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TOEFL Corey · 12-17-2007, 01:48 AM

My name is Corey and I've been a teacher for 17 years. The past four years I've been teaching TOEFL, first at a language school here in California and now online (I started my own online tutoring company this summer).

I know several of my students have used this forum and gained a lot of insight from it, so I'll be visiting here to pick up any added edge I can on TOEFL students, the logistics of the test, score reports, typical strengths/weaknesses/fears, etc.

I'll be happy to answer questions, encourage you when needed, and share the experiences of the many students I've worked with both online and in-person. I look forward to meeting many of you, and best of luck reaching your TOEFL goals!

mbm09 · 12-17-2007, 05:20 AM

Hello Corey,
Welcome to this forum and is our pleasure to have you here. Being a teacher you can advise us what we can study and improve our english language or how we can write the best essay, or read faster than the exam is requiring us to do. I'm going to have the exam next year in January, and I'm a little bit affraid. Hope I can pass it...I need at least 100+...
Best regards.

TOEFL Corey · 12-17-2007, 07:30 AM

Thanks for the welcome. I can start off by giving you two tips:

1) If you are looking for a new iBT book to use, I would very strongly recommend "The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test -- iBT Edition" by Bruce Rogers (published by Thomson Heinle). Believe it or not, in my 12-week courses at the language school and the private lessons I've had from my own website, I've used at least 7 or 8 different books, but this one is the best by far (in my opinion). Also, unlike most of the others, it's the only one that is perfectly aligned with the real iBT (especially in the areas of integrated speaking and integrated writing).

2) When it comes to the reading section, many students ask: "Should I read the whole passage or go straight to the questions and try to answer them one-by-one?" After consulting with many students and trying it different ways, my answer is "neither." I would recommend that you DON'T read the whole passage since it will take too long. On the other hand, if you skip the passage entirely, you won't have enough background about the overall structure. Therefore, I show students a previewing technique whereby the read just the topic (first) sentence of each paragraph and write down a couple words about it on their note paper. In this way, they will have an idea of how the author put the passage together and also a little "mini-outline" of all 5, 6 or 7 paragraphs, which can be quite useful later, especially on the chart questions.

I hope one or both of these tips might benefit some of you. If you are interested in a free group speaking practice on Skype, I posted in the "Speaking" section about it. Just send me a message and we can find a common time (probably starting the last week in December or first week in January). If you are interested in private lessons, you can also send me a message and I'll give you a link to my website (I don't want to violate forum rules by posting it directly here).

ambar123 · 12-17-2007, 04:50 PM

hi corey
glad to see ur tips.i need a min score of 26 in speaking.last time i got 24 and i badly need 26 in my nxt attempt.so pls help.

mbm09 · 12-19-2007, 12:24 AM

[quote=TOEFL Corey;529592]Thanks for the welcome.

Thank you very much for all informations. They are very good and I really appreciate the help. Good luck in your proffesion as a teacher. Happy holiday !

candie · 12-20-2007, 04:32 AM

Thanks Corey for your advice.

I have bought the complete guide to the toefl test but I don't see the Audio CD. Could you help me to get it?

Thank you in advance.

12-17-2007, 01:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
TOEFL Corey TOEFL Corey Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 30	Hello, everyone! My name is Corey and I've been a teacher for 17 years. The past four years I've been teaching TOEFL, first at a language school here in California and now online (I started my own online tutoring company this summer). I know several of my students have used this forum and gained a lot of insight from it, so I'll be visiting here to pick up any added edge I can on TOEFL students, the logistics of the test, score reports, typical strengths/weaknesses/fears, etc. I'll be happy to answer questions, encourage you when needed, and share the experiences of the many students I've worked with both online and in-person. I look forward to meeting many of you, and best of luck reaching your TOEFL goals!

12-17-2007, 04:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
ambar123 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1	hi corey glad to see ur tips.i need a min score of 26 in speaking.last time i got 24 and i badly need 26 in my nxt attempt.so pls help.
	$Received Infraction$

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12-17-2007, 05:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
mbm09 Within my grasp! Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 122	Hello Corey, Welcome to this forum and is our pleasure to have you here. Being a teacher you can advise us what we can study and improve our english language or how we can write the best essay, or read faster than the exam is requiring us to do. I'm going to have the exam next year in January, and I'm a little bit affraid. Hope I can pass it...I need at least 100+... Best regards.

12-17-2007, 07:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
TOEFL Corey TOEFL Corey Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 30	Thanks for the welcome. I can start off by giving you two tips: 1) If you are looking for a new iBT book to use, I would very strongly recommend "The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test -- iBT Edition" by Bruce Rogers (published by Thomson Heinle). Believe it or not, in my 12-week courses at the language school and the private lessons I've had from my own website, I've used at least 7 or 8 different books, but this one is the best by far (in my opinion). Also, unlike most of the others, it's the only one that is perfectly aligned with the real iBT (especially in the areas of integrated speaking and integrated writing). 2) When it comes to the reading section, many students ask: "Should I read the whole passage or go straight to the questions and try to answer them one-by-one?" After consulting with many students and trying it different ways, my answer is "neither." I would recommend that you DON'T read the whole passage since it will take too long. On the other hand, if you skip the passage entirely, you won't have enough background about the overall structure. Therefore, I show students a previewing technique whereby the read just the topic (first) sentence of each paragraph and write down a couple words about it on their note paper. In this way, they will have an idea of how the author put the passage together and also a little "mini-outline" of all 5, 6 or 7 paragraphs, which can be quite useful later, especially on the chart questions. I hope one or both of these tips might benefit some of you. If you are interested in a free group speaking practice on Skype, I posted in the "Speaking" section about it. Just send me a message and we can find a common time (probably starting the last week in December or first week in January). If you are interested in private lessons, you can also send me a message and I'll give you a link to my website (I don't want to violate forum rules by posting it directly here).

12-19-2007, 12:24 AM	#5 (permalink)
mbm09 Within my grasp! Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 122	[quote=TOEFL Corey;529592]Thanks for the welcome. Thank you very much for all informations. They are very good and I really appreciate the help. Good luck in your proffesion as a teacher. Happy holiday !

12-20-2007, 04:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
candie Eager! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 47	Thanks Corey for your advice. I have bought the complete guide to the toefl test but I don't see the Audio CD. Could you help me to get it? Thank you in advance.

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