TOEFL Exam Preparation in 10 Days: A Quick Guide

There is no doubt that TOEFL is the most reputed English eligibility test for admission procedure and it could turn out to be a nightmare if the candidate needs to prepare. However, following the right strategies can help you excel in the exam so this article will showcase certain ways to excel in TOEFL exam preparation in 10 days. You might wonder its possibility but aggressive and focused TOEFL preparation in 10 days can lead you to the success door of your dream university.

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TOEFL reading section practice tests

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This Story also Contains

1. Exam pattern and your weakness
2. Selecting the difficult module
3. Time management
4. List of phrasal words, linking words, and transitional words
5. Preparing a list of academic topics and Templates
6. Read to understand and time the reading while using annotation
7. Taking notes and using short forms
8. Role-playing in front of the mirror and self-talk
9. Self-care

Here are some tips designed for non-native English speakers to effectively prepare in the shortest period of 10 days:

Exam pattern and your weakness

The very initial step is to have proper knowledge about the exam pattern and the kind of questions that would be asked in each module of TOEFL exam - reading, writing, listening, and speaking so the moment you decide to start preparing you should first give a full attempt to anyone TOEFL practice test available online. This will not just help you understand the exact pattern but also the problem areas you need to work on, the vocabulary you need to gain, and also the time you need to manage to complete the test effectively.

Selecting the difficult module

After completing the first practice test, you will be able to analyze the most difficult module and the specific questions that took a lot of time to answer. Hence, the difficult part should be first preferred in your TOEFL exam preparation in 10 days.

Time management

As you have analysed your difficulties, prepare a day-wise plan to use time effectively and efficiently so that you can stay focused and be exam ready, your timetable should include a division of time for different modules and more time for the weaker areas.

For example: if you know that the reading section was the most difficult, you should be giving at least 30 minutes to read authenticated English reading material daily.

• The best resource here could be reading from newspapers or using academic texts available in libraries or e-books of native English authors and writers.

• While you read the material, concentrate on the basic ways the text is presented and what it indicates.

• You should be able to highlight the main ideas, also differentiate if the topic had some debatable discussion.

Using an annotation strategy can help you highlight opinions with different colours, conflicts can be underlined, Square brackets can be used to highlight the phrasal verbs, and the main idea can be written as a gist in the notepad.

List of phrasal words, linking words, and transitional words

A separate list can be prepared in a different notepad to collect all the phrasal verbs along with their meanings, some of them are given below for your reference:

• Look forward to : anticipate with pleasure

• Give up: stop trying

• Come across: find unexpectedly

• Put off: postpone

• Take up: begin a new activity

• Run into: encounter unexpectedly

• Get along with: have a good relationship

• Work out: resolv

Some examples of linking words are as follows:

• Addition: furthermore, in addition, moreover

• Cause and effect: because, since, due to

• Comparison and contrast: similar to, just as, likewise

• Result or consequences: Hence, therefore, as a result

• Sequence words: Firstly, secondly, next, then, afterward

All these will help you attempt many reading questions and also retaining the vocabulary used in the reading section will be helpful in the speaking and writing module. Practising the same for 4-5 days will help you eventually succeed in your roadmap of TOEFL exam preparation in 10 days.

Preparing a list of academic topics and Templates

The next important step in TOEFL exam preparation in 10 days is to have a list of topics that are academic and are generally found in TOEFL exam, the same is easily available on the official website of TOEFL and some of them are listed below for your quick reference. Select the topics you are familiar with and the ones you need to explore.

• Advancement in technology and artificial intelligence

• Education, its impact and the changes required

• Cultural diversity, psychology and human behavior

• Health and medicine

• Global issues related to population, poverty

• Environmental concerns

Self-analyze the topics that you need to research and they are the ones you should either be reading from academic texts or listening to English podcasts of native English speakers.

As you know, the writing module requires you to write in a proper format, check out the templates, and naturally memorize them so that you do not have to cram words but are in a position to write in a particular style. The more naturally you present your work the more is the score. Do not follow any crammed resources as they would not give you a high score.

Read to understand and time the reading while using annotation

Whenever you read the academic texts of any topic you should have a stopwatch with you and should set the time to go through the reading material and be in a position to discuss the topic or share your opinion about it.

The average reading speed should be 180- 200 words in a minute.

Taking notes and using short forms

As you practice the listening module, taking notes is the most effective way to retain the audio and the same can be done by:

• creating your own short forms, using abbreviations and attaining the habit of scribbling in an understandable manner.

• You can make charts and use arrow keys to list down the sequence.

Stay focused to notice the paraphrased words

Role-playing in front of the mirror and self-talk

Its really not necessary that in your TOEFL exam preparation in 10 days, you will fing a native speaker to practice speaking in English or anyone to regularly evaluate your work. So, to gain confidence, stand in front of the mirror and self-talk to yourself, make eye contact with yourself, and share opinions about the topic you have heard or read, day by day increase the time limit of self-practice speaking so that you are ready and confident about your own skills.

Self-care

Stay motivated, consistent and also take care of your physical, and mental health by having a good diet.

All the best for your exam!