TOEFL Audio Crash Course Complete Test Prep and Review for the Test of English as a Foreign Language
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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: TOEFL PROCEDURES............................................................................ 15 Your Learning Objective .............................................................................................. 15 Registration ................................................................................................................. 16 Test Arrival Center Check In........................................................................................ 19 Procedures During the Exam ...................................................................................... 21 After Completing the Exam......................................................................................... 24 Review Quiz................................................................................................................. 26 Review Quiz Answers: ................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER TWO: READING............................................................................................ 31 Your Learning Objective .............................................................................................. 31 Reading Section Summary .......................................................................................... 31 Question Types ........................................................................................................... 41 Factual Questions........................................................................................................ 43 Factual Questions: Challenges and Advice ................................................................. 49 Inference Questions .................................................................................................... 50 Inference Questions: Challenges and Advice.............................................................. 53 Summary Questions .................................................................................................... 54 Summary Questions: Challenges and Advice.............................................................. 56 Question Types Summary ........................................................................................... 57 Key Takeaways and Tips.............................................................................................. 59 Review Quiz................................................................................................................. 62 Review Quiz Answers: ................................................................................................. 65
CHAPTER THREE: LISTENING ....................................................................................... 67 Your Learning Objective .............................................................................................. 67 Listening Section Summary ......................................................................................... 67 Listening Section Rules ............................................................................................... 70 Recordings................................................................................................................... 72 Question Types ........................................................................................................... 76 Detail Factual Questions ............................................................................................. 78 Detail Factual Questions: Challenges and Advice ....................................................... 79 Main Idea Factual Questions ...................................................................................... 81 Main Idea Factual Questions: Challenges and Advice ................................................ 83 Function Factual Questions ........................................................................................ 84 Function Factual Questions: Challenges and Advice .................................................. 87 Inference Questions .................................................................................................... 88 Attitude Inference Questions ..................................................................................... 88 Attitude Inference Questions: Challenges and Advice ............................................... 90 Traditional Inference Questions ................................................................................. 91 Traditional Inference Questions: Challenges and Advice ........................................... 92 Summary Questions .................................................................................................... 93 Organization Summary Questions .............................................................................. 93 Organization Summary Questions: Challenges and Advice ........................................ 95 Categories Summary Questions:................................................................................. 97 Categories Summary Questions: Challenges and Advice ........................................... 98 Note Taking ................................................................................................................. 99 Note Taking for the TOEFL .......................................................................................... 99 Key Takeaways and Tips............................................................................................ 116 Review Quiz............................................................................................................... 124 Answer Key................................................................................................................ 127
CHAPTER FOUR: THE BREAK ...................................................................................... 129 Your Learning Objective: ........................................................................................... 129 Break Summary ......................................................................................................... 129 Rules and Regulations ............................................................................................... 130 Personal Breaks ......................................................................................................... 130 Mental Breaks ........................................................................................................... 132 Blinking your Eyes ..................................................................................................... 132 Apply Pressure to your Eyes ..................................................................................... 133 Twenty Second Look Away ....................................................................................... 133 Deep Breaths............................................................................................................. 134 Cold Water ................................................................................................................ 134 Physical Breaks .......................................................................................................... 134 Stand Up .................................................................................................................... 135 Walk Around ............................................................................................................. 135 Stretches ................................................................................................................... 136 Breaks Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 136 CHAPTER FIVE: SPEAKING ......................................................................................... 137 Your Learning Objective ............................................................................................ 137 Speaking Section Summary ....................................................................................... 137 Independent Tasks One and Two ............................................................................. 140 Integrated Speaking Tasks Three and Four............................................................... 146 Integrated Speaking Task Three................................................................................ 147 Integrated Speaking Task Four ................................................................................. 150 Organization of Integrated Tasks Three and Four .................................................... 151 Integrated Speaking Tasks Five and Six .................................................................... 155 Integrated Speaking Task Five .................................................................................. 156 Integrated Speaking Task Five Organization ............................................................. 157 Integrated Speaking Task Six .................................................................................... 159
Integrated Speaking Task Six Organization ............................................................... 163 Key Takeaways & Tips ............................................................................................... 165 Review Quiz............................................................................................................... 175 Answer Key: .............................................................................................................. 178 CHAPTER SIX: WRITING ............................................................................................. 179 Your Learning Objective ............................................................................................ 179 Writing Section Summary ......................................................................................... 179 Writing Tasks ............................................................................................................. 180 Writing Task One....................................................................................................... 181 Writing Task One Note Taking .................................................................................. 183 Independent Writing Task Two................................................................................. 185 Writing Organization ................................................................................................. 186 Introduction Paragraph............................................................................................. 186 Body Paragraphs ....................................................................................................... 190 Conclusion Paragraph ............................................................................................... 195 Writing Outlines ........................................................................................................ 198 Planning Ahead ......................................................................................................... 202 Section Timing ........................................................................................................... 202 Effects of the Computerized TOEFL Exam ................................................................ 206 Planning for Fatigue .................................................................................................. 209 Mental Breaks ........................................................................................................... 209 Physical Breaks .......................................................................................................... 210 Key Takeaways & Tips ............................................................................................... 212 Review Quiz............................................................................................................... 219 Answer Key: .............................................................................................................. 222
CHAPTER SEVEN: SCORING....................................................................................... 223 Your Learning Objective ............................................................................................ 223 Scoring Section Summary ......................................................................................... 223 Getting your TOEFL Exam Results ............................................................................. 226 Reading Section Scoring ............................................................................................ 227 Listening Section Scoring .......................................................................................... 230 Rubrics....................................................................................................................... 233 Speaking Section Scoring .......................................................................................... 236 Speaking Rubrics ....................................................................................................... 236 Writing Section Scoring ............................................................................................. 243 Overall TOEFL Score .................................................................................................. 249 Exam Recipients ........................................................................................................ 250 Canceling or Retaking the Exam ............................................................................... 251 Score Review Service ................................................................................................ 253 Review Quiz............................................................................................................... 255 Answer Key................................................................................................................ 258 CHAPTER EIGHT: EXAM OVERVIEW AND ADVICE ...................................................... 259 Exam Overview ......................................................................................................... 259 Reading Section......................................................................................................... 263 Listening Section ....................................................................................................... 264 Break Time ................................................................................................................ 266 Speaking Section ....................................................................................................... 267 Writing Section.......................................................................................................... 269 TOEFL Exam Results .................................................................................................. 272 Exam Preparation...................................................................................................... 272 Studying for the TOEFL ............................................................................................. 273 Preparations for the Night Before the Exam ............................................................ 275 Exam Day Preparations ............................................................................................. 278
Review Quiz............................................................................................................... 280 Answer Key: .............................................................................................................. 283 FINAL TEST ................................................................................................................ 285 Final Test Answers .................................................................................................... 307
INTRODUCTION Hello, and welcome to our course dedicated to the TOEFL i-B-T exam. Please note that the official name of the exam is the TOEFL i-B-T exam. The letters i-B-T stand for internet-based test. Previously, a different version of the TOEFL exam was offered on paper but that exam has been discontinued. Now TOEFL i-B-T exams are offered online and are computer-based exams given at official test centers around the world. The exam you are preparing for is the TOEFL i-B-T exam. This rest of this course will refer to the TOEFL i-B-T exam as only the TOEFL exam. This course is designed to help you prepare for your TOEFL exam by understanding the layout, content, procedures, and scoring of all sections on the TOEFL exam. We believe you can increase your success on the TOEFL exam by educating yourself about the exam itself. Therefore, when you begin studying for the TOEFL, you know exactly why you are studying that skill and how it plays into the TOEFL exam as a whole. The content of this course will cover the purpose of the TOEFL exam, and the various ways you can use your score for admittance into schools or employers of your choice. This course will also go into detail about how to register for the TOEFL exam and how this exam is scored. This is so that you can understand what your scores mean and how you can focus on earning the score you want. There are four chapters dedicated to each of the four sections of the TOEFL exam: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Chapters dedicated to exam sections will focus on teaching you about the timing of the section, the layout and content of the section, and the various types of questions found within each section. Finally, this course will conclude with a chapter dedicated to exam preparation. This includes studying for the exam as well as preparing for exam day.
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The TOEFL exam has a long and trusted history within English language proficiency exams. The first exam was administered more than fifty years ago, in nineteen sixtyfour. The original purpose of the exam was for students from outside of the United States and was designed to help foreign students prove their English levels as they applied to universities in the U-S. The format of the TOEFL exam has changed over the years. The original format of the exam was entirely in multiple choice questions and included a vocabulary section. The original version of the TOEFL exam had no section to measure speaking or writing skills. Researchers examined this approach to the TOEFL and found that this approach was unfair in some ways and was not the truest measurement of a person’s English skills, abilities, and understanding. It was not until the nineteen eighties when a speaking and writing section were added. Then, in nineteen ninety-eight, the TOEFL exam started being delivered on a computer. This used to be an optional format for the exam. However, the online version of the TOEFL, or the TOEFL i-B-T, is the only version of the TOEFL administered today. This format was first made available in two thousand and five, but researchers support the current TOEFL i-BT exam format as the most fair and true measurement of a person’s complete understanding and usage skills related to the English language. The current TOEFL exam uses a combination of multiple choice questions along with an opportunity for test takers to record their own speaking and writing. Today, schools and employers continue to use one’s TOEFL exam results as a way of understanding the English levels of a person who is applying to that school or workplace. The exam divides a person’s foreign language skills into the four primary categories of language learning: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. However, like true language use, these skills are not entirely separate from the others. Many of the sections within the TOEFL exam are actually a combination of these four skills. This provides a more accurate assessment, which not only measures your ability to use English but also examines your ability to truly understand and apply the English language. By the end of this course, you will be able to explain everything about the TOEFL exam itself. This course has been designed with you in mind. Use this course to feel more 2 | Page
confident about the TOEFL exam. You should also use this course to develop and understanding of the exam’s purpose and how it assesses your English language abilities. Each section measures your ability to use, understand, and interact with tasks in English. We applaud you for beginning your TOEFL journey by taking the time to learn more about the exam itself because we believe you must first know the exam before practicing it. This exam is a serious measurement of your English abilities. Your TOEFL exam results can be used for up to two years after your exam date. You may use your results to demonstrate your English levels to schools and employers who want to determine whether your English language skills are high enough for their program or workplace. This also means that the TOEFL exam may bring about a lot of stress and anxiety for people who need to take the TOEFL for official reasons. Some of you are taking this course because you want to see your level of English and use your results in the future. Others are taking this course because a school or employer has assigned them to take a TOEFL exam to receive official English level results. Regardless of your personal motivation to take this exam, the first step in preparation is to understand the exam itself. It’s best to understand the exam layout, function, scoring, and question types before you begin studying. Knowing the format of the test helps you learn what will be on the exam, and less surprises leads to a greater likelihood that you will get the score you want on the TOEFL exam. By learning about all aspects of the TOEFL exam, you are more likely conquer your fears and take control of your exam preparations. As you advance through this course, think about the things you believe will be the most difficult for you as you begin studying for the exam. Consider elements of the exam that are strange to you and spend additional time learning these procedures so they feel comfortable come exam day. This course comes to you in the form of an audiobook. There may be times throughout the course that you would like to look at a visual example of what is being discussed. The course comes with a resource guide that is designed to provide you with visual
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aides related to some of the complex ideas shared about the TOEFL exam. This resource guide is provided as an option to assist you in your learning and to help you understand the course concepts in more detail. This resource guide contains visual aids specially designed to help you learn and remember information about the TOEFL exam as well as tables of information to help you understand complex information faster. There will be moments throughout the course when you will be prompted to view a certain page in the resource guide. Please stop and take the time to use both this recording as well as the visual aide in the resource guide. This is designed to enhance your learning and ensure you remember the information well into the future. This guide is designed to be looked at any time you feel it is necessary. If, at any time, you need to pause the recording in order to examine the resource guide in detail, please do not hesitate to do so. Your learning is the most important objective in this course. You may pause at any time in order to review or reflect on any information presented here. As you begin studying for the TOEFL here with us, please remember that this is your course. Even if an item is not in the resource guide, always feel free to pause or replay any portion of the course that you feel you need to hear again. You are not being scored on your use of this course, and it is designed to support you in any way you need it. Replay, pause, or review anything you need so that you can be the most prepared version of yourself on exam day. Keep this course when you have finished it the first time. You may find that you want or need to review some of the in depth information provided here. Information in this course may be reviewed at any time you feel you can benefit from the contents found here. This course begins with an explanation of the TOEFL exam procedure on exam day. The course then delves deeper into each individual section of the TOEFL, which are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. After you learn about each section, this course presents you with information about TOEFL scoring and ends with a final test that measures your overall understanding of the TOEFL exam as it is presented in this course. The final test
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focuses on the TOEFL exam structure, test day procedure, exam scoring and TOEFL exam preparations. This course presents information in the same order you will experience it during your formal TOEFL exam. You will first arrive to the exam location, then you will complete the exam in the order of the TOEFL, and, finally, you must wait to receive your scores. This course will follow that same structure. Right now, you are listening to the introduction. Here, we will talk about the purpose of the TOEFL and why you are taking the exam. The first chapter of this course explains the TOEFL exam procedures on the day you arrive at an official test center. The following chapters will then discuss all four sections of the TOEFL exam in the order they appear. These four sections, in order, are: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. There is a very specific procedure that must occur on exam day. Chapter One covers the procedure and explains what you should and should not do when you arrive at an official test center. This will help you prepare for your arrival and to feel more relaxed as you check in for your exam. The more you know ahead of time, the more confident you will feel on the formal exam day. This means you will be able to focus on your performance on the exam and will not be stressed out by any of the procedure, rules, or regulations expected at TOEFL test centers. Each section of the exam measures how well you use, understand, and apply the English language as your foreign language. Every chapter in this course will explain what you need to know about the section of the exam as a whole. There are five basic elements of each chapter in this course. These are: an overview of that particular exam section— what that particular section is measuring in terms of foreign language ability—how much total time you have to complete that section as well as how much time you should spend on each task or question— every individual question type found within each section— and, finally, a short, ten question review quiz about the content of the chapter.
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To begin, each chapter will provide you with an overview of the particular exam section being discussed. This will be wither reading, listening, speaking, or writing. The overview helps you gain an understanding of what is involved in that section beyond just the subject title. The overview will help you develop an overall understanding of the skills you are being tested on. As you listen to the overview, think about your own skills in that particular area of foreign language learning and ability. Consider whether you should focus more or less of your study time on that subject matter, and think about your personal experience within that subject. You may find that you feel more confident about some sections of the exam than about others. The second item within each chapter about the exam is a section that discusses what that particular section is measuring for you as a non native speaker. The TOEFL exam measures your English level, but is especially measures your ability to work with English in three ways. First, the TOEFL measures your ability to understand the English language. The TOEFL tests your ability to understand the English language by providing you with either English language reading passages or English language audio recordings. The reading passages do not appear only in the reading section. Be aware that you will be required to respond to reading passages in the speaking and writing sections as well. That means you will have a reading passage in a total of three of the four sections on the exam. The TOEFL also presents English language audio recordings, which they use as an additional way to measure your understanding of English. Of course there will be English audio recordings in the listening section. However, you will also be asked to respond to recordings in the speaking and writing sections of the exam. You will be asked to respond to examples from native English speakers from all around the world. You will not hear only one type of native English accent. Therefore, please remember to practice for the TOEFL by listening to audio from native English speakers from several countries. Examples of countries where native English speakers sound quite different from one another include English speakers from the United States, Scotland, England, and Australia—to name a few. The second skill assessed on the TOEFL exam is your ability to use English. You are required to use English in the speaking and writing 6 | Page
sections of the exam. In these sections, you must produce original responses referred to as tasks. The exam will provide you with either questions or prompts and you must use your English skills to produce a personal response in the medium requested. Finally, the third skill assessed on the TOEFL exam is your ability to apply English. Several questions on the exam require you to use a combination of English language skills that work together in order to produce one outcome. In the speaking section, for instance, you must use your spoken English to apply your understanding of a reading passage with your understanding of an audio recording. Here, you are asked to use several skills simultaneously in order to produce an original response in English. The third item presented in every chapter is the timing of that particular section. The TOEFL exam is roughly four and half hours long in total. This includes the reading, listening, speaking, and writing sections as well as a short, ten-minute break. The actual timing of the exam varies on your exam day because some sections of the TOEFL exam change as they alter the amount of passages, recordings, and questions in your particular exam on the exact day you take your formal assessment. Therefore, it’s important to know the timing you can expect and what those timing variations mean to you. Each section of the TOEFL exam gives you a different amount of time to complete the section. Some sections are quite long, at up to an hour and a half for only one section, while other sections are quite short, at only about twenty minutes in length. There will be a countdown clock at the upper right-hand corner of your screen. This countdown timer is unforgiving and will never provide you with additional time nor permit you to pause the exam at any time. Be sure to follow the countdown timer in each section. Adhering to it can help you complete each section on time and to the fullest extent possible. Each chapter will discuss, in detail, the question types found within the section. Every section of the TOEFL exam has specific types of questions that require a special type of understanding, knowledge, and ability. For instance, some questions will ask you to summarize information that you hear. Other questions will ask you to identify details
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that support an idea within a passage or recording. Finally, some TOEFL questions will ask you to infer the answer to something using only evidence from the passage and your own logical conclusions. These are only a few of the many types of questions you can expect to be asked. It is crucial that you learn the question types within the TOEFL. These will be the questions you are required to answer and you ability to respond to these questions is what will allow you to get the score you are aiming to getting. Again, keep this course with you even after you complete it. It is very possible that you will want to review the question types before taking your formal exam, and this course can help you understand the types of questions, what they look like, any major challenges these questions present, and any pieces of advice to help you answer these different types of questions accurately. You are encouraged to study the various question types until you feel that you are an expert in those question types. Learn this before you begin trying sample TOEFL tests. This way, as you take both the practice and the formal TOEFL exams, you will be able to quickly identify what type of question you are looking at. The result will be that you can answer the questions more accurately and with much more confidence because you are aware of what the TOEFL is asking you to do. The final section within each chapter in this course is a review quiz. This review quiz is short, at only ten questions long. Every question is a multiple-choice question with three answer options to choose from. You can pause and take the test or quiz in your follow along PDF guide if you do not wish to hear the answers. This course also provides you with the answer key and any explanations necessary to help you check for your own understanding. The purpose of these review quizzes is to help you examine how well you understood the information within that chapter. All questions within these review quizzes will ask you about that particular TOEFL exam section: the timing, layout, aim, skills, and question types. This course is designed to help you prepare for the exam. You will not be formally scored on these quizzes. They are there so that you can score yourself. It is recommended that any quiz score of sixty 8 | Page
percent, or any quiz score where you answer less than seven questions correctly, is a message that you do not fully understand the main concepts of that chapter and that you should redo that chapter of the course. It’s all right if you have to redo a chapter. There is a lot of information within the TOEFL exam, so there is a lot of information within each chapter of this course. It is not important that you rush through this course. The most important thing is that you take your time, assess yourself honestly, and, if you discover that you do not understand a certain chapter, go back and study more until you master that course chapter. Your personal understanding of the course material is more important than racing through the course. This is why we ask you to stop and check for your understanding at the end of each chapter. After learning about each section, you will go through an entire chapter dedicated only to the scoring of the TOEFL exam. Everyone takes the TOEFL exam because they need, or want, to earn a certain score. Ever individual’s reason for taking this exam is different, and, therefore, everyone’s ideal score is different. This chapter in the course discusses how each section is scored and what your final score will look like when you get to see it online. Additionally, the TOEFL places ranges of scores into bands. This means that your exam results will include labels for your performance in each section of the exam. There are two groupings of labels. One grouping is high, medium, and low. The other grouping of labels is good, fair, limited, and weak. These labels will be presented on your formal TOEFL score report as a way to help you examine which areas of the English language you excel at and which areas you struggled with on exam day. They are designed to help you aim your practice as you move forward in your English journey. The TOEFL exam is not your final course of action when it comes to learning, practicing, and using English. It is assumed that you will continue your language journey after taking the exam, and these score band labels are designed to help you focus your future studies. The final chapter of this course centers on what you should do to prepare for the exam. This chapter also provides a brief overview of the exam itself. It is very important that 9 | Page
you approach studying for this exam with a clear plan. A great study plan can help you earn the score you want to get, and this course would like to help you begin your studies. The final full chapter in the course approaches a study plan aimed at success and provides information about how you can prepare for your exam months, weeks, days, hours, and even minutes before your TOEFL exam begins. Step one in your studies should be learning about the exam. This course accomplishes that as long as you complete the entire course and assess yourself on every review quiz provided This course concludes with a final test. This test has one hundred questions and all questions are multiple choice with three answer options. The questions on this final test are designed to ask you about content from within the entire course. This is your way of testing your overall knowledge about this course content and to see how well you understand the elements and factors of the TOEFL exam. There is an answer key provided, which you should use to assess your overall understanding of this course. In individual chapter quizzes, it is recommended that you redo a chapter if you score sixty percent or less. However, for this final test, it is recommended that you redo the course if you score seventy five percent or less. The reason you should redo the course if you score a seventy five percent or less is because the final test assess your long term knowledge whereas the individual chapter quizzes test your short term knowledge. Think about this: you will likely complete one chapter and its quiz in one sitting. That means the chapter quiz measures your immediate understanding in a short span of time. However, by the time you complete this whole course, and complete the final test, you will have learned the chapter content far in the past. It is possible that you may forget key information between completing Chapter One, for instance, and completing Chapter Eight. Therefore, the final test is an important assessment to measure how well you truly learned the course material. This provides you with the opportunity to check for your long term understanding about the TOEFL exam as information is shared in this course. If you score seventy five percent or less, which means answering fewer than seventy six questions correctly, you should consider redoing the entire course. Your
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overall understanding of this course information will help you a lot as you begin studying for the exam and completing practice tests. Your personal goal after completing this course is to be able to understand the TOEFL exam so well that you feel confident teaching it to others. When finished, you should be able to explain the following about the TOEFL exam: procedure—section content—exam order—section timing—all question types presented—and the scoring of every section on the TOEFL exam. This course is designed to help you complete your TOEFL practice and formal exams with confidence and awareness. You should use this course selfishly, meaning that you should use this course in a way that benefits you in your preparations for the TOEFL exam. The best thing you can do for your exam preparation is learn about the exam itself, including all elements you will be presented with on the formal exam. Learning this material makes the exam feel more achievable, which it is, and allows you to enter the exam location feeling comfortable and ready to complete your assessment. Before we move into Chapter One about the TOEFL exam procedures, let’s discuss the purpose of the TOEFL exam. The reason why this exam exists is to help employers and schools see how well a non native English speaker uses and understands the English language. Many companies and schools require English abilities in order to communicate or learn, so they want to know how well a person can perform in English. The exam is divided into the four basic categories of language learning: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The TOEFL exam is operated by a company called E-T-S, or Educational Testing Service. Your exam will be located at a certified E-T-S test center despite the fact that you are registered to take the TOEFL. The word TOEFL is an abbreviation. It is spelled T-O-E-F-L and stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. The exam is designed for non native English speakers. Non native English speakers are defined as people who have had to learn English as a foreign language because English is not their mother tongue, or native language. Nothing on the TOEFL exam is designed to trick you. The exam measures your basic abilities to work with English. You will be asked to read English, listen to English, and write in English in order to demonstrate your
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abilities. The exam does not expect you to function as a native English speaker because you are not a native speaker. However, the exam measures your mastery of the English language as it is a foreign language for you. However, with that being said, the exam scoring does require responses free from obvious errors. This means that, while your TOEFL exam does not have to be at native level, everything on your exam should be free from basic errors in things such as punctuation, grammar, and pronunciation. The exam expects you to have a non native English accent, but it also expects clear and correct pronunciation of English words. It is important to note that the entire exam is done online and requires the use of an official TOEFL computer located in a specialized TOEFL exam center. You will not be taking the exam on your home computer, for example, but will need to travel to a test site. The exam being entirely on the computer is something many people struggle with. Keep in mind that this means you will be staring at a computer screen for up to four and a half hours. Many people start to feel fatigued or have watery eyes while taking the exam. This is why, throughout this course, it is recommended that you complete as much TOEFL practice on the computer as possible. This will aide you in preparing for the digital exam. Something else to keep in mind with the exam being on the computer is that you will need to wear TOEFL center headphones on the exam day. You may not bring in your own equipment, and so you must use the headphone microphone combination provided by the TOEFL exam center. You may feel awkward speaking into a microphone at first. It may feel unnatural and uncomfortable, causing you to perform worse than you normally would. As you prepare for the exam, always record yourself with a microphone while practicing the speaking section. The more you record yourself, the more comfortable it will feel on exam day. The result will be a better performance on the speaking exam when you take your formal TOEFL exam. While the exam itself is done on the computer, the exam center will provide you with a blank booklet of paper as you check in. The booklet of paper is for you to take notes during the exam. You are allowed to take notes during all sections of the exam. Please
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know that your notes will not be scored. You will have to submit your notes when finished, but these notes will not raise or lower your score. These are only there to assist you in completing your online exam. These notes are very important. Do not consider note taking as an option during the TOEFL exam but rather as a necessity and a personal requirement. There are several sections of the TOEFL where you will listen to or read something that is quite complex. Then that audio recording or reading passage will disappear. You will not be able to listen to or look at that item again. The only resource you will have to answer questions correctly is your notes. Therefore, be sure to take quality notes on each section of your TOEFL exam. As you prepare to take the exam, always keep a piece of paper or notebook near you. While practicing, take notes in the same fashion you would on exam day. If you find that your notes do not help you very much, that is a strong indicator that you need to practice the art of note taking. Taking notes is much more complex than people realize. It requires a balance of not too many notes and not too little either. It requires a balance of symbols, images, and abbreviations along with full words and phrases. Note taking is personal and requires practice. Do not forget to include this skill in your test preparations as your notes during the TOEFL exam can have a major effect on your score. You do not want to be left all alone on a difficult section of the exam without any notes to help you answer questions correctly! Many people feel nervous when taking the TOEFL exam because their score determines whether they get a job or are admitted to a school they want to attend. However, there is no reason to be nervous on exam day. The exam is not designed to trick anyone. It simply measures the English abilities you already have. Therefore, it’s important to study ahead of time but to enter the TOEFL exam prepared and confident in your English abilities. The best thing you can do for yourself is to study hard while preparing for the exam so that you are as relaxed as possible when you take the official TOEFL exam. The first step in studying for the exam is learning about the exam itself, and, as you are listening to this course right now, it means you have already started
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your journey on the correct path to personal success! The TOEFL only assesses the abilities you walk into the exam room with. There is no memorization necessary because this is a skills based test. Therefore, the only thing you can do is focus on improving the skills that will be assessed on the exam. This course is part of an important step in studying for the TOEFL, so congratulations on beginning your journey to your TOEFL. Let us now advance into the exam sections. The first chapter is about the procedures, rules, and regulations you can expect to follow on the day of your formal TOEFL exam. As you begin, be sure to keep your additional resource guide nearby. This resource will help you understand some of the content being discussed. You will hear a note within the chapter whenever anything can be found in the resource booklet. Refer to the booklet each time so that you can learn the content in a more in depth manner. This is the end of the introduction. The next section of this course begins Chapter One: TOEFL Procedures
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CHAPTER ONE: TOEFL PROCEDURES Chapter One covers the TOEFL exam procedures, including what you will need during your check in. This exam is a formal assessment, so it comes with a set of rules and regulations you must follow. Failure to follow these rules and regulations may result in you being unable to take the exam or in your exam results being discarded. The test site has several trained professionals who are present at all times. They are there to ensure all test takers are able to complete their exams without any unnecessary distractions or annoyances. They are also there to verify your identity and to assist you if you need help with anything during the exam.
YOUR LEARNING OBJECTIVE By the end of this chapter, you will be able to summarize the exam procedures at a certified E-T-S site and list the order of events you will experience on exam day.
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REGISTRATION Register
4 months before Study/
Months before Add all By 10 p.m. night before recipients Verify all information
Night before Arrive for check-in
30 minutes before Begin Exam
Figure 1A
Figure 1A in your follow-along PDF manual shows the order of events from registration to the beginning of the exam. There are only a select number of E-T-S test sites in a given area. These sites provide more exams than just the TOEFL. They can often fill up quickly, so you must register for your TOEFL exam ahead of time. There are four methods you can use to register. These four methods are online, in person, by telephone, or by mail. The fastest way to register is online. When you sign up for the exam, you will need to have a formal photo I-D with you as well as a credit card or other form of payment. You will need to register your personal information and must enter your name exactly as it appears on the I-D you will use the day you arrive for your exam. This includes a middle name or a hyphenated surname. This also means you should avoid using a nickname or shortened name when registering. You will not be allowed to take the exam if the name used to register does not exactly match the name on your photo I-D. When registering, you will need to select
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both a testing location and the date you want to take the exam. There are many locations but you might not live near one. That means there is the possibility that you will have to travel in order to get to a testing center. Choose your testing center wisely. The TOEFL exam is offered more than fifty times within a year, so you have many choices. However, when registering, consider how many weeks you want in order to study for the exam. Do not wait until the last minute to register for your exam. Plan ahead of time so that you can ensure you have a computer on exam day and so that you have a goal for your exam preparation. In general, you should plan to register three or four months in advance. The last day you can register for an exam is one week ahead of time. There is an opportunity to register late. E-T-S defines a late registration as signing up for a test between four and six days before the chosen exam date. No one can register for an exam less than four days before an exam because registration closes. If you manage to find an open spot at the last minute, you will pay forty dollars extra for a late registration. Most test centers are fully booked earlier than a week prior to the exam. Again, register early! The recommended advanced time to register is three to four months before the day you want to take the exam. You will also need to pay for the exam when you register. You must complete the transaction ahead of time, which is why many people prefer to register online. The website has a list of acceptable forms of payment you may use. You will receive a confirmation after you register online. Keep this confirmation and take it with you on exam day just in case there are any issues in finding your reservation for that day. Once you have the confirmation, you can focus on preparing for the exam so that you feel ready when you visit a testing site to check in for your exam. You have the option of adding recipients before you complete the exam. You can add up to four official recipients anytime between the moment you register and the night before your exam. The reason you may want to add one or more recipients is because schools and employers may require official TOEFL results to be sent to them directly. Check with the school or employer that is requiring your TOEFL score to learn about 17 | Page
how you can register their contact information on your TOEFL registration portal. If you do not add all of the necessary recipients before ten o’clock the night before your exam, you can still add recipients but you must pay a penalty. The cost then becomes twenty U-S dollars for each score report you want sent directly. If you add recipients ahead of time the total cost is zero dollars. Something important to consider related to selecting a recipient, or recipients, is that you may not be able to have your speaking and writing sections rescored using what is called the Score Review Service. Your speaking and writing sections are scored by humans because your responses are so personal and open. There is a chance you may challenge your speaking or writing scores. The Score Review Service is an optional service for test takers who truly feel as though their scores on the speaking or writing section are very wrong. If you feel this way, you have up to three months to submit a special form that requests a TOEFL examiner to reexamine the section, or sections, you feel were severely wrong. Your exam will be reviewed again, and your new score will be completely final. You only have one chance to submit a request to the Score Review Service. Additionally, keep in mind that your amended score, or the new score you get from this, is your absolute final score. That means you may end up with the same score but you may also end up with either a higher or a lower score, and you cannot have it reviewed again. The cost for this review is sixty-five U-S dollars. You will be refunded this fee if your score changes. However, if your score remains the same, you will not be refunded. While this decision is a gamble in and of itself, it is also a gamble when sending scores to certain recipients. There is a chance you will be unable to request a review of your speaking and writing section if you select recipients. This is something to consider should you feel concerned about a section score.
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Store all personal belongings
Show photo ID, have new photo taken, & sign confidentiality statement Receive exam materials
Return to waiting room Prepare yourself for the exam
0 minutes before
Check-in at front desk and show photo ID
Go to back office to complete exam check-in with a TCA
5 minutes before
Arrive at test center.
5-30 minutes before
30 minutes before
TEST ARRIVAL CENTER CHECK IN
Go to the exam room when called
Begin TOEFL exam
Figure 1B in your follow-along PDF manual shows the check in process. When you register for an exam time, you are signing up for the time you will start the TOEFL exam. Your registration time does not include the time it takes for you to check in to the exam center. All E-T-S centers follow the same check in procedure. You will first check in at the front desk and then meet with a test center administrator to learn about the procedure before you can take the exam. The check in process takes a bit of time, so you should plan to arrive at the test center at least thirty minutes before your exam is scheduled to begin. When you enter a test site, walk up to the front desk and tell the employee your name and the name of the exam you are taking. In this case, you will be taking the TOEFL exam. The employee at the front desk will look for your name on the schedule and will ask you for a valid photo I-D. This should be the same I-D you used to register. Valid E-TS I-Ds are documents with a photo, full legal name, and a signature. Check the official website for a list of photo I-Ds as they alternate depending on your nationality or immigration status. Popular forms of acceptable identification are passports, drivers licenses, state or national I-Ds, and military I-Ds. If you are not sure if your I-D is valid, visit the official website and check before registering and showing up for exam check in. After the employee at the front desk confirms your identity, you will be asked to remove and store all of your personal belongings. Most test centers provide lockers, but not all. 19 | Page
Learn if you chosen test center has lockers before you show up on exam day. You are not allowed to bring anything except your I-D inside with you and the test center is not responsible to store or protect your personal possessions. You must store cell phones, electronic devices such as tablets or mp3 players, loose change, keys, wallets or purses, jackets or sweaters, drink bottles, food, and any other personal item you may have with you on testing day. Watches are also not permitted in the testing room. Additionally, although not forbidden, it’s a good idea to avoid wearing any jewelry such as bracelets, loud earrings, or rings that may distract you or others by making additional noise. You will be using a computer for more than four hours. Even the smallest piece of jewelry can feel uncomfortable or sound loud while you type and try to concentrate. You will appreciate being in the room with others who remove jewelry so that you do not have to listen to any jingling or clanking while trying to concentrate on the TOEFL exam. The only item you bring inside with you is your photo I-D. A test administrator will ask you to prove that you have nothing in your pockets, so be sure to empty them. You can leave you belongings in a locker if the test site provides one. You will then be asked to sit in a waiting area and wait until they are ready to complete your check in. You will be called in to complete your check in by entering a small room where another test center employee will be waiting for you. This person is called a T-CA, or Test Center Administrator. You will be asked to complete a few things with the T-CA before you can enter the examination room and begin your test. The first thing the TC-A will ask from you is to show your photo I-D one more time. Then, the T- C-A will ask you to read and sign a document called a confidentiality statement. This means that you agree not to exit the exam room and tell people details of what was on your exam. Next, the T-C-A will take a photo of you. This photograph is for official use only. The photograph goes directly into the E-T-S system as a way of confirming your identity and ensuring you get the correct scores. After entering your photo in the system, the T-C-A will then speak to you about the exam rules and procedures. This is the time to ask any questions you may have about the procedures of the exam. You will then be given a pencil and a booklet of blank paper. This booklet is eight pages total and is typically pink 20 | Page
in color. You will also be given your official set of headphones with a microphone. This is what you will use to complete any listening or speaking portion of the exam. Once you have your photo I-D, blank booklet of paper, a pencil, and your headphone microphone set you are ready take the exam. You will be escorted inside the exam room. Be aware that others will already be there in the middle of their exams. Be quiet and respectful as you enter. A test administrator will show you to the computer you have been assigned for your TOEFL exam. The pre exam steps will already be up on your screen, and you can begin navigating through them when you feel ready.
PROCEDURES DURING THE EXAM While you have the freedom to choose which test center location you complete your TOEFL exam, you do not have the freedom to choose which computer you will use to complete the exam. A T-C-A, or Test Center Administrator will escort you to a computer area. The area will only have a computer monitor and a keyboard where you can plug your headphones into. When you arrive to your computer, the screen should be active with some pre exam questions. First, you will see your personal information along with the photograph taken that day. Review all of your information. If everything is correct, click to continue. If you notice an error in any portion of your information, raise your hand and explain the error to a T-C-A in the room. Do not begin your exam until you are certain your information is correct. After accepting the information on this page, you will not be able to go back and alter anything. The next screen will present a confidentiality agreement. Read it and select enter to begin the exam. After progressing through the personal information verification page and the confidentiality statement, you will have a chance to check the functionality of your headphones and microphone. You may also adjust the volume at this point, but you are able to adjust the volume at any time later on as well. If there is any problem with either the headphones or with the microphone, raise your hand immediately and a T-C-A will come over to assist you. There may be an issue with the equipment and you may need a
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new headset in order to complete the exam. There is no rule regarding how often you wear your headset. Many test takers prefer to keep the headset on for the entire exam because it helps block out noises in the room. You will be in a room with several other people who are at various points in their exams. That means, at any given moment, you may hear a person typing, clicking, speaking, clearing their throat, or making other sounds people make when nervous or concentrating. If you find this distracting, you may want to wear the headphones for the entire exam in order to mute out some of the noise. However, it is impossible to cancel all of the noise, so you should be prepared to complete the TOEFL exam in a room that is not one hundred percent silent. Next, you will see the instructions for section one of the exam: the reading section. You may take your time reading the instructions carefully. This is also your final chance to take a deep breath before starting the TOEFL exam. Question one will be displayed on the screen after you click to continue. The timer for the TOEFL reading section begins the moment you view question one. You will notice the section countdown timer located at the top right corner of your screen. It will constantly run a countdown for the section you are working in. If you find that the countdown clock is distracting, or that it makes you feel more nervous than you already are, you have the option to hide the timer. There is a button near the countdown clock at the top right corner that allows you to hide the clock. You can cancel this and view your remaining time whenever you wish. You may find that you feel confused or that you have a question about the exam. There will be a T-C-A present in the room while taking the exam. If you need assistance with anything, raise your hand and do not leave your seat. Wait for a Test Center Administrator to approach you. Remember that there are others in the exam room who are taking high pressure tests. Be courteous when asking a question and be sure to ask it quietly so you do not disturb others in the examination room. You may find that you must leave the room during the exam. Perhaps you need a drink of water or need to use the restroom. While it is not recommended, it is allowed to leave the examination room
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during the exam. You will first have to raise your hand and wait for a T-C-A to assist you. Once the C-T-A is aware that you are leaving, you will be asked to leave all materials at your station. However, you must take your photo I-D with you because that is the only way you can re enter the exam room. You will then exit the exam room and check out of the exam with the C-T-A in an adjoining office. When you are ready to return, you will return to the office that joins the exam room and check in again. You will have to show your photo I-D again and prove that your pockets are empty. Then, you will return to your assigned computer and continue working. Please be aware that there is absolutely no way to pause the TOEFL exam. If you feel the need to leave the exam room, be sure it is truly an emergency because the timer will continue counting down while you are away from the exam. Any time spent away from your exam during a section is time you are losing to answer questions and complete that section. There is a ten minute break provided in the middle of the exam. This break is mandatory. Even if you feel motivated and ready, you must stop for ten minutes before proceeding to the next section of the exam. In total, there are four sections on the exam. They are always presented to test takers in the same order: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The mandatory ten-minute break comes after you complete the reading and listening sections. You must take the break. Then, you will return for the speaking section followed by the writing section.
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You can check the table 1A on your follow-along PDF manual to see the amount of time allotted for each section.
Section
Timing
Reading
50-80 minutes
Listening
60-90 minutes
Break
10 minutes
Speaking
20 minutes
Writing
50 minutes Table 1A
AFTER COMPLETING THE EXAM You have a few options when you are finished with your exam. Firstly, when you complete the TOEFL exam, you will be asked if you want to cancel your scores. You may feel as though you did very badly on the exam. Perhaps you were dealing with an illness or anxiety that you feel prohibited you from achieving the score you want. You may cancel your exam scores at this point. However, be aware that canceling your scores means officially deleting your exam and will not receive a refund. You cannot select
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certain sections to be canceled and certain sections to be kept. You must cancel your entire exam or keep your entire exam. If you cancel your scores, your recipients will not receive scores from that exam. You may wish to cancel your scores and retake the test. You may take the TOEFL exam as many times as you wish. However, you must wait a minimum of twelve days between exam attempts. Additionally, the price for the exam registration remains the same for each attempt. If you choose to keep the results of that exam, click to continue. You are officially done with your exam. Stand up quietly and bring all materials to the T-C-A’s office. Hand in your note booklet, pencil, and headphone set. Then, you may return to the front office and collect your personal belongings. Remember to take your photo I-D with you as you exit the exam room.
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REVIEW QUIZ Below is a ten-question review quiz about the information in Chapter One. All of the questions are multiple choice and contain three answer options to choose from. The questions are designed to help you measure how well you know the TOEFL exam procedures. If you are unhappy with your score, it’s a good idea to listen to this chapter again. We suggest reviewing the chapter if you score a sixty percent or less on this quiz. You can pause and take the test or quiz in your follow along PDF guide if you do not wish to hear the answers. Let’s get started: 1. Which form of registration is the fastest? A. In person B. Online C. Telephone 2. When is the deadline to register official TOEFL score recipients? A. Seven days before you take the exam B. Four days before you take the exam C. The night before you take the exam 3. How early should you arrive to the test center on the day of your exam? A. One hour before B. 30 minutes before C. 15 minutes before
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4. What is the one personal item you are allowed to bring into the exam room? A. Photo ID B. Bottle of water C. Your wallet 5. Which of the following is not an item provided by a Test Center Administrator? A. Pencil B. Headphones/Microphone set C. Earplugs 6. What is the very first screen that will appear on your assigned test center computer? A. A welcome screen with the ETS logo B. A screen showing your personal information and photograph. C. Instructions for the reading section 7. What is located in the upper right corner of the TOEFL exam screen? A. Countdown timer B. Your first and last name C. Your current score within that section 8. If you leave the room during the exam, what two things must you do in order to re-enter the exam room? A. Show your ID and take a new photograph B. Show your ID and sign a new confidentiality agreement C. Show your ID and prove your pockets are empty
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9. When are you allowed to pause the TOEFL exam? A. If you leave the exam room during the exam B. If you have a medical emergency C. Pausing is never allowed 10. What does it mean to cancel one’s TOEFL score? A. Canceling means you delete all of your scores and must retake the entire exam B. Canceling means you can select which section you want to try again later C. Canceling means you can immediately retake the exam during that day’s session
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