BAM! I received a score of 26 on the speaking section

[knok]

By crossing over the ocean, struggling for living, and sometimes suffering from biased rules and regulations, I enthusiastically known that you deserve being a pharmacist. Not only is it a great news for you because you determinately achieved your goal, but is also an optimistic news for the foreign pharmacists who are suffering from ridiculous and unwarranted rules because everyone knows you and looks at your a long journey that they can achieve and fulfill their dreams.

[clap]

 

Thank you. We can't live without a dream.

 

Let's watch the video of Dr. Martin Luther King's speech.

"We have a dream."

 

YouTube - Martin Luther King "I have a dream"

 

Text: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm (Dr. Martin Luther King's speech)

 

http://homepage1.nifty.com/arboltakeshi/english/essay/dream93.htm

Edited March 23, 2010 by knok

[ssadi]

Congratulations on your score, but did you have to prepare for 8 years for the speaking test? I will have about 2-3 months to prepare for the Toefl and I'm not comfortable with English conversations, I tend to take an inordinate amount of time before responding, and I feel a lack of instinctive drive! I need a score over 20:(

Bam! I got a score of 26 on the speaking section

 

Hi Erin and everybody:

 

Eventually, my eight year nightmare is almost over. I received a required score of 26 on the speaking section.

 

First, I would like to thanks Erin, the administrator and the owner of this wonderful forum. As a pharmacist and a moderator, thank you for being so patient with us. We were so stressed out with the process. From time to time, a lot of arguments were made in the pharmacy forum. You handled them very well. Good job! I wish you well in future. I am sure that this forum will grow over time. Oh! I plan to visit you in San Francisco soon.

 

In addition, I would like to thank Micheal or Wasleys who moderates the TSE and TOEFL forum. He answered a lot of questions about grammar in TOEFL grammar forum.

 

Furthermore, I would like to spread a thank you note to the English teachers in this forum:

 

1. Kennyp, or Ken Pechenick, a tutor in Canada who gave us emotional support in TSE forum since 2003. He also gave a lot of tips about the speaking section. He is warm and friendly. I consider him as a family member. At least, two of my friends passed the TSE because of him. I talked on the phone with him several times. I even planned to have a tutoring session in person with him in Canada but it was pretty difficult because of he lives in Canada. He will correct your speech word by word when you practice with him.

 

2. TSE Prep, or Charles Park. He is based in CA and the author of the mastering skills of the TSE. He continues to give emotional support and tips about the speaking test. I sent my sound files and he evaluated them to me. Thanks again. I appreciate your help. He took the TOEFL iBT himself and received a score of 28 on the speaking section.

 

3. Englishraven, or Jason Renshaw. Thank you for being dedicated to give us tips and how to do the speaking section correctly. I had a chance to log in and check all his online course materials. They are very helpful. His videos on you tube are excellent. You cannot miss watching his videos before taking the speaking section of TOEFL iBT. He is very thorough about what each task needs to get done. On his online course, he gives several examples of every question. Those voice examples will train your thoughts to think systemically. I believe that after I read every book available in the market, I started to get confused on what to do. He will teach you how to think step by step. This is the key since after you finished the first two sections of the TOEFL iBT, your mind will get mixed up with difficult and boring topics on listening section. I remember that I got several passages about astronomy, geology, and photography. These topics are difficult and require us to use our imagination to understand. It takes out almost all energy from me.

 

4. TOEFL Corey. Thank you for your evaluation on the best book for TOEFL iBT and your tips on passing the exam. I agree with you that the complete guide for TOEFL iBT by Bruce Roger is the best one. It gives a lot of sample answers and practice tests.

 

5. Bruno Hill. I cannot reach him since his web site has changed. I took his online TSE and TOEFL iBT course. The speaking practices by recording my voice allow him to correct my pronunciation and grammar. I took both writing and speaking online lessons with him for over 2 years. He provides tons of examples of speaking sound files.

 

6. Kaplan, Seattle. Thanks my speaking teachers, especially Tom and Kevin. Tom is the academic manager at Kaplan. He is a very good teacher for TOEFL iBT-speaking. We practiced speaking in noisy environment in classes. Kaplan also offers test sessions simulating the real TOEFL iBT. Anyone who takes KAPLAN - TOEFL iBT should take advantage of this TOEFL iBT test practices. KAPLAN offers this simulating tests every two weeks if you enroll in TOEFL course. Teachers will grade you like in the real test. The International advisor, Mark, at KAPLAN-Seattle is a warm and caring person. Not to mention, Emily, the program manager who is very sincere and warm.

 

7. I also had private tutoring sessions with American tutors who graduated from Washington University-St. Louis almost every day for a year in 2004. I also took pronunciation classes at universities for several years. One of them was an actor and singer in Broadway, NY. Later, he went on to get his PhD. in English literature. Actors and singers need to pronounce words clearly. He is very encouraging and enthusiastic about teaching students to pronounce words clearly. He always said to me, “Enjoy your words.” If anyone is interested, let me know. He is teaching at Webster University - St. Louis.

 

8. I also took all speech communication classes at universities such as public speaking, speech and presentations for media, story telling, and so on. Most of my teachers graduated from the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. I would like to stress that all my courses are not easy though. As I remember, I had to give speech and presentations to real media groups in pubic. All panelists were people who worked in radio and TV stations. I believe that I made good impressions to them since one of them stood up and praised me immediately after I finished. One of them asked my group to have an interview in his radio station the next day.

 

9. Jack Rose, the author of the TSE book. I took his TSE seminar twice, both in LA and Las Vegas. He taught how to track the organization of the answers of the TSE exam questions. Question 1 &2 are opinion questions. He taught what and how to say them correctly in time limit. He conducted real classes so I had opportunities to practice with a group of students with his guidance. I tried to contact him earlier this month but I could not reach him. He gave good tips how to handle stress and timing in the exam. His career was a high school teacher for over 20 years so he has had good experiences about guiding and teaching in classrooms. He discussed about test anxiety which has had a big impact on students with the time pressure - test such as TOEFL iB and TSE. If anyone knows where he is, please let me know. Thanks.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all members who gave tips. The list will add up and I will take another ten pages to mention them all.

 

My background:

 

I studied English since I was 4 years old. My pharmacy school in my home country did not translate English text books so I studied in English.

 

I worked for multinational pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoWelcome (British), Schering AG (Germany), Lek (Israel), Great Eastern Drugs(Philippines), and Hoechst (Germany) in different times for over twelve years. The language used in my work was English. I gave a lot of presentations during working.

 

Moreover, I completed a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science - Management Information Systems from the University of MO - Louis and completed all speech communication courses at Webster University and almost complete Animation & Graphic certificate program from a college here is Seattle. Overall, I have lived and have been educated in the USA for over 10 years.

 

I also owned a pharmacy for over 10 years in my home country.

 

I traveled to Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Czech, Singapore, Myanmar, and Laos.

 

I’ll post about the TOEFL iBT materials later.

 

Bye for now. I wish you would be patient with your journey.

 

Knok :tup:

[speakingtoefl]

Hi everyone,

 

I took my exams today and wanna share my experience.

 

Well, Reading passages were long and from history, geology, and biology. Vocabulary was quiet easy which we use in daily conversation.

 

Listening was easy.

 

Speaking was fine. They asked general questions just as they were asking earlier. No new format.

 

Writing was easy and managable.

 

Hope to get good scores..

 

 

Good luck to all!

[Erin]

Just read this post again. What a wonderful post. Knok, I'm so happy to hear that you got 26. You're simply one of the most determined people I've ever crossed paths with. Very inspiring.

 

I'm going to "sticky" this post for a while. Congrats again!

[chem]

KNOK,

Congratulations. My heart is filled with hope because I've seen a lot of endurance, patience, hard work and humbleness of your spirit. As you know, I am desperate with this exam too because I took it for 3 x already and my latest speaking score is unfortunately 23. I passed the 3 areas already just like from the previous tries. I am desperately frustrated for I study and work so hard to save for an application one and another. I need help. I am physically and financially exhausted.

[knok]

Congratulations on your score, but did you have to prepare for 8 years for the speaking test? I will have about 2-3 months to prepare for the Toefl and I'm not comfortable with English conversations, I tend to take an inordinate amount of time before responding, and I feel a lack of instinctive drive! I need a score over 20:(

 

Yes, I did. A score of 20 and 26 are totally different. Be well prepared and you should get a score of 20 if you don't have problems with grammar and pronunciation. Good luck to you.

[knok]

Speakingtoefl.

Thank you fo sharing information. I hope you earn a nice score.

Edited March 29, 2010 by knok

[knok]

Just read this post again. What a wonderful post. Knok, I'm so happy to hear that you got 26. You're simply one of the most determined people I've ever crossed paths with. Very inspiring.

 

I'm going to "sticky" this post for a while. Congrats again!

 

Erin,

 

Thank you again. I'll see you soon.

[knok]

KNOK,

Congratulations. My heart is filled with hope because I've seen a lot of endurance, patience, hard work and humbleness of your spirit. As you know, I am desperate with this exam too because I took it for 3 x already and my latest speaking score is unfortunately 23. I passed the 3 areas already just like from the previous tries. I am desperately frustrated for I study and work so hard to save for an application one and another. I need help. I am physically and financially exhausted.

 

Thank you. Please try to earn 4 on 2 questions. Then, you will receive a score of 26. However, when you are tired, take a rest and start again.

Good luck.

Edited April 4, 2010 by knok

[knok]

I posted it on another thread so that it will be easy to look for it later. Here is the link to books and materials for TOEFL iBT speaking.

 

http://www.www.urch.com/forums/toefl-speaking/118249-books-materials-toefl-ibt-speaking-section.html

 

Tips:

 

For those who need a score of 26, please try to practice on these books at least 3 times each with a timer before you are going to take another test.

[ivona]

First of all,congratulations on your passed test!

I have taken this test almost 9 times and still hasn't received 26 on speaking! Despite the fact that I have read all the toefl book on the market,have taken kaplan preparation for the toefl and I'm working in the pharmacy here in the USA.In addition to that,I've just noticed they raised the price of the test to$170! Outrageous!

[knok]

Hi Ivona,

First of all, congratulations on your passing the test!

 

Thank you.

 

I have taken this test almost 9 times and still hasn't received 26 on speaking!

 

I understand your frustration. I am sorry that you have not received a score of 26. You are not alone. Put this aspect in perspective and deal with it wisely. A majority of test takers who are not native English speakers that I have known took the test more than 10 times. The average number of times test takers took before receiving a score of 26 was 10. (100/10, only 10 percent of the number of test takers who took the test in 2009 received a score of 26 or higher.)

 

Despite the fact that I have read all the toefl book on the market, have taken kaplan preparation for the toefl

 

I believe that a majority of test takers who are not native English speakers have read all the TOEFL preparation books in the market and took many ESL classes including TOEFL prep courses but still have had trouble receiving a score of 26. A score of 26 is such a very high score. This test is a time pressure test. It requires skills and full concentration during taking the exam. I believe that anyone who took the test more than 6 times lost their confident more or less. If you find yourself having test anxiety, please consult with a family or internal medicine doctor. If you cannot sleep the night before or do not have enough sleep ( at least 8 hours), the performance of your test will be negatively affected.

 

I'm working in the pharmacy here in the USA.

 

In addition to that,I've just noticed they raised the price of the test to$170! Outrageous!

 

It is painful. :( That is life in capitalism. This is just the beginning of our journey. There will be more to see. I am prepared for it. Good or bad, hard to say. Please check my previous posts.

 

I wish you the best. Today, I heard a good news from a friend of mine who just fulfilled the requirement after 5 years of struggling. She's lived in the US for 14 years. Believe it or not! She passed TOEFL today. You will be next. Have faith in yourself. You know yourself better than anyone else. Check for the causes of the problem and go from there.

 

Good luck.

Edited April 4, 2010 by knok

[knok]

According to Kaplan, "During sleep, we process all the input that we have received during the day and store in the appropriate place. If we don't sleep enough, the information never gets put away so the knowledge is never secure." It further explains that exercise is important for learning and achievement on a standardized test. (Kaplan - orange book, check the topics in Kaplan about brain rules and standardized test page 410.)

 

 

This test requires a lot of practice. We have no time to think in a real test. We must have good memory as well.

Edited April 5, 2010 by knok

[knok]

One of brain rules from Kaplan, "Long term chronic stress actually diminishes learning ability. There are biochemical reasons for this. Stress is bad and there is nothing like exercise for reducing stress." (Kaplan - TOEFL Strategies, p. 410)

 

Another brain rule: repetitiion is essential for memory. We need to see or hear or experience something several times before it is secure. It might take years.

[Roxy0000]

Hi all,

 

I received my TOEFL score. S 20 W21 R22 L24.

 

I am getting same low score from last three times.

Can anybody help to improve this score? What should I have to do to improve my score?

I am really frustrated by speaking requirement. can anybody tell me,is it possible to get 26 if I am getting 20-21 from last three test? or I have to forget about getting License in the USA.

 

Please help me.

:(

[knok]

Could you get a tutor? Calm down! It is normal that the score will be up and down. It is better to take a break for about 3 months. Long term stress is not good for learning and probably you will do better when you are not tired. Just my opinion. Believe in yourself. Edited April 6, 2010 by knok

[ivona]

Thank you Knok for your support.You are really nice...and one more time congratulations...I envy you:)

[knok]

Ivona,

 

Thank you. Please keep working hard.

 

One more tip, when you do the speaking section, try to speak as much as you can. Don't have a long pause. When you speak in the exam, don't worry about your pronunciation or grammar too much but try to work on grammar and pronunciation everyday. When you correct yourself often in the exam, the raters will think that you lack of fluency and control of language. There is another pronunciation program by AMENGLISH which is sold by ETS. I didn't put on the list because I don't like the price. It is $39.50 for 30 days. Pronunciation in English It used to be $54 but you can access forever. ETS changes the deal.

 

Well Said and American Accent Training are good enough and fair with the price. I put them in my car and listen to them often.

:tup:

 

When you do pronunciation practice, please try to do it about 1-2 hours a day instead of doing it 10 hours for one day. In my opinion, the problem in practicing pronunciation is that we cannot hear the differences between our sounds and native speakers' sound. This AMENGLISH has a program that you can practice on the computer and compare with the correct sounds. Another good point is that vocabulary in this CD is similar to the real test. However, I feel that it is better to practice with a native speaker. In my case, my son, my American friends, tutors, and teachers point out the differences.

 

Everyone makes mistakes in grammar and pronunciation. The fewer you make, the better. The less effort the listeners must use to understand, the higher scores you will get. However, we cannot change our accent overnight but we must try to reduce it.

 

Try to start with thesis statement, and then, elaborate and support your opinions in the following sentences and have time left for your conclusion. Speak as if you know the content well. Be careful with subject-verb agreements when you practice several times with your partners. I practiced with my American tutors and students from several countries in different times. We always had a timer which was the key in iBT speaking. Write down the mistakes of your partner and correct them after she/he finishes answering that question.

 

According to my experiences in the exam, I received good, good, fair. I received a score of 4 in question no. 1 and no. 3. I remember that I covered most of the points. I even made minor mistakes (Only one sentence that I was supposed to say, increase but I said decrease.) in the content of questions no.1 but it is an open-ended question. I made about 3-4 points on that question and spoke about 10 sentences with confidence. I even gave a lot of studies and scientific reasons for that to support my opinions. If you are a subscriber of Jason Renshaw, his sound files about answering questions are good. Check his intonation, stress, content, and speed. I think that I spoke at the same speed as his. There are also examples from books I provided above on the list (Materials for TOEFL iBT). Of course, you must be fluent.

:idea:

 

For question no. 3, when we listen to two students speaking, we cannot repeat the same sentences they speak because the conversation is about 4-5 minutes in length but we have only 1 minute. We need to paraphrase and summarize in short but effective manner. We must use different vocabulary (synonym). Therefore, vocabulary is the key. Only practice a lot of exercises from the books can help you to be familiar with the content. I practiced at least 100 exercises. Make notes and memorize your notes. I put them in flashcards and bring them everywhere with me. This test is a standardized test, therefore, it means that the test content is standard and repetitive. For question no. 3-6, if we make mistakes, we will be deducted points. The raters will think that we cannot understand the tasks and have difficulties in language if we talk about something totally different from the listening passages.

 

Do not show your nervousness in your voice. The raters may think that you feel uncomfortable with English and do not have good control of language.

 

I strongly believe that anyone who failed this speaking section over 6 times needs professional helps such as tutors or TOEFL iBT preparation courses. When you take the test more than 6 times, you feel frustrated. Having tutors and taking TOEFL iBT preparation course will allow you to meet other test takers who have similar problems to you. These professional helps will guide you and walk along with you. You will not feel lonely and depressed. This will boost your motivation and self confidence.

 

[banana]:grad:

 

Do not believe everything I just said. Everyone is unique. Please use your own judgment to filter out information. These are only my opinions. They might not fit you.

 

Again, no matter what happens to you about this test, keep your heads up. Deal with it wisely. It is not an easy test. Keep this aspect in your perspective. Only 10% of the number of TOEFL iBT test takers received a score equal to or higher than 26.

 

Best wishes, [clap] [dance]

 

Knok

Edited April 9, 2010 by knok

[libau]

Hi, Dear Sir.

 

I believe you might have some information that can help my doubts. I wonder if there is a time frame to pass the toefl once you have cleared the fpgee. Probably this question had been posted before, But right now after 5 triesI got professinal help with my speaking. I am so close ( 23 ) but still i feel I am not ready yet. i am really concern abot dates to pass the toefl. Do you have any information?. help ayone?. thanks. God bless .

[knok]

Hang in there and keep your head up. I received a score of 23 more than 10 times. I didn't count exactly. There is not time frame after your passed the FPGEC but you must send a letter to notify NABP to keep your file open every two years.

 

I just received my FPGEC certificate today. It has been 2 months exactly since the date I took the TOEFL iBT. Thanks Mr. Cartizone and staffs for issuing my certificate promptly.

 

God bless you. :)

[libau]

Thanks Sir!.. For answering to my question. Congratulations for your certificate. I wish you the best in your future . God bless you at every step. Have a nice day![clap]

[knok]

Likewise. I am glad that you made your day. I am Madam, sir!..:)

 

Go steady to win the race. Sooner or later, you will get there. It does not rain this weekend. I am happy to see sunshine today. Have a nice weekend!

[Englishraven]

Ivona,

 

Thank you. Please keep working hard.

 

One more tip, when you do the speaking section, try to speak as much as you can. Don't have a long pause. When you speak in the exam, don't worry about your pronunciation or grammar too much but try to work on grammar and pronunciation everyday. When you correct yourself often in the exam, the raters will think that you lack of fluency and control of language. There is another pronunciation program by AMENGLISH which is sold by ETS. I didn't put on the list because I don't like the price. It is $39.50 for 30 days. Pronunciation in English It used to be $54 but you can access forever. ETS changes the deal.

 

Well Said and American Accent Training are good enough and fair with the price. I put them in my car and listen to them often.

:tup:

 

When you do pronunciation practice, please try to do it about 1-2 hours a day instead of doing it 10 hours for one day. In my opinion, the problem in practicing pronunciation is that we cannot hear the differences between our sounds and native speakers' sound. This AMENGLISH has a program that you can practice on the computer and compare with the correct sounds. Another good point is that vocabulary in this CD is similar to the real test. However, I feel that it is better to practice with a native speaker. In my case, my son, my American friends, tutors, and teachers point out the differences.

 

Everyone makes mistakes in grammar and pronunciation. The fewer you make, the better. The less effort the listeners must use to understand, the higher scores you will get. However, we cannot change our accent overnight but we must try to reduce it.

 

Try to start with thesis statement, and then, elaborate and support your opinions in the following sentences and have time left for your conclusion. Speak as if you know the content well. Be careful with subject-verb agreements when you practice several times with your partners. I practiced with my American tutors and students from several countries in different times. We always had a timer which was the key in iBT speaking. Write down the mistakes of your partner and correct them after she/he finishes answering that question.

 

According to my experiences in the exam, I received good, good, fair. I received a score of 4 in question no. 1 and no. 3. I remember that I covered most of the points. I even made minor mistakes (Only one sentence that I was supposed to say, increase but I said decrease.) in the content of questions no.1 but it is an open-ended question. I made about 3-4 points on that question and spoke about 10 sentences with confidence. I even gave a lot of studies and scientific reasons for that to support my opinions. If you are a subscriber of Jason Renshaw, his sound files about answering questions are good. Check his intonation, stress, content, and speed. I think that I spoke at the same speed as his. There are also examples from books I provided above on the list (Materials for TOEFL iBT). Of course, you must be fluent.

:idea:

 

For question no. 3, when we listen to two students speaking, we cannot repeat the same sentences they speak because the conversation is about 4-5 minutes in length but we have only 1 minute. We need to paraphrase and summarize in short but effective manner. We must use different vocabulary (synonym). Therefore, vocabulary is the key. Only practice a lot of exercises from the books can help you to be familiar with the content. I practiced at least 100 exercises. Make notes and memorize your notes. I put them in flashcards and bring them everywhere with me. This test is a standardized test, therefore, it means that the test content is standard and repetitive. For question no. 3-6, if we make mistakes, we will be deducted points. The raters will think that we cannot understand the tasks and have difficulties in language if we talk about something totally different from the listening passages.

 

Do not show your nervousness in your voice. The raters may think that you feel uncomfortable with English and do not have good control of language.

 

I strongly believe that anyone who failed this speaking section over 6 times needs professional helps such as tutors or TOEFL iBT preparation courses. When you take the test more than 6 times, you feel frustrated. Having tutors and taking TOEFL iBT preparation course will allow you to meet other test takers who have similar problems to you. These professional helps will guide you and walk along with you. You will not feel lonely and depressed. This will boost your motivation and self confidence.

 

[banana]:grad:

 

Do not believe everything I just said. Everyone is unique. Please use your own judgment to filter out information. These are only my opinions. They might not fit you.

 

Again, no matter what happens to you about this test, keep your heads up. Deal with it wisely. It is not an easy test. Keep this aspect in your perspective. Only 10% of the number of TOEFL iBT test takers received a score equal to or higher than 26.

 

Best wishes, [clap] [dance]

 

Knok

 

 

This is excellent advice, Knok, and I encourage everyone to pay attention to it. It is accuracte and helpful (as everything Knok contributes to this forum is!).

 

All the best,

 

~ Jason

[chem]

Can I talk to you over the phone or email?

[knok]

Hi Mr, Renshaw,

 

Thank you for your comment. I am glad that you like them. One of my friends even told me a year before I passed the test that we must watch your videos and remember your tips by heart. I agree. Thank you for your dedications to help students.

God bless you.

 

Chem,

 

Where are you located? I am pretty busy this week since I planned to fly to San Francisco over the weekend to see Erin. :) If anyone in San Francisco and Berkeley areas would like to see me or talk to me, please send me a private message. I will be there around 1 pm Friday and come back on Sunday night. Therefore, I have to get all my schools' work and projects done by Thrusday evening. You're welcome to PM me.

 

Bye.