Sep 29, 2003 12:32 AM
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(Updated Sep 29, 2003 12:32 AM)
About the exam
Toefl stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language.
The test has 4 sections viz. Listening Comprehension, Structure, Reading Comprehension and Essay writing. I'll describe them one by one.
1) Listening Comprehension:
In 30 min. you will answer about 25-30 questions. The computer plays a short conversation and asks you multiple choice type questions based on the information in the conversation. You are not allowed to use any pen/paper; however the Qs do not test your memory, so you needn't worry about remembering every detail in the conversation. All they test is your ability to understand the conversation.
As opposed to the general belief, the conversations are not in the heavy american accent; nor they are too fast. I found them Ok. Of course, it's not Indian English; but it's Standard American English. And it's not very difficult to comprehend.
How to prepare for this section?
Regular habit of listening to English Conversations would obviously help. The week before my actual test date, I watched over 20-25 ''Friends'' episodes (The downloaded ones; on my computer). And I suppose it really helped. (My score range is 230-287)
2) Next comes Structure
This is also very easy section wherein you are presented with grammatically incorrect sentences and are asked to correct them. For these types of questions no short term preparation will help. You need to have mastery over the language and must be clear about the English sentence structures. But don't panic. The questions are very easy.
3) Reading Comprehension
Here you'll read a moderately long passage (just as lengthy as this review) and answer typically 6-7 questions. You can use paper and pencil for this section. The passage is displayed on the left while you answer the questions. So you needn't bother to write down the full passage!! The qestions are really easy. Toefl reading comprehension if faaaaaar different from that in GRE. It's much easier.
4) Essay writing
You are given a topic and are asked to write on the topic for 30 min. There's no choice. Write as much as you can. Pay more attention to grammar than the content. What you write need not be very relevant to the topic as long as you write it in correct English. Remember, it's a test of English!!!
So, if you are asked to write an essay on ''Coconut Tree'' and all you can write is an essay on a ''Apple tree'' you may do something like this:
We have a coconut tree in our backyard. Just next to it, there is an apple tree. An apple tree is short...
Got the point?
Preparation:
Get the Official Powerprep software from https://toefl.org And practice with it.
Clean your ears on the test date.
