TOEFL Preparation

How can you prep for the TOEFL test? Lots of ways! You might find your preparation options limited by how much money you can afford to spend though. Thanks the the Internet, you can find plenty of free preparation material and help.

Free TOEFL, TOEFL prep are a couple terms to use in a search engine to find free preparation materials. There are webpages dedicated entirely to TOEFL with practice questions for Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, vocabulary quizzes and even some games. Many ESL/EFL webpages have sections for TOEFL. Some have forums where you can get help with English grammar, vocabulary and TOEFL. Some sites have chats that you find to talk about TOEFL.

At TestDEN, you can get free practice by doing our mini IBT tests which are updated to the revised TOEFL version effective July 26, 2023.

Free preparation material is great, but it won't be enough to get you ready to take the IBT test. Studying by yourself using books is the least expensive preparation method. The books with CD-ROMs and entire practice tests have sample questions and answers of all the types you will see in the test. There's tips, advice, and what you can expect in each of the 4 TOEFL test sections. You can buy them from online bookstores. Kaplan, Barron's and ETS are examples of makers of TOEFL guide and preparation books. You can even get it cheaper if you buy a secondhand (previously owned) one. However, you don't want one that's too old. Reading and Listening question types haven't changed much over the years, but Speaking has (especially since the 2019 test revision onwards). As well, the second Writing task, what was an opinion essay, has changed to (as of July 26, 2023) writing a response to an online academic discussion scenario. This task type was introduced in the TOEFL Essentials test by ETS. ETS has added various sample questions where you can even type an answer and get a score (graded by AI) for your response.

The IBT test is done on a computer, so doing online full TOEFL practice tests is a very effective way to prepare yourself. It's more helpful than a book because you will be able to experience what it is like to do the real test. You get to test your ability with questions similar to those of a real test. When you're finished, you get a score. Plus you can review your answers and see the mistakes you made. It's money well spent.

If you think you'll need more help to prepare for the test, then you might want to look at taking an entire online course. Such courses have daily lessons to help you with English grammar and vocabulary, to help improve your reading, listening, writing and speaking skills, and then focus on practicing specifically for the TOEFL test. You might want to check out our TestDEN TOEFL Test Prep bundle. We have explanations for all questions, and the Speaking and Writing questions in our TOEFL tests are still graded by a real person (not AI).

If you can afford it, the cost can reach several thousands of dollars, then the ultimate way to prepare is to take a TOEFL preparation course offered by a school. You go to classes (online or at a location). The courses usually range 4 weeks to 16 weeks in length. For an extra cost, some schools offer private tutoring in addition to taking the course. Many of the schools are also certified testing centers, so they can register you to take the official test after you've completed the course.

One thing's for sure, preparing fully for the TOEFL will take a lot of time and effort. You cannot be fully prepared for the TOEFL within days or a few weeks! Even if your English skills are great, the structure of the TOEFL, all the different question types, can trip you up if you do not prepare. Use all the resources you can. Even try to find a fellow student who has already taken the TOEFL test to ask them about their experience and for tips.

TOEFL | Questions

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