MAndrew

Ayaz, based on your previous scores and your feelings about the test, I would recommend that you not re-score either of them, but just continue improving. You are showing consistent improvement, and the 100 is right around the corner for you. All the best to you.

Banky, a common problem that TOEFL candidates face is "running out of gas" on the last question. It is weird that the TOEFL requires you to write creatively for 30 minutes at the END of a four-hour test, when you are likely going to be the least creative you could be. My students are taught from the beginning that REAL preparation for the TOEFL means to practice creative writing when exhausted. This helps way more than you would think. You need to be prepared for the actual situation you face. When most people choose to practice creative writing when they are fresh and creative, that is probably not going to be your situation at the end of your TOEFL test.

Carcass, the announcement from ETS was made after the publication of the latest (4th) edition of the Official Guide, so there is no contradiction. The TOEFL now includes non-American native English speaker accents.

Albanna, you should try using studying the Cambridge Preparation book. It can help you identify the language problems that are keeping you from your potential. Also, a good set of tips from an expert always helps. I can't give away all my secrets. But I will give you one here: For "Insert Text" questions, take advantage of pronouns and transition phrases to find the perfect place to put your sentence. This works about 75% of the time for this question type, and it may save you a minute or two on the Reading Section.

Ayaz, some advice for you has been posted here: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/toefl/146216-toefl-ibt-speaking-rescore-24-26-a-2.html

Ayaz, an answer to your question is here: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/toefl/146216-toefl-ibt-speaking-rescore-24-26-a-2.html Given the additional information you have provided here, and based on your previous scores, you should consider requesting a rescore for the Writing Section. I could give you more definite advice if you provide all your previous scores for Speaking and Writing.

With each Listening Section question, you will be allowed to think about your answer, select an answer, change an answer as many times as you want before you continue to the next question. Since the time limit on the Listening Section is usually not a problem for most TOEFL candidates, you may opt to simply delay moving on to the next question at any time during the test when you feel stressed out and would like a minute to regain your focus. In the Reading Section, you will have 60 minutes to answer questions about all three passages. You are allowed to distribute this time however you like, meaning: If you find an especially difficult passage you may choose to spend 25 minutes on it, and give 17.5 minutes to each of the remaining two passages. *Randomly, you may also face four passages with an 80-minute time limit. The same strategy applies.

Ayaz - Your Speaking score sounds especially low. Considering the rest of your scores, I would expect a few points higher. But that is without knowing you and your speaking abilities. What did you get on your previous tests (in Speaking)? A well-prepared TOEFL candidate has a range of expectations for each section in general. Each test is different, but you should have a feeling about what to expect after each test, and this should not be too much different from the actual score you receive. If you honestly expected higher on this Speaking Section, and you have actually scored higher in the past, I would say: Go ahead with the rescore! If you were expecting an 18 or 19, and you got a 20, then do not rescore. Do not rescore if you went to the bathroom after the fourth question for example (and got zeros for questions #5 and #6), and thus you could not expect anything higher than a 20.

KingCreole, ETS has a scoring guide for each of the two writing tasks. Both sets of rubrics only have whole numbers, and I believe ETS raters only choose 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. However, every essay is rated by two ETS raters. When one gives a 4 and the other gives a 5, then a 4.5 is recorded. This is how there is a possible average of 4.25 and 4.75 on the official ETS score conversion tables. Meaning: the candidate got a 4.5 on the first essay (4 by one rater and 5 by the other), and then got a pure 5 on the second essay (both raters gave him a 5), thus he would have an average of 4.75 and his scaled score would be a 29 out of 30. For official conversions of the 5-point score average into 30 point writing section scores, see p.53 of this official ETS document: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/TOEFL_Tips.pdf I hope this helps.

Albanna, TOEFL tests your English communication skills, so they need to see how you understand and interact with new information from written and spoken sources that you likely are not specialized in. All passages are designed to be read or heard by students without any background in whatever subject they present. All questions test your English skills, not your knowledge of the topic.

Specifically to get the 26 for the FPGEC, you may need to work with a specialized coach who knows how to get students into the 26+ range. He/she may need to analyze your common mistakes and help you along with the kind of language and organziation that gets top scores. Don't make the mistake that so many others make and keep making... Don't just practice with other TOEFL candidates! People go for years without ever improving this way.

Many people ask me how they can effectively plan their TOEFL preparation to meet their goals. In this short article, I will outline the three most important steps you need to take to prepare for the TOEFL test. 1) Identify your goal Find out what score you will need for the university or program you want to attend. Usually, the university will have their TOEFL requirements listed on their websites, under “International Students’ Requirements”. If you are thinking of attending more than one school, make a short list of the places you would like to go and the TOEFL requirement for each place. 2) Identify your current TOEFL level You will need to know what your TOEFL level is right now, so you can know how far away you are from your goal. This is very important for planning a successful preparation course. You can know your current TOEFL level by taking an authentic practice test online at the ETS website. Remember, ETS is the company that makes the TOEFL. Refer to this article which highlights some other ways to find out your TOEFL level right now. 3) Consult a professional TOEFL tutor When you have completed steps 1 & 2, consult a TOEFL expert about your current level and your goal. He or she can help you plan successful preparation. You may need a serious course, or perhaps you may only need a few hours of self-study with the right materials to tune up a few important skills. Things to Avoid: Avoid English teachers who do not have training and experience in TOEFL preparation specifically. Getting the score you need on the TOEFL is a very serious matter that requires specific insight. Avoid these common mistakes in TOEFL preparation, too. Avoid these five bad habits when preparing for the TOEFL Speaking Section. Wishing you success in TOEFL preparation!

It sounds like you really need professional help, real personal tutoring, not self-help resources. Consider hiring an experienced TOEFL tutor in your area, private classes for the best results..

TIP: Focus on practicing with questions with the following format for the independent task (Question #2) on the TOEFL Writing Section: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: People only go to college to prepare for their careers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

4.5 out of 5 (based on TOEFL Scoring Rubrics) It could earn a 5/5 since it is generally clear, well-developed, cohesive, and the points are all logical. Minor language errors throughout do not interfere with meaning. It could earnn a 4/5 since it has some rough language that does not interfere too much with the meaning. "Increasing knowledge of themselves" could be considered a lapse in clarity. It seems like you wanted to say maturity and/or personal development. Also, your concluding paragraph is a bit "preachy" for this topic. I don't believe the conclusion has too much impact on the score, however, a good conclusion that brings us back to the topic effectively and emphasizes your opinion on this specific topic helps the rater believe your writing is organized. Remember, in this essay you were not asked why people should go to college, but why they DO go to college. All the best.

Turn the volume up ... double your score, OK. I've actually been teaching skills and strategies to push people up 5 or 10 points! No really Gambitte, good note-taking skills are so important. Thanks for sharing.

I'm almost sure no one got rescored from a 25 to a 26. Maybe from a 24 to a 26, that's possible.

ETS has announced that since the beginning of March 2013, the Listening and Speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT® test include other native-speaker English accents in addition to accents from North America. Test takers may hear accents from the United Kingdom, New Zealand or Australia. Visit TOEFL iBT Test Content for more information and to hear a sample listening passage.

Congratulations on the great scores, Kugelschreiber.

Fantastic score, especially improving all the way from 92 to 108. Congratulations. You are saying that you had a 14 on the Listening Section with an overall score of 92. Now you got a 29 in Listening - a 15 point improvement. This means your other scores did not change much. I am assuming that with the other scores that good (on the 92 test), you just didn't pay attention to the listening passages or didn't take notes? Since you needed solid listening skills to score high on the integreated speaking and writing tasks... Please elaborate more on the Listening Section improvement 14--->29, I am very interested.

The Official Guide to the TOEFL® Test by ETS (4th edition, 2012) is perhaps the most important resource to start with for any TOEFL candidate. The company that makes the test provides their official guide to it, so all other preparation books are secondary. As a TOEFL teacher, I personally prefer the general approach and organized content of Longman, Bruce Rogers, or Cambridge preparation courses, however, the Official Guide from ETS remains the original source of information about the TOEFL, so it can not be overlooked. YES, it is flawed with a poor explanation of the Listening Section and it's question types, with examples that do not always match the skill being introduced, as well as no audio files to accompany sample listening transcripts (pp.127-140). And YES, they've padded the fourth edition with a "Writer's Handbook for English Language Learners" (pp.575-635) and removed the very interesting statistical information about TOEFL score averages around the world, the kind of information that only ETS could provide (previously found in the third edition). And YES, the strategies and tips are somewhat limited, as are the number of sample questions provided with each question type...http://www.sauditestprep.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif BUT, it is the Official Guide from the TOEFL people, offering sample answers for speaking and writing tasks, scored according to the official rubrics, with explanations of how they were scored, directly from the people who set up the rubrics and know them best (priceless). Based on this alone, it is a must for TOEFL candidates who want a general understanding of the test and some insight into the scoring system. Purchase this along with Official TOEFL iBT Tests with Audio: Educational Testing Service (McGraw-Hill's TOEFL iBT) if you want more authentic practice tests. I think the book deserves a solid four stars (out of five), especially since ETS took the time to improve the CD-Rom, which is now PC- and Mac-compatible, with a much better interface than the third edition's disc.

Source: 2012-2013 Information and Registration Bulletin: TOEFL iBT Test, published by ETS, p.17

You're not crazy!! ETS did in fact post this policy, which I reported in some of my writings, so I have it saved (from their website on Dec. 14, 2012): Elsewhere on their website, ETS stated: I reported this and published it as a warning for TOEFL candidates to be careful about their registrations. However, I guess it was revoked as quickly as it was instituted, as many of my students are now registering for back-to-back TOEFL exams easily without any backlash. If ETS really wanted to implement this rule, the thing to do would have been to simply not allow someone to register when they try, not to threaten them with such heavy penalties. I guess they realized that and ditched the idea. All the links I saved mentioning the policy have been removed.

Gambitte, congratulations on those great scores (except for the Listening Section). Sorry, but you'll need to retake the exam if you wish to score higher on the Listening Section. Having been late, you should be happy that you were even allowed to take the exam. The distraction of the students speaking is no excuse. You should have been prepared for this by practicing in a similar situation. If you had not been disturbed by this in your Listening Section, it would have disturbed you in the Speaking Section, perhaps even more! I teach my students to practice their Speaking Section responses in a busy room full of distractions, so they are ready for the real thing. It can be very difficult to focus with people speaking all around you, but it's actually a real life skill. One day, you may need to follow your professor down a busy hallway, and this might be your only opportunity to get a question answered or some help on your research. This means you NEED the ability to listen, understand, and speak in a very distracting environment. While I agree that this part of the test can be very difficult for TOEFL candidates, I actually like how it prepares them for real life situations. That being said, your 26 and a 27 on the Speaking and Writing Sections is a solid proof that you have great listening skills. Many of the responses you gave on those sections relied on keen listening skills. You should get much higher than a 14 on the Listening Section next time, which would push you over the 100 mark easily. Regarding your question, "Is it (92) good enough?" Then you will need to answer that yourself, by simply visiting the websites of the two universities and learning about exact TOEFL requirements for your college and intended level of study. 92 is good enough for some programs, but not good enough for Higher Studies in many top universities. Proper preparation for the TOEFL test includes knowing what your personal target is based on the program(s) you wish to attend. You should probably have known this a long time ago. It's not too late. Make sure you identify your own specific personal goals if you want to reach them.

Why don't you suggest some examples of questions that you feel are difficult to answer, and I (or someone else) could offer suggestions for how you could plan your main ideas...? This could be a very valuable and helpful thread.