Let me tell you all a story about me and an exam called TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Long time ago, I started thinking about an exam when it was a week’s time due. Yes, the exam was TOEFL. I had started thinking about it only when I happened to come across a community of TOEFL takers on a popular networking site.
We Indians have a very bad habit of hyping even the silliest of things. The community made even an exam like TOEFL seem so difficult that I immediately took the decisionof buying some preparatory material right away.
Next step: To buy a Kaplan CD from Andheri station for 100 bucks (It’s not that I love piracy, it’s just that my heart tends to think more about the poor people who make a living selling pirated stuff than those who have hoarded millions already.).
Came home. Merrily opened the CD and started taking lessons.
Oh!! All this is so easy.
Happiness .
I thought I was prepared to take the test anytime. So decided to take one of the 3 sample tests just then. Went through the reading comprehensions.
OK. A little scary, but still manageable.
Next section, listening.
Hell.
A professor was speaking with the speed of light in a language only he could comprehend. The lecture was over before I knew what it was about. ‘I’ll try to cover up in the next sections.’
Next section. Speaking.
Topic: Do you think it’s fair to lie when it’s for a good purpose or do you think its always wrong to lie?
“You have 15 seconds to prepare your speech and 45 seconds to speak.”
Before I could think about where to start, my preparation time got over. Time to speak. “Uhh, umm, I think it is ok to lie sometimes. Because, if it helps to do something good, then why not? If you are lying to protect someone from being hurt, then it is surely not wrong. However, one should not lie to protect oneself and so I thin-”-please get ready for the next lecture.
F**k.
Fared equally worse in the other lecture questions also.
Finally, writing section.
Aah. I can score here. Some topic was given. Wrote a decent essay.
After all this, the software asked me to rate myself in writing and speaking. After rating myself, my total came to 60/120 in TOEFL.
Hopes shattered.
Sudden realization.
I have only 6 days left for the exam to prepare. Brain goes numb.
Frantic searching on internet for preparatory material. Prepare a little and give the other two sample tests. NO point of preparing. Me still bad.Finally the D-Day arrives.
Go to the centre. Scheduled time 7.30 AM. Exam starts at 8.They take a picture of me. ‘Smile please’. Am so fu**ing worried and they asking me to smile. Find the PC with my image on it. Sit, pray and start the exam.
Reading section.
Easy.Good.
Next,speaking.
The moment I start speaking the female behind me also starts. She is making sure her voice reaches US before the recorded voice does. She disturbed my train of thought with her thunderous voice and screwed my speaking section royally.
.
Break time.
Heaven.Go out and relax.Chat with fellow students.10 minutes over.Time to go back.
Listening section.
Many lectures but surprisingly easy.
Happiness.
Writing section.
Easy topic. Finished and had 20 minutes to spare. Got bored and walked out before the time got up.
Overall, it was good. Could expect 100+.
25 DAYS LATER…
One fine day checked my profile on the ETS site. Had secured 113/120…29 in all but speaking.
Divine happiness. 
Thanked god.
Silenty cursed the girl who sat behind me during the test and ruined my streak of 29(not only me, ALL humans I know are this greedy)
Moral of the story:
1) Kaplan prepares you for the worst. Which is, in a way good, because you will find the actual exam very easy. Don’t get disillusioned if you don’t fare well in Kaplan tests.
2) Put your headphones on as soon as you start the test. Some people tend to talk too loudly during their speaking sections. Try practicing speaking and writing in a noisy environment. ETS centers are quite noisy.
3) OK, here is a secret trick you can use in TOEFL. If you have finished the section preceding the speaking section, then don’t skip to the next section. If you have some time left in the previous section, stay quiet and listen to what others are speaking about. It is possible that their speaking sections have begun. In this way, you will get a lot of time to prepare your speech and fare much better than others in the speaking section.
4) Try taking as many notes as possible during listening. DO NOT rely only on your memory because the options they give are quite confusing. Don’t write whole sentences, but only the key words.
5) Time is very very important in speaking section. You have very less time to prepare for the speech. So utilize it well
6) Last but not the least, just relax!! TOEFL is a little drilling, but very easy. Cracking it is no big deal if you have decent command over the language. Wish you all loads of luck!!
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hi dats grt u scored 113. pl give me some tips how to prepare for toefl, i ve registered for 21 oct.. i woild be thankful to u if u guide me..
rutwa
September 20th, 2007
Rutwa,you still have a lot of time to prepare.If you are very keen on preparing properly for the test then you can start off with Barrons right away.Then proceed to take lessons and sample tests from the Kaplan CD.If you have a command over English then TOEFL will be a piece of cake for you.We are here to guide you so do continue writing to us.
Manjiri Keskar
September 21st, 2007
its good yar…
Now i’m free of tension..
thanksssss
umakanth
September 23rd, 2007
That was a good article!
Congrats for the score!
Sameer
September 24th, 2007
hi dats gr8 113 score in toefl says ur command on english.And ur story is really interesting.
plz give some tips how to do well in toefl ,i have toefl test on oct6th.I know i am not good enough in using english.so plz help me out in this issue.
i got GRE 1000.
murali
September 24th, 2007
hi congrats for ur performance i am planning to book the tofel in november so plz do gv me some tips and suggestions wht material r to be used
kiranmayi
September 25th, 2007
Murali,judging from your comment I can say that you have a decent command over the language.You can improve yourself by practising.You have around 10 days more and you can try to give as many sample tests as possible during this period.People usually post their exam questions and advice on orkut’s communities.Do not forget to go through the questions that appeared a few days before your exam.Here’s wishing you lots of luck!
Manjiri Keskar
September 25th, 2007
Nicely detailed ur views and real practical approach to crack this test…..thx cheers and wish u all the best for ur studies abroad.
Nirav
September 25th, 2007
really ur way of explaining about ur test day made us also feel like that. is it necessary to talk loudly for speaking section, since u mentioned there will be more distractions. plz gve some more tips. for me the exam is on 28sep. thank u so much. by
pavithrra
September 26th, 2007
yes,pavitrra,it is necessary to talk loudly(not shout) and clearly in the speaking section,as the ETS centres are quite noisy.If your voice is low,it will easily get supressed by other people’s voices who are attempting their speaking sections.So you have to make sure that your voice is the loudest recorded sound during your speaking section.
Manjiri Keskar
September 26th, 2007
great yaar. congrats for scoring such a good marks. well i m going to appear for toefl in november and i m quite nervous. but thanks to u for boosting up the confidence. after reading ur article i m preety confident abut toefl but still i think i m not perfoming well in speaking section. culd u plz give me some tips for this how i shuld tackle this speaking section and apart from kaplan cd is there any sites through which i can pratice myself for the upcoming toefl exams.
Megha
September 26th, 2007
thanks..i think ur tips will surely help.i have toefl in 2 days can u tell me how to improve in speakin..im too bad at it
pooja
September 26th, 2007
hey congratss..ur story is really interesting…and u have given loads of good info..thanx..i have my toefl on nov,can u plz help me out in my prep..haven’t started anything yet..
gayathri
September 26th, 2007
hey congrats…
but i am not at comanding in the language and my test date is on 29th sep how?
chinna
September 27th, 2007
Megha and Pooja, you are not expected to speak flawlessly in the speaking section. All they want to judge is the continuity of thoughts and the clarity of your speech. When I attempted my speaking section while taking sample tests in the Kaplan, I committed several errors while speaking and hence I thought that I fared very poorly. However, when I heard their sample responses, I realised that I was not that bad and that they do not expect the students to speak perfectly. The only way to crack this section is to practice. Here are a few speaking topics for reference:
http://harshalbajaj21.googlepages.com/toeflspeakingtopics
Try choosing few of these topics and recording your voice (in a mobile or PC). Then play it back and try to find out where exactly your weaknesses lie. I am sure you will achieve perfection with practice.
Manjiri Keskar
September 27th, 2007
hey thanks a lot for a help..i hope i do well in toefl
pooja
September 27th, 2007
Thankyou so much Dear Manjiri.You boosted my confidence level upto an unexplainable level.Thankyou once again.
abhijeet
September 28th, 2007
hi,i hav a query.while regestering for toefl,i selected 4 universities as score recipients,but i was not aware that engineering comes under physical sciences dept.so ,instead i selected the option “any other dept. not listed”…
plzz tell ,if possible,how can i correct it.Is it possible now to change the dept.?I wasted 4*15$..If any solution plz let me know…
shivaz
September 29th, 2007
@shivaz
That should not be a problem at all. The scores will reach your university and then they should be able to forward your scores to your department. The best thing would be to e-mail the admissions department at the university and patiently wait for a response. Good luck with your applications…
Pratik Shah
September 29th, 2007
thank u so much. i will surely follow ur advice
Megha
September 29th, 2007
Shivaz, since you have registered for TEOFL iBT you can change your universities and the departments even a few days before the exam.For more details you can log on to http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=f969af5e44df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=5296197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD#how_far_in_advance
Manjiri Keskar
September 29th, 2007
[…] TOEFL. It is imperative to give these exams early. Refer my posts ‘GRE-Must Read’ and ‘Interesting Story-TOEFL and Me’ for […]
After-Grad.com » Blog Archive » M.S. In U.S. In 9 Easy Steps
September 29th, 2007
@manjiri
I am not able to update the score recipients on my toefl profile.whenever i modify them,it shows correct dept. for that time.but when i view my order by logging again,still it is showing the old ones only.
nothing mentioned in this regard on the link mentioned by you.Anyways thnx.
shivaz
September 30th, 2007
Hi,it was a nice readin.. anyways i’ve booked toefl for the 6th of oct.. have started my prep only today.. i guess it’ll be just sufficient.. i don’t have kaplan cd, so will be using barrons alone..
Kaushik
October 1st, 2007
Hi,i gave my toefl 5 days back…and am awaiting my results….am worried abt the reading and writing sections ….In the reading section i guessed many and the writing section i wrote only 150 words or so as specified and i did not exceed the word limit…..So have u any idea about how the scoring goes for these two sections ….Thanks in advance
harshini
October 1st, 2007
Sorry,gave my toefl 15 days back ….
harshini
October 1st, 2007
Harshini,you need not worry so much as TOEFL evaluators are not so tight fisted when it comes to scoring the writing sections.However,your reading section’s score will only depend on the answers you gave.Anything above 90 is a decent and acceptable score so relax!!After-grad team wishes you all the very best!
Manjiri Keskar
October 1st, 2007
Thanks ….thats nice to hear from u …..
harshini
October 2nd, 2007
hii
my toefl is on 5th oct my gre score is 1120 please advice me some univts i must select while giving tofel plz… must get funding in 1st sem reply soon plz
kittu
October 3rd, 2007
Kittu, getting a full tuition waiver can be difficult for you considering your GRE score. However, the universities will also look at your acads and TOEFL score before giving you a waiver. You stand a chance of getting a 30 to 50% tution fee waiver if you have good academics and projects or extra curricular activites.Besides, funding will also depend on the course you apply for. RIT, IIT and Syracuse are a few universities that you may get an aid from, again subject to the course you apply to and your acads.Wish you lots of luck!
Manjiri Keskar
October 4th, 2007
thanqs a lot…
kittu
October 4th, 2007
Just gave my TOEFL in Nashik on october 5th. It seems that all of us got the same questions except that the number of reading/listening section were different. I got an extra reading section and which meant in I had to answer 5 RC’s in all.
The TOEFL center in Nashik is actually a flat and no AC. But thats okay since Nashik is already a cool place. We had to remove our shoes when we went inside. The people in the center were extremely nice and it had a nice homely feel to it. So that helped us to calm down.
There were 6 of us in all. 3 from bombay and 3 from nashik. We didn’t have much problem with our speaking sections interfering with each other.
Dhawal
October 6th, 2007
hi manjari…i’m takin toefl on 17th october, yeah 45 days from now….i jus ave kaplan cd with me.already taken couple of the test…..i can still remember tht lie topic…..i know the test is pretty easy, but still i’m kind of little bit tensed, esp in speaking the gen. topic in particular….can u help me with this writing stuff…
Ganesh bahskaran
October 12th, 2007
hey kittu if u r still reading this, just visit i20fever.com n u’ll know how to select univ.my gre score is also low 1150…still be confident..its not only ur gre score but also ur acads n ur research intrest plays a crucial role….
Ganesh bahskaran
October 12th, 2007
hi manjiri,i have my test on 28th of this month. still i did not start preparing. can i get a gud score ?? going to buy kaplon today
bobby
October 13th, 2007
@bobby
TOEFL is not the most difficult of things to crack. You just need to be confident and calm when you take the test. Even a week of preparation is enough. Try to take a few practice tests before you take the actual one. That will surely help. All the best for your test and wish you loads of luck for your future.
Pratik Shah
October 15th, 2007
@Ganesh
Can you be a little clearer with your question please?
Manjiri Keskar
October 16th, 2007
Hi Manjiri
Hi Pratik
Thanks for u r information.
hey Manjiri congrates for u r score.. hey I am not good in english at all..so will u plz tell me ,would I need more time for praparation as I am from Marathi medium? what stuff will be helpful for me to command on English?
Juhi
October 17th, 2007
Juhi, you may need a little time more to gain confidence as compared to others, since students from English medium have an upper hand over the language. However, you will surely do well if you practice hard enough. Just take as many tutorials and sample tests as possible. May luck be on your side
Manjiri Keskar
October 17th, 2007
Thank u very much Manjiri!!!
Juhi
October 18th, 2007
hey majiri first of all congrats for ur good score and in the mean while u have a ppresnted a nice story which is so inspiring to all the people who r hyping the unnecessary toefl exam. anyway ur story is so inspiring to all of us to be relaxed for a moment atleast to feel that it is acheivable easily for a moment atleast. anyway thank u for nice presentation and an inspiring one. all the best for ur future . bye take care.
dr.n.chakrapani
October 19th, 2007
sorry i have speleed u majiri it is manjiri . i am poor in typing .bye take care
dr.n.chakrapani
October 19th, 2007
Hi Manjiri,it was a nice article about Toefl, great tips. I’m planing take Toefl in Dec. I have started my prep with Longman. What do you think about Longman prep course? I don’t know if i have a decent commend in English, I worry too much. Anyway my big worry is the speaking part. You said the writing topic was easy. Can you give some examples, please.
congrats for the score :))
Helenice
October 19th, 2007
hey manjiri i downloaded barrons but it is asking password. what is the password it is not mentioned there. plz tell me . waiting for that
dr.n.chakrapani
October 20th, 2007
Hi Manjari…congratz for ur score and I do agree wid u that at times d noise at d centre affects ur performance in speaking/listening section. I got a score of 100 wid 29 in writing, 28 in reading, 22 in speaking and 21 in listng,,plz tell me if dis score and cutoffs are enough to get admission in a gud university for a Phd My gre score is 1250..610 verbal and 640 in quant
sweta
October 20th, 2007
@Helenice
Longman is very good for TOEFL. Though I have not used it myself I know many people do use it for preparation. I would suggest you to take KAPLAN’s sample tests as they will prepare you well for the test. Here are some sample writing topics:
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkwIuvBlH3o4AyZxXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTExZWpwZHBqBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkAwRsA1dTMQ–/SIG=129u4t29h/EXP=1192955310/**http%3a//www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/989563wt.pdf
Manjiri Keskar
October 20th, 2007
@dr.n.chakrapani
Sorry I have no idea.
Manjiri Keskar
October 20th, 2007
@Sweta
I am not sure about PHd but I am sure that you will clear the cut off for masters as the cut off is usually 89-90. Most probably you should clear them for Doctorate too but just check with the individual universities before applying.
Manjiri Keskar
October 20th, 2007
Hats Off!
Too Gud!
Catch me in orkut @ chapooty@gmail.com
cheers.
Sayooj Valsan
October 21st, 2007
Hi Manjiri. Congrats on your score. The article you have written is really good. I can actually identify with it. Currently, I am waiting for my TOEFL score. This article has definitely pacified me and now I am not worrying much about what my TOEFL score is going to be.
Veena
October 22nd, 2007
hi dats gr8 113 score
plz give some tips how to do well in toefl ,I know i am not good enough in using english.iwillgoing to take date on 3rd nov.how many days required to prepare Toefl,i already given GRE so plz help me out in this issue
parag
October 23rd, 2007
@Parag
Please refer my earlier comments. I have nothing new to add. Write back to us in case you need help with any particular section.
Manjiri Keskar
October 23rd, 2007
Hi, Congrats for the score first of all.
And yeah, does the speaking section test you how logical and realistic you are or cooked up stories do click ??
Aman
October 24th, 2007
i just wana tell u tat ur doing a nice thing …
cool keep going ….
viren
October 24th, 2007
congo 4 113 score in toefl
viren
October 25th, 2007
@Aman
The evaluators do not want you to speak the truth. However, they test your firmness on a topic. In case of a topic that has conficting opinions, make sure you put forward your ideas confidently. Cooked up stories do click if narrated effectively
Manjiri Keskar
October 25th, 2007
Hi Manjiri,
Congrats for the high score. U r doin a good job by bringing up this blog for puzzled TOEFL aspirants like me.
I wld be appearing for my TOEFL after 2 days. I was pacified after reading ur blog but i m still apprehensive about the speaking section. I get blocked after 2 or 3 lines and usually run out of ideas and practically left with nothing to speak. i m not good at cooking up stories either so find it difficult to fill up the remaining time. Can u just tell me wat are the standards that they are looking upto?
Laxmi
October 25th, 2007
@Laxmi
This is the most common problem faced during the speaking section. The best way to tackle this is to utilize the time given for preparation to jot down ideas in one or two words so that you have as many ideas as possible after the time for speaking starts. In case you feel you are going to run out of ideas before the time runs out try to speak slowly and waste time. They do not expect perfect speech from the students. All they want to check is clarity of speech and ideas. Try practising atleast 25-30 speaking topics.
Manjiri Keskar
October 26th, 2007
Thanks a lot Manjiri… I would try to practice max. topics from the link given above… But i hv another doubt… i read the essays from the TOEFL essay book… the level of essays were too high ..probably they were written by students who have already appeared for their GRE or GMAT…personally i dont feel that i can learn to write such essays in 2 days becoz i hvnt started preparing for GRE essays yet… wld tht cause a problem for me… i mean can i get a low score becoz of writing a plain essay in simple english with decent vocabulary???
Laxmi
October 26th, 2007
The sample essays given are very high scoring essays and it is not possible for majority of the students to write in that fashion. You are not expected to use very difficult words or phrases in he essay. An essay containing decent vocabulary and lucidity will fetch you good marks. Look for some sample essays on the net and observe their pattern. Try writing 4-5 essays on your own and compare them with the sample essays to improve on your work. Wish you all the very best!
Manjiri Keskar
October 26th, 2007
Thanks a ton….
Laxmi
October 26th, 2007
Firstly, i liked the “story between Me and Toefl”….And i did have a problem due to noisy atmosphere..but it was a bit different…I prepared frm Kaplan Cd’s too n was enough confident that I can cross 100….but
i astonishingly got two passages extra in the exam which made me hear all the chaos when other people are speaking while I was still in Reading….which finally resulted me in a score 82….
Mohan Kumar
October 27th, 2007
hi manjiri nice scoe n nice work …..
i scored 104 in toefl…
I faced the same problem at my toefl centre…. i was the one who was last seated at 9.30 am for 7.30 slot… so i was late than other ppl in their sections…. I tried the same strategy of listening to peoples’s response on spking but beware try this only when you r through with ur section else u’ll screw up ur current section……
richin
October 28th, 2007
abt spking section which is a prob 4 all… i have a straegy which i have read somewhere on orkut….for spking section…
for personal isues…
prep time 15 sec- first 5 sec decide what you have to say n in next 5 + 5 sec think of two points….i know its too fast but u’ll learn it with practice n may be u can develop a better strategy than this one…..
same for integrated tasks….
hope it helps… i wish i could find the URL of that cmmunity
richin
October 28th, 2007
Too good blog … thanks a lot … it boosts my confidence a lot … i have only 6 days to prepare between GRE and TOEFL …
Guru
October 28th, 2007
hi,can u give me some tips on reading and listening part of toefl.i have a problem in brainstroming(listening) in real test. my exam is after 15 days. i got only 67% in both section(kaplan)
aakash
October 29th, 2007
@Richin
Of course one should listen to the others when you are through with the current section. It is not possible for anyone to so both at the same time. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO SO.
Manjiri Keskar
October 29th, 2007
@Aakash
There is no way but to practise hard enough. Try to jot down as many key words as possible during the listening section. The actual test in not as tough as the KAPLAN sample tests.
Manjiri Keskar
October 29th, 2007
Hey I got my score today… 29,28,26,29 …total = 112…
Tons of thanks to after-grad team for helping me out…u r doing a gr8 job by bringing out this blog… keep up the good work….
Laxmi
November 15th, 2007
@ Laxmi
Hearty Congratulations, you have secured a fabulous score!
Keep after-grad posted with your progress. Keep it up!
Manjiri Keskar
November 16th, 2007
Some of the doubts I have
1)Is it a good practice to address the lecturer or professor more times in the first part of the writing section such as “the prpfessor feels that ,says that” and some times “the passage suggests that” etc….
2) Another thing I m dying for is where did u find the expected scores in the kplan tests? I could not find them even after evaluating my writing and speaking sections (completed first test)
3)What should be the distance between mic and mouth?
ravi
November 19th, 2007
@Ravi,
1) Yes, that is indeed a good idea provided one does not over-do it.
2) No matter how much you die, you will not be able to find it for the simple reason that it doesn’t exist. Kaplan software provides you a sample response and will ask you to judge yourself on the basis of it. You have to approximately score your own response.
3) The distance should depend on your volume. If you speak in in a low volume then place it nearer to your mouth(around 2-3 cms away, so that the otherwise-barely-audible ‘uhhs’ and ‘umms’ do not get recorded). If you speak loudly then place it far away (5-6 cms from mouth) so that the examiner’s head does not get blown off the moment he/she starts hearing your speech. In any case, the mic and volume control is automatically adjusted when they ask to speak as a sample for around 10-15 seconds. Make sure you speak in the similar fashion throughout the section.
Manjiri Keskar
November 19th, 2007
thank u for the reply …..u posted this “my total came to 60/120 in TOEFL” what is the procedure to get this??
ravi
November 19th, 2007
@Ravi
Once we take the Kaplan Test they ask us to rate ourselves based on the comparison between our response and the ideal one. I scored myself and totalled up the sum, which came to be 60 on a maximum score of 120.
Manjiri Keskar
November 20th, 2007
Could you pls post some links for getting the feel of TOEFL.I dont have any study material for TOEFL.
Thanks in advance!
MADHURA
November 20th, 2007
i have kaplan and barron cds. Is this material enough for prepration? And moreover please tell is there any need to read thier respective books which are along with the cds or just CDS are sufficient?
sam
November 21st, 2007
@Madhura
http://www.fulbright.cz/download/toefl-ibt-sample-questions-2006.pdf
www.ets.org/toefl/
http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/608.asp
http://toeflexam.blogspot.com/
http://www.urbanvancouver.com/node/3678
Hope you find these useful.Keep visiting www.after-grad.com for updates.
Manjiri Keskar
November 21st, 2007
@Sam
If you have a hold over the language then only the CDs should suffice.
Manjiri Keskar
November 21st, 2007
Are we allowd to carry a pen to the real exam?
does the real test had an option of review?
wat i mean is can we chkout whether we have attempted the earlier quetions or not?
ravi
November 22nd, 2007
@Ravi
You are not allowed to carry ANY material with you to the exam.
In certain sections like reading comprehension you can review your answers. In others like Speaking and Listening you cannot. Take as many sample tests as possible to get a feel of the actual exam.
Manjiri Keskar
November 22nd, 2007
Hi,
I had my toefl on 24/11..still not received my score card..when can i expect the score card?
MADHURA
December 8th, 2007
@Madhura
It takes roughly around 20-22 days for the scores to come online. Keep checking your TOEFL IBT profile around that time.It will take about 10 more days for the score card to arrive at your place.
Manjiri Keskar
December 8th, 2007
Hi, From which web site i can download kaplan and barron cd or material
Khaja Younus Ali
December 13th, 2007
hi..my exam is on jan 19th.Is it sufficient to review the speaking topics given in above link.which books shall i refer for getting a better score.pls reply as early as i’ve only few days to prepare..
mamatha
December 21st, 2007
@Mamatha
The above link will give you the sample topics. It is not an exhaustive list of topics. I have not referred any books myself, but I heard Delta and Barrons are good.
Manjiri Keskar
December 24th, 2007
If you have unlimited internet at your home then you can always download Kaplan material from “torrents” and you need to just download it off the net not spend anything like 100bucks over it even. Also there all kinds of stuff on torrents for free
Vipul K
December 24th, 2007
ok thanks for ur timely advice n reply..
mamatha
December 25th, 2007
Hi Friends,
hope u r doing everything well.I am Murali,writing my GRE on feb. 11 th.I managed to get a very low score in my 1 st attempt in GRE.Can u pleaz give me some tips to do all things well.I would b grateful to u if u can me provide some tips
murali
December 29th, 2007
happy new year..
mamatha
January 1st, 2008
@Mamatha
Thanks a lot mamatha. Wishing all the readers of after-grad.com a very happy new year.
Pratik Shah
January 2nd, 2008
I gave my TOEFL in the last week of Nov.When can i expect my TOEFL score card hard copy?
Madhura
January 2nd, 2008
@Madhura
By now you should have received your hard copy of the scores. I feel you should contact ETS regarding this.
Pratik Shah
January 3rd, 2008
Dude, thanks for the information. I’m gonna take the test on 12 january and i really wanted to find information on what is actually the experience when you’re in the room. I have one week to prepare myself mentally :D. I’m very thankful for the information dude. Wish me luck guys :).
Martin Totev
January 5th, 2008
hey u peple the same way i did in toefl tests i scored 56 and 53 respectively. now i m givin again in feb. i dunno wats hapening in test . i prepared for barron’s and longman fr bfore exam. i scored 26,27 in listening every time i gave test in barron’s . i really dunno wats hapening wid me. and reading its a big concern for me. plz help in some way or other in reading and speaking .i m not so bad in speaking english i can do it but tell me some imp tips fr that i need it badly .
sriharsha
January 18th, 2008
@sriharsha
Hey Sriharsha, it is very easy to score it TOEFL. Just go about it with a cool mind. Reading is a piece of cake. The speaking section is a little difficult to crack since we tend to get nervous while speaking. But when you go for your exam this time, delete your previous unpleasant experiences and go with a confident attitude. I am sure you will do well. Do let us know how well you scored. All the best.
Manjiri Keskar
January 19th, 2008
@Sriharsha
Also refer to previous replies.
Manjiri Keskar
January 19th, 2008
Hi Manjiri — In your original post you mentioned you recommend to take notes during the Speaking part of the test; but, in your opinion, how important was for you to take notes during the Reading section? Thanks a lot for sharing your experience!
Jean
February 1st, 2008
@Jean
It is VERY important to take down important key points from the lecture because the options given in the questions are very confusing. You might not feel the need to take down anything while listening to the lecture, but it is later that you realise that it would have been best if you would have done otherwise. The key factors mostly include details like year, colors, shapes etc.
Manjiri Keskar
February 2nd, 2008
I’m grateful for your advice. OK, but when you’re asked one question about a reading passage, you have access at the same time to the paragraph that contains all the information needed to answer that question, so you can look up the facts simultaneously. Is that right?
Thanks for your quick reply!
Jean
February 2nd, 2008
@Jean
Yes, you can refer your reading passage while answering but for listening section you cannot.
Manjiri Keskar
February 2nd, 2008
Is 96/120 a good score ?
Reading - 28
Listening - 26
Speaking - 20
Writing - 22
Dman
February 23rd, 2008
hello.iam fiaz my exam is on march 5th plz can any any say me from where i can downloads practice test papers or any matarial from net.
fayaz
February 28th, 2008
80+ out of 120 is passing for the IBT should get you into most Universities. 100+ will get you into schools like Harvard or Yale.
dyanah
February 28th, 2008
http://toeflpractice.ets.org/
http://www.stuff.co.uk/toefl.htm
http://www.gettoefl.com/practice.htm
http://demo1.toeflibtcourse.com/
Do a google search on TOEFL practice, you will find a lot
dyanah
February 28th, 2008
This site is really awesome. It provides some good information about TOEFL as well as practice tests and testing locations.
http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/
Vishwa Gupta
February 29th, 2008
@ Dyanah and Vishwa
Thanks! Keep contributing!
Manjiri Keskar
March 3rd, 2008
Hai… this is Sravanthi… hey wonderful site but can you please guide me in choosing 4 important colleges in US. I am interested in MS in CS… I am planning for this Fall (2008)
GRE Score 1050(730q+320v)
TOEFL-IBT Score 95(R 24 + L 27 + S 22 + W 22)
Acads 67%
10th 76.6 %( C.B.S.E)
Inter 90%
Been very active participant in many school activities and College, Can you please give me 4 colleges in US where I can apply in Computers??? Undergone training at Visakhapatnam Steel plant for a month. Presented a paper on smart sensors and undergone an academic project….Can you please suggest me 5 colleges in US where I can apply for MS… It will be very much helpful…..
And one more thing to add… I hail from Instrumentation Background…. is it ok if i apply for CS or do you suggest me to apply for EE and then shift to CS after coming there…. Is this Shifting process Easy???? Will i face any problem with the VISA…. What are the pre-requisite courses that i need to give???….. Do i need to pay more for these pre-requisite courses… if yes, how much… kindly let me know… pls……
Sravanthi
March 9th, 2008
hi guru,
congrats (lately) to u for a rocking score.
i am from dhaka, bangladesh, giving the exam on May 04, 08. what worries me that i am doing pretty bad in practice tests in barrons and oxford. their choices are so confusing and close that these are puzzling me. but i am confident (not boasting) that i am not that bad in english. i am just now praying that the final exam would be easy. i give a practice test on ets official guide and got 28, 28 in listening and reading, is the final exam of equal standard to that?
i am planning to do masters in journalism, so, as u know i wish to have a 100+ score.
thank u brother,
may allah bless you
Ashik
April 19th, 2008
@Ashik
The final exam should not be much harder than what the practice test is. Of course it will be a little different and slightly more difficult. So be prepared for that and all the best!!!
Pratik
April 20th, 2008
hii.. i got 104/120
reading-25,
listening-28,
speaking-26,
writing-25
is it a good score or just an average score.. do let me know..as am really confused
sona
April 22nd, 2008
@Sona…… Need not worry a lot about the TOEFL score. You are good to apply.
Pratik
April 23rd, 2008
thanks for the reply
sona
April 24th, 2008
Please give me advice on speaking section(toefl).
Mainly i find problem in that exercise int which we have to first listen to the professor(classroom topics) and then we have to speak aobut what is being discussed.
I find problem in remembering the points that are being told and in noting the points i find some difficulty.
Manjeet
June 14th, 2008
@ Manjeet
This a common problem and the best solution to this is to not down only the important points, not in its entirety but just the points that will remind you of the relative portion of his speech. e.g. make sure you note down the facts like colors, size or any particular trait that you might feel difficult to recollect. The key is to just jot down facts which you think you will not be able to remember. Hope that helps. Practicing will surely improve your performance. So practice!!
Manjiri Keskar
June 15th, 2008
I am giving toefl on 21 june and just started the prepration yesterday.Is the time enough for prepration?
I got 1310 in GRE(780 in quants and 530 in verbal).
I havent prepard for toefl before.Please advice me how to prepare
Akshay
June 16th, 2008
@Akshay
I think you should be fine if you study sincerely.
Pratik Shah
June 17th, 2008
Heya fellas, I just took my TOEFL iBT on 7th June, how long would it take to receive the results online? They said we should receive it via mail in 14 days, thus 7 days online.
I’m in a hurry, if I obtain a poor result in TOEFL, I would need to quickly sign up for the next open slot for IELTS prior to the Offers sent by the University.
Anyone received their results within a 14 days period? (Online/Hardcopy)
Rix
Ricky
June 17th, 2008
Also mention some links where i can practice for toefl? My exam is on june 21. I am worried about it.
Akshay
Akshay
June 19th, 2008
@Ricky
The TOEFL iBT is new so they might have improved but when I gave the test it took me 3 weeks to get the result online. I don’t think anybody scores that bad in TOEFL so relax! All the best!
Manjiri Keskar
June 23rd, 2008
@Akshay
A reader called Dhyanah has posted a few sites above. You could check those. There are several sites available on the internet for practice. You could google to find out. Here are a few more:
http://www.toeflibtcourse.com/
http://www.fulbright.cz/download/toefl-ibt-sample-questions-2006.pdf
http://toeflexam.blogspot.com/
Manjiri Keskar
June 23rd, 2008
My exam is on june 29.I have practiced from Barrons.But still not so confident of scoring more than 100.
I gave GRE in feb,07 and got 1350-(550 in verbal).
Please advice me.This is my final chance as i will not have time after that,as i am working.
So i have to perform well.
Amit
amit
June 24th, 2008
Heya fellas,
I just received my IBT results, it took them excalty 3 weeks or 15 working days to post it online.
I got (R:28,L29,S:26,W22) 105 for my TOEFL iBT.
Yours sincerely,
Ricky
Ricky
June 30th, 2008
Hey manjiri,
i must say that you’ve got quite a commendable score. I’ve just given my TOEFL today and m pretty tensed bout the whole thing. Please help me out.
My first passage didn’t go that well.. I think i screwed up my last 2-point ques.
Rest of the reading part was good.
The listening was pretty ok.
The speaking part however, i lost it! I couldn’t complete my last sentence in the stipulated time for both the third n the fourth ques. N there was a huge pause in the middle of my response for the 5th one.
the writing part was k too.
how much do you think i will score? Please give me an estimate and put me out of my misery!
waiting not so patiently but very hopefully,
varsha
varsha
August 24th, 2008
Joe…
Check out my domain sometime….
My Domain
February 5th, 2010