I have received my score which is less than required.

[MSMW]

I have received my score which is less than required. I need 80, but i obtained only 73.

 

Reading 20

listening 18

speaking 15

writing 20

 

I am frustrated as I spent a lot of time studying for the exam but I could not get the required grade.

 

 

Any advice to improve my score in all sections especially listening and speaking

[Tino]

How did you study? Tell us some details about that.

 

Tino

[Samgo]

Hi! From what country are you? Is English foreign to you or is it your second language?

[speak26]

I know you can get 80...

 

maybe you can improve your score in reading----- keep reading and practicing from toefl books.... from my experience; for reading- when the reading starts go scroll it then click continue go ahead to to question 1 usually the first question is in the first paragraph then second will be on the next question... you don't need to know the reading by heart....

 

maybe you can improve your score in listening by watching English programs/movies/shows and again keep practicing using the toefl books...

 

speaking- you are very lucky that you don't need a score of 26 so with that on mind... you just need to try watching the videos of notefull, toefltestscuccess

 

 

YouTube - CaliforniaUPC's Channel

YouTube - toeflltestsuccess's Channel

YouTube - NoteFulldotcom's Channel

 

or if you need a more personal or more in depth tutorial... you should try 1. toeflcorrey - he is a very good teacher 2. toefltest success -they have 3 excellent teachers(Amy, kelly, and Chris) for sure your 15 will increase.

 

Don't worry you are just short 7 points so that is easy. hope my post helps

[dima]

A big big congratulation

Any advice for me .

 

dima

[speak26]

Hi dima,

 

we are on the same boat (we both need 26 in speaking) so even me i don't know what to advice you other than keep practicing and to contact tutors (toefl corey or contact Tino of toefltestsuccess ) you might find them helpful.

 

The truth is most of us who are struggling with the toefl-ibt specially the speaking section complains as you can see if the forum that's including me. However, all our complains was not heard, Why? because when the test takers like us got the required score we forgot about the complains. What those previous test takers who have passed should have done was to continue with their complains. specially those who are now working in the US or studying in the University they have a better chance that the authorities (professional board and schools) will listen to them because they are already part of the system. for example a pharmacist who is now working can write to her/his board about her/his experience and ask if the board can give changes or alternatives. Remember in the US they say change and they voted to have change and most of us know that change is constant so why won't the board or schools change if this will make the profession easier. It will also help solve the problem of the shortage of pharmacist.

 

like you said in you other post that how you wish that a face to face interview will be better than talking to the computer. and yes there is an English exam who uses that the IELTs but it just for certain professions. are those professions lower than other professions...the answer is no.

so maybe to those who have passed and who were struggling before they should continue with the fight for change and make the proper people( school officials, professional boards and maybe politicians) hear the complains.

[MSMW]

How did you study? Tell us some details about that.

 

Tino

I used various simulation exams such as some of longman and Barron, but all Cambridge's tests. I finished all reading and listening parts of Cambridge. some of them in longman and Barron. I finished the speaking tests of the Cambridge as well. I only solved the first writing tasks of both the first and second tests of Cambridge. I only wrote about 5 independent essays.

 

I also finished studying the book called 400 words for TOEFL IBT.

 

I will start to study KAPLAN fpor my next exam, as I intended to take the exam again during this month.

I will be happy if you recommend me some strategies to help me improve my score.

[MSMW]

Hi! From what country are you? Is English foreign to you or is it your second language?

Hi samgo!

I am from Egypt and English is a foreign language to me.

What about you?

[MSMW]

I know you can get 80...

 

maybe you can improve your score in reading----- keep reading and practicing from toefl books.... from my experience; for reading- when the reading starts go scroll it then click continue go ahead to to question 1 usually the first question is in the first paragraph then second will be on the next question... you don't need to know the reading by heart....

 

maybe you can improve your score in listening by watching English programs/movies/shows and again keep practicing using the toefl books...

 

speaking- you are very lucky that you don't need a score of 26 so with that on mind... you just need to try watching the videos of notefull, toefltestscuccess

 

 

YouTube - CaliforniaUPC's Channel

YouTube - toeflltestsuccess's Channel

YouTube - NoteFulldotcom's Channel

 

or if you need a more personal or more in depth tutorial... you should try 1. toeflcorrey - he is a very good teacher 2. toefltest success -they have 3 excellent teachers(Amy, kelly, and Chris) for sure your 15 will increase.

 

Don't worry you are just short 7 points so that is easy. hope my post helps

 

Thanks a lot for both encouraging me and advising me. I really appreciate your valuable advices.

[MSMW]

A big big congratulation

Any advice for me .

 

dima

congratulation about what?

 

I could not obtain the required score. So, I need to waste more time in studying and practicing. Moreover, I will pay again for another exam.

[chumanhluan]

To MSMW: why don't you try lectures provided freely in UCB website? That really helps!!!

For speaking tasks, do you have any templates or speak spontaneously in the test?

For reading, please try nytimes and scientificamerican.com. They are helpful.

I took toefl test 1 year ago with a dismal result and I retook it this year.

Hope it helps!!!

[MSMW]

Thank you chumanhluan for your advice.

 

I need a quick advice as I intend to retake the exam during this month and I busy in my current work these days. I can only allocate 3 or 4 hours per day for TOEFL.

[MSMW]

I am waiting for your advices. I have registered for another exam in 30 - 4 - 2011. I hope I can obtain my required score as I do not want to waste more time and money.

[matt5891]

I am waiting for your advices. I have registered for another exam in 30 - 4 - 2011. I hope I can obtain my required score as I do not want to waste more time and money.

 

Reading - Try to read as much as you can, books, articles, etc and keep on a sheet all the words that you don't know.

Listening - I think that the best way to improve in this field is watch (and then listen) news channels on tv as bbc news, cnn, etc. They also provides a lot of subjects to hear about.

Speaking - No advices, sorry.

Writing - As reading, if you read a lot, you will able to use new structures and new terms. Try also to use the adequate transitional words when you try to explain your point of view.

[MSMW]

Thanks matt5891.

[NoteFull]

MSMW, it's clear that the speaking section could help you the most and I'm actually Joseph the creator of the NoteFullDotCom videos on YouTube that user speak26 referred you to (thanks speak26). I just created a new blog post titled "how to get a 26 in the TOEFL speaking section." I know you don't need that but the post teaches you the details of how you're scored and how to maximize your points in this section. There are videos there, too, and if you follow what you learn, you'll definitely improve. I'm also here to help, so if you have any questions, let me know. Good luck to you and everyone out there. And, congratulations to you speak 26; great job. Don't worry; MSMW, there's a lot of help for you out there and I know you'll hit your score soon. Edited April 18, 2011 by NoteFull
typo

[MSMW]

MSMW, it's clear that the speaking section could help you the most and I'm actually Joseph the creator of the NoteFullDotCom videos on YouTube that user speak26 referred you to (thanks speak26). I just created a new blog post titled "how to get a 26 in the TOEFL speaking section." I know you don't need that but the post teaches you the details of how you're scored and how to maximize your points in this section. There are videos there, too, and if you follow what you learn, you'll definitely improve. I'm also here to help, so if you have any questions, let me know. Good luck to you and everyone out there. And, congratulations to you speak 26; great job. Don't worry; MSMW, there's a lot of help for you out there and I know you'll hit your score soon.

 

I am really happy to see your comment Mr. Joseph. I strongly appreciate your effort to help others. I have already downloaded all your videos on you-tube, before I took my previous exam. Moreover, I have studied them well and understood the strategy you mentioned. However, I could not use it in either practice or in the exam because the preparation time is very limited and thus I could not use your fantastic words. Also, during speaking, I make a lot of pauses and some grammatical and structure errors because I am not a native speaker and have weak vocabulary that could not help me in this situation.

Thanks a lot for your reply and I will be happy if you give me some quick advice to improve my writing and speaking in a short time as I will renter the test in 30 - 4 - 2011. I have only 11 days.

I will really appreciate your valuable and helpful comments.

[NoteFull]

It's great to know that you've already studied the information. Here are some pieces of advice. I know they may sound strange but with the students I tutor they make a world of difference. Every time that you practice, record your answer. Then, listen to it for ums and uhs (among other things if you're trying to improve). If you count more than 3, try the question again and again until you get it to 0. In the beginning, this will be frustrating and a challenge, but if you do this at least once every day until your exam, you'll feel the difference. Slow down, think of the next word, avoid ums, uhs, and repetition; they're score killers.

 

For not having enough time to prepare, this sounds the most unorthodox (non-traditional), but eliminate the prep time when you practice: no 15s, no 30s, and no 20s. After a few tries, you'll realize that you can do it and then the time will go from being too short to a welcome help. It's not perfect advice but it'll get you there.

Edited April 19, 2011 by wasleys
Post has been edited by Moderator to remove spammy links

[stnj09]

Hi,

Joseph,

 

I have the same situation as MSMW.

I have got last time S: 20, L: 22, W: 15, R: 18 But i need S: 26, L: 18, W: 24, R: 21.

I will have exam on April 30th.

As you explain in last post how to practice for speaking?, can you explain how to practice for writing in short time?

I saw your all video and I had tried to apply last exam but i got range for integrated essay only 1 - 2 and for independent essay 2.5 - 3.5 . I fully understood the lecture and reading last time, but I don't understand why am I getting less score in integrated essay. Sometimes I got 18 in writing but I didn't get more than that until now.

I am frustrating now, I don't know what to do.

Please advise me.

Thank you.

[speak26]

Hi Stnj09,

 

I am not Joseph but here is what I notice:

 

For your writing, I think the problem is your grammar. If you will just keep on practicing on your writing I think you will get 24. Try to re read your post and then see if you notice what/where are your errors are. They have a section here for TWE try to write essays, sometimes someone gives feedback. If no one will provide you feedback it is still good to post there because you can always re read your post and probably correct your essay yourself as you are improving. Read the posted essays in the TWE section and see if you can see the mistakes others made.

 

or if you don't have problem with money then you can get your essays rated by: joseph or order his writing software, contact TINO to know what can he offer you regarding writing (or ask permission to attend one of his class for free to check it out) or other tutor (toefl corey).

 

Goodluck my friend

[NoteFull]

I think speak26 offers some great advice. Grammar is an important element in your score. Here are some quick tips to make sure that you prepare for precision and fluency in writing.

 

For question 1, don't paraphrase. Write exactly what the professor states using the same words and using them in the exact same order. When students paraphrase, they use synonyms that don't carry the same meaning and change the logical flow of the professor's statements. Unfortunately, this is destructive to your score. A lot of students say they don't feel comfortable not paraphrasing. I tested this format and it succeeds and it's what my students do and they succeed as well, so don't worry too much about that.

 

With respect to grammar, I also suggest using a perfect example essay - something written in a TOEFL book, perhaps; it would be great if you find a good example of an answer to question 2 - and then do the following: read one sentence from the essay and then write that sentence in your word processing software. After that, check to make sure that your sentence is exactly the same. Do this for the whole essay. If you do this once a day or at least every other day and focus 100% while you do it, you'll notice strong improvement in your grammar, punctuation, and spelling as the week goes by. You'll also notice an improvement in your writing ability.

 

For question 2, I suggest that you focus on your examples in your body paragraphs. Make them strong and avoid repetition. Fill them with details. Get your word count up, too. Get to 400 words plus. Though they say 300 is a good word count, that's unfortunately nothing less than a lie. It's next to if not impossible to earn a perfect score with a 300 word count, so if you want a higher score, shoot for a higher word count.

 

I hope that helps. Keep the questions coming and congrats again speak26. With hard work, MSMW and stnj09, you'll hit similar scores. Good luck!

[stnj09]

Hi,

Joseph,

 

Thank you.

I will do my best for essay writing as u advise me to do. In fact, I will starting it, after reply this post.

 

To Speak26,

 

Thank you.

I know that I have grammar problem everytime.

As you said, I will keep trying to write more essays and finding my own mistakes from my own writing.

I don't have money problem, but I have time problem.

I don't get enough time to prepare for toefl, that's why it takes me long to get require score.

But I will tried my best by advises from you and Joseph.

 

Thank you.

[Tino]

While I agree with Speak26, let me say your required score is pretty high above your present ability. Speaking 20 -> 26 and Writing 15 -> 24 is not really something you can do with a TOEFL prep class in my opinion. Maybe, but probably not. TOEFL prep can help you get a highER score, perhaps a score that is really better than your true English skill, but it can not do a miracle. I think you need English courses, especially speaking and writing (and thus grammar) practice. Take an ESL class for a few months, and then begin TOEFL prep, that is my advice.

 

Tino

[MSMW]

It's great to know that you've already studied the information. Here are some pieces of advice. I know they may sound strange but with the students I tutor they make a world of difference. Every time that you practice, record your answer. Then, listen to it for ums and uhs (among other things if you're trying to improve). If you count more than 3, try the question again and again until you get it to 0. In the beginning, this will be frustrating and a challenge, but if you do this at least once every day until your exam, you'll feel the difference. Slow down, think of the next word, avoid ums, uhs, and repetition; they're score killers.

 

For not having enough time to prepare, this sounds the most unorthodox (non-traditional), but eliminate the prep time when you practice: no 15s, no 30s, and no 20s. After a few tries, you'll realize that you can do it and then the time will go from being too short to a welcome help. It's not perfect advice but it'll get you there.

 

Thanks a lot Mr. Joseph.

I will start with my speaking practice tomorrow. I have just revised your videos. I hope I can utilize your powerful strategies in the speaking section. I also intend to start writing essays from tomorrow. I really have limited time. I wasted a lot of time studying some new vocabularies, but always i forget a lot of those new words. I have decided not to waste any more time in memorizing new words. Instead I will practice all the time in those days remaining before my exam.

[NoteFull]

I wish you great luck. I know it's tough to improve quickly. Be patient with yourself and your studies. You'll get there. Your deadline is a challenge and if you have any questions through your studies, post them here and I'll check in periodically to offer the help that I can.