TOEFL One-Month Study Plan: Exam Format, Preparation Tips

TOEFL One-Month Study Plan: TOEFL ( Test of English as a Foreign Language) displays English proficiency in four main areas: writing, listening, and reading. It is widely accepted in universities and the workplace. To excel in this exam, individuals need a structured TOEFL 2025 one-month study plan, practical strategies, and consistent practice.

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This Story also Contains

1. Understanding the TOEFL Exam
2. Overview of the TOEFL Test Format
3. TOEFL Scoring System Explained
4. Structuring Your One-Month Study Plan
5. Tips for Staying Consistent During the Month
6. TOEFL Exam Day Preparation
7. Conclusion: Achieving Your Target TOEFL Score

The table below highlights the structure of the modules and the number of questions in each module of the TOEFL exam so that students can aim and prepare: the TOEFL one-month study plan 2025.

Understanding the TOEFL Exam

It is an internationally recognised test that values a non-native speaker's English language proficiency. TOEFL is globally accepted in English-speaking countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, etc. This exam consists of four modules: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The TOEFL test is designed to measure real-life academic English skills. Hence, students preparing for the TOEFL need an effective TOEFL one-month study plan.

Overview of the TOEFL Test Format

TOEFL test format consists of four modules, which are mentioned above, as it evaluates and focuses on the individual ability to comprehend and communicate effectively in academic surroundings.

The chart below effectively breaks down each detail about the test format and will be very useful for preparing a one-month study plan for TOEFL 2025.

TOEFL Scoring System Explained

Let's take a detailed insight into the scoring system of the TOEFL exam

1. TOEFL Reading section: To prepare an exclusive one-month study plan for TOEFL 2025, students should understand the purpose and format of each module.

Purpose: It assesses the individual's ability to read and comprehend university-level academic texts in the best way. This will make students university-ready and be in a position to understand a different accent or culture, a teacher.

Format :

• Students will read 3-4 passages each around 600- 700 words long.

• Each passage is followed by questions and is made up of a total of 20 questions to attempt.

Students should spend 1-1.5 minutes on each question to manage time effectively.

B. TOEFL Listening section:

Purpose: It assesses the individual listening power in classroom discussions, lectures, and conversations between two individuals under the academic version. So, the TOEFL listening section makes a student ready to understand different accents and develop new vocabulary.

Format:

• The individual will listen to around 3-to 4 lectures and 2-to 3 conversations.

• Each lecture has 6 questions and each conversation has 5 questions, making a total of 28-40 questions.

So, the TOEFL one-month study plan 2025 helps the candidate to score high.

Students have to listen to the audio first, as it only plays once, and spend 30-45 seconds for each question to manage the time in an effective manner

Note: The recorded audio will not be played again.

C. TOEFL speaking section

Format:

• This section consists of the 4 tasks that are completed using the microphone recorder, while using the TOEFL one-month study plan 2025, students should make themselves comfortable using the microphone recorder.

• Individuals' responses are recorded and human evaluation happens.

Structuring Your One-Month Study Plan

Test of English as a foreign language is the English proficiency test for non-native speakers or international people. This structured TOEFL one-month study plan 2025 can improve the skills of an individual effectively to score higher in the exam.

1. Assessing Your Current English Proficiency

In this step, before starting the preparation, take a diagnostic test to identify your strengths and weaknesses in the four TOEFL exam modules and then make strategies to cover your weaker areas.

2. Setting Realistic Goals for Each Week

In this step of preparing the TOEFL one-month study plan, individuals have to make weekly goals that take them to progressively build English proficiency.

Week 1: Building the Basics

In the first week, the main focus should be on understanding the test format and strengthening fundamental English skills by applying the given tasks in the table below for the TOEFL one-month study plan.

1. Understanding Each TOEFL Section

The TOEFL iBT consists total of four sections and each section shows different English skills:

• The reading section consists of 30-40 questions on comprehension of academic passages.

• The listening section as it all up to understanding audio recordings and different conversations.

• The speaking section contains 4 tasks where individuals have to express opinions and present information effectively.

• The writing section contains 2 tasks where individuals have to write down essays and summarize based on reading and lectures.

2. Strengthening Vocabulary and Grammar

• Individuals have to learn and retain the academic version of vocabulary from authentic websites, native English newspapers, native English academic books or podcasts by native speakers and so on.

• Review the grammar concepts to memorize the tenses, verbs, or sentence structure.

• Moreover, students may use fascinating flashcards and quizzes to reinforce their learning.

3. Practising General Listening and Reading Skills

• Listen to podcasts, TED talks, and news reports to strengthen the academic version to improve comprehension.

• Read articles, and newspapers to adapt the academic version in all four sections

• Practice the skimming and scanning techniques for reading passages effectively.

Week 2: Focused Skill Development

This week's main focus should be on improving comprehension and logically structured responses in all four sections.

1. Improving Reading Comprehension Techniques

• Skimming and scanning: quickly identify main points and key information

• Active reading is an essential part of the reading section, such as highlighting the important points, keywords, and so on. You may use an annotation strategy: highlighting nouns, and numbers and underlining the description and also preparing a gist of each paragraph.

• Time management plays a significant role in managing the TOEFL reading passage.

2. Enhancing Listening Skills with Varied Audio Materials

• Listen to academic lectures regularly to improve comprehension.

• Identify the speaker's tone, attitude, and purpose of the conversation to analyze the key point of the answer.

• Try to practice listening in different accents to ease yourself in adaptation and to match speech speed.

3. Practising Basic Speaking and Writing Tasks

• Speaking: record yourself with the help of a mobile phone or practice in front of the mirror to boost confidence and for self-evaluation.

• Fluency practice: speak on a familiar topic for 1 minute to see the current level.

• Grammar and charity: one of the key parts to focus on, is sentence structure and logical flow with cohesive devices.

Week 3: Test-Specific Strategies

The TOEFL one-month study plan third week will focus on individuals working on the learning strategies for different TOEFL question types.

1. Tackling Different Question Types in Reading and Listening

• In the reading section work on answering the inference, factual, and summary questions

• In the listening section try to find the main idea, speaker attitude, and purpose of the conversation.

• The best strategy is to read questions before listening and reading to understand or underline the key details.

• Time management is another factor that avoids spending too much time on a particular question, as it is better to move on.

2. Practicing Speaking Tasks with a Timer

• Attempt the independent tasks on familiar topics.

• Practice with a stopwatch to avoid pauses and fluency examination.

• Self-evaluation is like recording and reviewing the pronunciation and clarity of words.

3. Structuring Effective Responses for Writing Tasks

• Integrated writing tasks where essays should be written in a logical flow.

• Focuses on well-structured sentences with clarity of idea instead of complex ones.

• Always spend the last few minutes checking grammar and coherence.

Week 4: Mock Tests and Final Preparation

This is the final week before the exam, as an individual has to focus on the full-length practice test and refining last-moment improvements effectively.

1. Taking Full-Length TOEFL Practice Tests

• Create the real exam environment by attempting a full-length test under a stopwatch timer.

• Always use official TOEFL practice test material for the correct difficulty level.

• Identify the weaker areas and work towards improvement.

2. Analyzing Mistakes and Refining Strategies

• Review the incorrect answers, understand the mistakes and try not to repeat the same mistakes by working on those particular concepts.

• Also, analyze and identify the patterns of errors, such as grammar, vocabulary or misinterpreting the question.

3. Reviewing Key Vocabulary and Grammar Concepts

• Revise and retain high-frequency academic words for all sections of the TOEFL exam

• Emphasizes the common grammar concepts such as subject-verb agreement and sentence structure.

Tips for Staying Consistent During the Month

Here are some tips for individuals to be consistent in their preparation for the TOEFL exam 2025 within a month to achieve the desired scores.

Tip 1: Setting a Study Schedule and Sticking to It

• Students should make proper timetables and allocate 2-3 hours for daily preparation

• Try to make a planner or sessions for the morning, as that time is more productive due to a fresh mind.

Tip 2: Using Reliable TOEFL Preparation Resources

• Students should use the official TOEFL prep book from ETS.

• Use reputed and authenticated websites for TOEFL sample test papers.

Tip 3: Incorporating Short Breaks to Avoid Burnout

• Always take 10-minute breaks while studying for a 45-minute session to refresh your mind.

• Use relaxation techniques like deep breathing or stretching of the body.

TOEFL Exam Day Preparation

As exam day is a very crucial day for the individual to stay calm, use management skills, and complete the exam fearlessly.

1. What to Bring on Exam Day

• Valid passport or ID

• TOEFL registration confirmation

• Headphones

• A pen and blank paper

2. Managing Stress and Staying Focused

• Individuals should take at least 7-8 hours of sleep before the exam

• Eat healthy food before the exam

• Arrive on time: as per the advice, it is good for the individual to arrive at least 30 min early at the test centre.

Conclusion: Achieving Your Target TOEFL Score

An individual should have a very clear vision to achieve the target score as it is the foremost step to going closer to their dream. Consistency and hard work can beat achieving desired scores.

1. Recap of the One-Month Study Plan

Week 1- Strengthen the fundamental English skills

Week 2- Improve comprehensive and structured responses

Week 3- Master TOEFL-specific techniques and strategies.

Week 4- Take mock tests and revise exam techniques

2. Building Confidence Through Consistent Practice

It is the key to a good score in the TOEFL examination as regular practice makes things perfect. Also, stay confident and trust your preparation using the TOEFL one-month study plan.

About the Author:

Pooja Aggarwal is an experienced trainer with over 15 years of expertise in helping students achieve their educational goals. With a degree in Education, she focuses on clear, patient, and personalized instruction. Her approach has successfully guided students from diverse backgrounds, preparing them for both Academic and General Training modules of various exams in a supportive and engaging environment.