a great option to hone your listening skills. BBC’s English as we speak is a nice podcast to get started. TED Talks can also help to develop listening skills.
Read English Listening Skills: Some effective ways to improve
Vocabulary
Vocabulary isn’t a direct part of the test process. However, since the test encompasses intricate aspects of academic English, it’s important to have a good command of it. The only way to learn vocabulary is through memorization and practice.
Leverage Edu has a list of important vocabularies designed specifically for the TOEFL iBT. Exam Word has a comprehensive list of 5000 vocabularies which makes it super easy to learn and practice vocabs. Once the learning is complete, it’s time to test out the learnings. Head over to Exam English for useful tips regarding TOEFL vocabs and test out the proficiency.
Read English Vocabulary: Ways to Improve and Expand Your Knowledge of Words
Speaking
The speaking section of the TOEFL is often the hardest and rigorous compared to the other ones. The speaking test is divided into 4 parts. One is independent and the other three are integrated.
Best My Test has a comprehensive guideline and material for the speaking section. From topics to model answers, a test taker will find everything they need here. Exam English also has a comprehensive test module to hone speaking proficiency. The English Club took a more innovative approach to design their free module. The entire module is interactive. A test taker can see sample questions along with tips to structure the response.
Read How to improve your English speaking skills at home?
And if that wasn’t enough, the module also includes a sample response with each of the questions. ETS also offers some free materials for speaking practice. But their paid mock exam is a better option to truly assess their speaking abilities.
Final Thoughts
TOEFL has emerged as one of the standards to judge English proficiency along with IELTS. Since it exclusively focuses on academic English, many institutions and universities across the world give it a good weight while considering admission. Just IELTS, TOEFL also isn’t very hard, rather the complex process can be easily overcome with practice. In addition to the free resources available on the internet, other paid resources can also help to bolster the preparation.
Source: United News of Bangladesh