Did you know that you can request a TOEFL rescore on your TOEFL writing and speaking? If you feel that you’re writing and speaking score on the TOEFL was a misstake, you can request a rescore through ETS.

After you have made a rescoring request, ETS will send your speaking and writing responses to a completely different person. After being reviewed by this individual you will be given a complete new TOEFL score that will become your official score.

Something to keep in mind when requesting a rescore is to make the request within 30 days of taking the TOEFL. Also, remember that if you’ve already sent your score to colleges or universities you cannot request a rescore.

The request fee is $80 for each section. Consider that when requesting a new speaking and writing score, it might cost as much as retaking the test. If you feel you can get a better score on the reading and listening part as well it might be worth to retake the whole test instead.

The negative factor with requesting a rescore is that you may get your test back with a lower score or receive the same score as the first time.

If you have already achieved your target score (the score you need for your university or college) there is no need for you to request a rescore even though you might feel you deserve a better score.

So it’s crucial that you are confident you will receive a better score when requesting a rescore. To learn more about how your TOEFL speaking and writing responses are graded check out the official TOEFL rubrics.

The TOEFL reading section is designed to test your reading comprehension skills. The content will be similar to the text you will see in a college textbook.

The reading section will include three to four passages and will have a time limit of 60 or 80 minutes.

Each reading passage will be followed by questions. After reading the passage you can click on the “next” to begin answering the first questions. Most of the questions will focus on a specific paragraph and the paragraph will be highlighted with an arrow.

The questions in the reading section will only have one right answer; the exception is when you are about to answer table questions or when the instruction specifically asks you to choose two answers.

If the words are underlined you can click on the words and it will give you the definition of that word.

The questions you will face on the TOEFL reading will usually focus on testing your comprehension skills or critical thinking ability. The comprehension style of questions will be about understanding information from the text or lecture. Critical thinking style of questions will ask you take the information from the text and interpret or reorganize the information.

These are few of the test factors that are helpful to know before tackling the TOEFL reading section. What are others? Leave a comment to share your TOEFL reading tips!

Today we are going to take a deeper look into what kind of questions you can expect on the TOEFL listening section. I recommend this post if you want to learn more TOEFL listening tips and strategies.

Most of the questions on the TOEFL listening section will be similar to the questions you see on the TOEFL reading section. However, there are some types of questions that will be completely unique to the listening section. Before we start talking about the questions on the test, let’s take a look at what you can expect to listen to.

TOEFL Listening Types
The topics of the listening section will be different every time but they will have either an academic or non-academic theme. You will be given hints on the theme of the recording before you begin.
The speech will be slightly slower than how a native person would be speaking. Be aware of the different transitions, pauses and breaks in the speech.

TOEFL Listening Lecture
The lecture will last around five minutes and will cover different academic topics. You will face two different types of lectures, one when students interrupt to ask questions and another without interruptions or questions.
You can expect at least six questions for each lecture.

TOEFL Listening Conversations
The conversations vary between academic and other non-academic topics. They are usually a little shorter than the lectures and lasts about three to five minutes. Each conversation will include at least five questions.

A common scenario that is used is when a student speaks with a teacher or a counselor. Most of the different situations take place in a University environment. You should try to familiarize yourself to various terms used in U.S. colleges/universities. Expect topics like clarification of course materials, deadlines, housing and class registration

Types of TOEFL Listening Questions

Main theme question
These questions are about the overall purpose of the conversation or lecture. Questions like “what is the professor trying to explain?” or “why is the student upset?”

Specific Information Questions
These types of questions will require you to remember specific details from the lecture or conversations.

Detailed Purpose Questions
These types of questions involve a specific section from the lecture asking “why” the student or teacher said this.

Mood Questions
These types of questions will ask you about the speakers tone and attitude. It’s important to recognize the mood of the environment and individuals involved.

Organization
Questions about how the different passages and content is organized.

Connecting Questions
Questions on how different excerpts and content is connected with each other.

Inference Type Questions
An inference style of question asks you to make your own conclusions based on the information from the lecture or conversation.

We recently took a look at the TOEFL independent writing section, now it’s time to take a look at the TOEFL integrated writing task.

The TOEFL integrated writing section includes a reading passage and a lecture. You will have three minutes to read the passage. The topic of the reading passages is generally about an opinion or description of a process.

The lecture continues on the same topic and provides you with more detailed information. Be aware that the lecture could provide statements that supports or contradict the opinion from the one presented in the reading passage.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Questions
The types of questions you will see on the integrated writing section are often about summarizing the points made and arguing for or against the statements made.

You will be given 20 minutes to plan and write your integrated essay. Write your essay brief and to the point, most essays are around 150 to 250 words long. Remember that you are being graded on the organization of your essay as well your language. Use a general essay structure when writing your essay.

It’s important to use sources from both the written and spoken material presented. Clearly explain if the example (source) you are using originated from the reading passage or the lecture. To remember details from the sources take good notes so it’s easy for you to implement the information to your essay.

Make sure your notes reflect important key details and not an overall summary from the material you have read or listened to. Always use your own words when writing the essay, even when you are using examples from the reading and listening materials. Learn more about taking notes for the TOEFL.

Before you start writing your essay, make a quick outline on how you want to structure your essay and where in your essay you want to insert details from your notes. This will save you time in the long run.
Practice using these strategies so that when you take the actual TOEFL test it will come to you without even thinking about it.

Best of luck on your TOEFL!