When non-native students decide to study abroad in an English-speaking country, they must demonstrate their capability to speak, write, and read English properly. This is necessary to understand that they will have a good learning experience and will be able to live independently in a foreign land. The TOEFL is an exam to test a student's English in academic settings so that they can do well in their university-level courses.

You need to take TOEFL to get admission to universities in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, other European countries, and many Asian countries. You must score around 90 to get admission; however, scores above 100 are considered good scores in TOEFL. You will be tested on your reading, speaking, writing, and listening capabilities. To do well in this exam, you need to follow some strategies. Here are some tips for you.

Get familiar with the exam format

You can avoid nasty surprises on the day of the test if you know the format of the TOEFL test well. Look at the structure and pattern of each section. This way you will know what type of question to expect on the day of the test.

Prepare for the test in advance

You will be in trouble if you wait till the last minute to prepare for the exam. Even if the exam questions seem easy, you need to practice a lot to get a high score. You should make weekly goals and set up a daily routine to improve your English.

Use good learning materials

Do some research to find a couple of the best books on TOEFL. You can find various online resources like tips, blogs, and practice tests to prepare for the exam.

Include both active and passive learning

You should include English in your daily activities. When you are reading a grammar book or taking a practice test, you are learning actively. But when you are listening to football commentaries on the radio, you are learning passively. So, try both.

Preparing for the reading section

The reading section is a difficult one. You will need to read a couple of long passages to answer several questions. To understand the reading extract that will be provided in the test, you must read as much as possible. Don't read only topics that interest you. Try different kinds of writing to understand how sentences are structured.

One of the major challenges that the students face in this section is that they need to read the passages within a short time. You may not get enough time to read the passages line-by-line. So, you must use some proven reading techniques. For example, look out for the main ideas in the passage first by reading the first lines of each paragraph. That way you will know where to find answers and also get a summary about the passage topic.

Without extensive practice, it is not possible to do well in TOEFL. So, take out the past question papers and solve the questions. You can join a coaching center also to help you with the reading preparation.

Preparing listening section

Listen more

You must listen to English all the time. You can listen to news, radio programs, or music. The music lyrics are often confusing to understand because of the words the lyricists choose or the way they are pronounced by the singers. So, listening to songs can be a good exercise to practice for the listening section of TOEFL. You can also watch movies to listen to the dialogue.

Listen to different accents

Though all the English-speaking countries speak English, their accents vary considerably. Some accents are so difficult to understand that it will leave you thinking whether you are actually listening in English. Seeing British, Hollywood, Australian, or Canadian movies can help you get acquainted with the various accents. You can also listen to audiobooks.

Try to catch signal words and expressions

It may not be possible for you to remember everything that is said in the audio conversation. So, you must pay attention to the signal words and expressions to provide a general understanding of the context of the talk. These words will help you to find the links or relationships between several ideas. Look out for connecting words like 'for instance', 'furthermore', and others that change the mood or course of the talk.

Practice listening exercise

Like the reading section, you must keep on practicing the listening section of TOEFL. This way you will become familiar with the format of the questions in this section. Once you know the pattern of questions to expect, you will feel confident on the exam day.


Preparing for the Speaking section

Do you feel nervous when speaking English? Then you must practice speaking in front of your friend or family member. If that's not possible, then practice talking in front of the mirror, record your talk, and self-review. You should note down the oral expressions. The best advice regarding speaking tests is to practice with a native speaker. That way you will understand your flaws and learn how to improve. When practicing, don't feel embarrassed if you make any mistakes. Think of it as an opportunity to learn. Before the TOEFL exam try to speak with your friends and family members in English.

Preparation for the writing section

It is better to read something first and summarize the main points rather than writing about a topic from scratch. You must enrich your vocabulary by learning new words every day. You can use the flashcard technique to remember new words. Show your practice writing to an English teacher to get feedback.

When you give practice tests, time your test. You must complete all the answers on time. You will find books that teach you different techniques to answer TOEFL questions. For example, you will learn how to find the meaning of a word you are unfamiliar with. These tricks can save you from getting bad grades.