The Reading Section is the first part of the test, consisting of 3 to 4 passages, 36 to 56 questions spread over 60 to 80 minutes. A good piece of advice is to take notes as you read to keep track of information and to avoid reading the passage over and over again. Multiple choice questions can be answered by the process of elimination which ensures that your chances of getting a step closer to the correct answer have increased. Some questions have special directions in which you need to choose and organize the information. Unfortunately, there are no magic formulas or templates for the reading section. Hence, it is essential that you practice reading a variety of texts to familiarize yourself with different topics.
The Listening section consists of 34 to 51 questions in 60 -90 minutes. There are various multiple choice formats spread over different audio tracks that consist of lectures, classroom discussion and conversations. Listening to a range of accents can help comprehend the TOEFL listening section with ease. The key to scoring high in the listening section is to effectively take notes. Do not be over confident and avoid taking notes believing that the dialogue or the lecture is quite easy to follow. To answer the questions that follow, you will need the help of the notes you take down. Write legibly enough to read your own writing. Do not write too much. The introduction given by the lecturer is usually general information in order to familiarize the listener with the topic. The information that comes after the general introduction is the most important and that’s what you need to focus on.
The Speaking section lasts for 20 minutes which is a combination of independent speaking tasks and integrated speaking tasks. The independent tasks ask you questions related to your personal experience and proving or disapproving one side of an argument. The integrated sections consist of a reading passage and an audio track. Remember to take notes and use the notes while speaking. Use the time given to prepare for the speaking and have an eye on the timer shown on the computer screen while speaking. Giving clear examples to substantiate your answer and describing coherently by choosing the right words can raise your score. Speak till the timer stops. Keep up a good pace without long pauses and be clear with pronouncing the words. Thinking abstractly and comparing your ideas with the use of similes also can help improve your score.
The final part of the test is the Writing. It’s divided into two sections of integrated (20 minutes) and independent essay (30 minutes). The integrated essay consists of a reading passage and an audio track that opposes or talks about a different point of view on the same topic covered in the reading passage. Again, it is very important to take notes and structure your essay to cover the important points mentioned both in the reading and the lecture. Remember not to give your opinion in task one. You only need to report what you have read from the passage and heard from the lecture. The task two which is an independent task presents a point of view and asks you to agree or disagree on the topic. Focus on the choice of words, sentence structure, word order, tenses, logical connection of your paragraphs with the help of transition words and responding to the question by focusing on your thesis statement.
Option Training Institute, Knowledge Village, Dubai facilitates you by providing all the key strategies to achieve your target score. With classes filled with fun and lots of tips, you can be sure to improve your score.