Materials used :
- ETS book
- Longman Software
- Kaplan Software
I downloaded all the above mentioned materials.
TOEFL iBT is really simple. It may look as a tough one but it is not.
Reading:
Just dont spend more time in a single passage. Make sure that you complete a passage in 20 minutes.Listening:Listening passages were a bit faster than the sample listening passage in longman. It is as fast as the one in kaplan.
Speaking:
Speaking is really simple if u just practice the 35 sample questions. I got the question from the sample question.Writing:It is one of the most simple section. I just practiced 1 set before my test. My preparation during GMAT really helped me @ this time.
Reading:
The most important thing in reading is concentration.. if u are able to concentrate and read the passage once that will do.. dont spend more time to read.. the passage are a bit lengthy.. on a average i spend 6 minutes to read the passage. even of i dont understand i just start answering the questions. dont spend more time on a particular question. one adv in this ibt is that u can review ur answers if u finish the section a bit early.. just make a note of questions on which u r not sure of the answers so that u could have a look at them once u complete early..In my exam the reading section splitted into 3 parts...1st part - 1 passage (20 min)2nd part - 2 passages (40 min)3rd part - 2 passages (40 min)i found it hard to concentrate on the last passage.. but i scored pretty good in this section by God's grace..Tip: The ETS server is a bit slow.. so once u go bac to the previous question the timer stops and the page takes some 5 to 6 seconds to load and the timer to start again... so i used those seconds for my advantage...
Listening:
The most important thing is taking notes. The listening section in Longman is a bit slow.. i would say kaplan's questions had the speed similar to that of ETS. i dont think this section should trouble anyone if he/she has taken good notes.Speaking:This is easier than what people expects it to be. I m not a good speaker of English also my vocabulary is not that great.. I just used to practice the topics given above . After that I used to simulate the test scenario by giving 15 sec initially to think of a reason and then start recording my talk using Sound Recorder for exactly 45 to 60 sec depending the question. After answering I used to play the answers a number of times and then analyse whether i made any mistakes. Make sure that u dont talk too fast or too slow.. Just talk at the normal rate. There is no harm if u complete ur response in 40 sec for a 45 sec question but if u complete in 30 sec then u would be penalized. For the Second Question there is nothin like correct or wrong answer.. for eg if u are given a question like whats ur fav subject - english or maths? u wont be given any additional marks if u select english or u wont be getting less marks if u select maths.. scoring depends on the valid reasons u give for the answer... just practice.. thats the key..for the questions 3-6 make sure tht u take proper notes of the listening passage.Warning: Dont listen to the sample answers for the integrated topics from Longman. They dont answer the question properly and also they are not correct according to my view. Kaplan's answers helped me to prepare well. also listen to ETS sample answers.. they will really help u to understand what all ETS expects.These are the topics I got.
1. Favourite Type of movie (drama or comedy)
2. University should encourage physical activities or not.
3. (dont remember)
4. Some marketing lecture
5. A woman wants her sister to come to CA during her holidays whereas she wanted to do some summer course in French Revolution.
6. (dont remember)Writing:If u had done ur GRE or GMAT then this section is pretty simple.
To tell the truth I just prepared 1 set of questions before my TOEFL. I also read few toefl sample essays and they gave me a good idea how to face this section. I downloaded that from some site.. The word count feature in the new S/W is really helpful. Make sure that u answer more number of words with valid reasons. Also dont deviate from the question asked or from the topic. For my first question I answered around 275 words... ETS expects 175 - 225 i guess.. for my second question I answered around 500 words... ETS expects 300 words...These are the questions I got.1. Reading passage - video teaching is better than books.Listening passage - a professor arguing books are the best.Question passage - How does the teacher argue her point (somethin like that)2. Which one is better? working in small company or a big company.Make sure that u type fast or else practice a lot before taking the exam.
