Over the years I’ve noticed some recurring themes that prevent people from getting the score they need to get into their top choice program. While it is possible to retake TOEFL, the price tag of $250 USD (at the time of writing in Chile) is a hefty one. The 3 main reasons I’ve come across have to do with inadequate test preparation, using the “wrong” materials, and not knowing what to expect from their selected test format.
Reason 1: Not preparing or not preparing enough
Imagine that you are a chef, and you have an interview for a job to work at a high-end bakery. As a part of the interview, you will be required to bake a cake in their kitchen under timed conditions. What would you do to prepare?
You would probably do two main things: do as much research as you can about the bakery and do a lot of practice baking cakes leading up to the interview. Being a chef isn’t enough to ensure that you will get this job; it will require some research and focused practice leading up to the interview.
In the same way, having a high level of English isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get a high score on TOEFL. You need to become familiar with the test format, question types, and strategies of how to approach each section. You also need to be able to answer the questions in each section within specific time limits; doing so takes practice.
Reason 2: Using the “wrong” materials
I hesitate to say wrong without quotation marks here, as different materials will appeal to different types of learners.
Despite that, ETS (the company that makes TOEFL) has strict standards with their test questions. This includes the number of words, complexity of the language used, and the difficulty of the reading and listening passages. Over time, ETS has actually removed reading and listening passages because they have proven to be too difficult for test takers.
Publishers and companies can try to reproduce reading and listening passages with varying degrees of success. Sometimes the passages are too complex or too easy. Other times the multiple choice questions have answer choices that are blatantly not the correct answer, which is not what happens on the real test. A student even shared a platform he was using that had question types that no longer existed on that version of TOEFL.
I always recommend using the official TOEFL test preparation books found on the ETS website and a select few other resources that I’ve reviewed and make sense for the people I work with.
Reason 3: Being unprepared for the testing format
TOEFL offers two ways to take the test: either at a testing center or at home.
When taking the test at a testing center, I recommend arriving 30 minutes before the starting test time. There will be lots of people checking in, and getting there early will let you get seated and settled so that you can relax and calm your nerves before starting. Another issue that often arises is that test takers are distracted by the others that are giving their speaking responses at the same time as them. If you’re not prepared for these potential issues, they can throw you off and result in you getting a score lower than what you’re capable of.
The at home edition has its own challenges. As a way of preventing cheating, ETS has strict rules about the room you take the test in, what is on the walls and floor around you, being able to see the door to the room, software you need to install on your computer, and a secondary camera pointed at your keyboard to monitor your hands. There are sometimes issues with the software or proctor which can lead to delays in starting your test. (A recent student had problems that meant she only started her test two hours after she was supposed to!)
In any case, it’s important to review the requirements for each format, be sure that you’re prepared, and know what to do come test day.
Conclusion
Just like any other endeavor, TOEFL takes preparation and some planning.
If you need help preparing TOEFL and are interested in either individual or group preparation, leave a comment below.
