We received the question is there a way to study in the U.S. at a university level without taking the TOEFL. Interestingly enough the answer is yes in some few cases. There are some situations when you are exempted from taking the TOEFL exam.

If you have lived in a country where English is the first language for more than 4 years you do not need to take the TOEFL. All you need is be able to prove that you have lived in such country.

You have received an excellent score in the English section of the SAT. The test score show that you have a proficient level for English at the university level. That's why we recommend international students to always take the SAT before they take the TOEFL if they are required to take the SAT.

If your parents are from a English speaking nation (UK, U.S. Australia etc) you can request the TOEFL score request to be dropped. This is however from a school to school basis and the school can still request a TOEFL score from you.

If you attended a High School where English was the official language you do not need to take the TOEFL. Your High School will have to send some sort of proof to the University you are going applying to.

These are a few different situations when you do not need to take the TOEFL exam to attend a U.S. university.

The fact that you are allowed to take notes during the TOEFL is not a secret but the possible impact it can have on your score is often underestimated. Note taking skills is essential for all the sections on the TOEFL, not to mention that it will be a skill you will need when you study at an English speaking school.

For example in the TOEFL listening section you are only allowed to listen to the sequence once. This is when being able to take good notes can be crucial for your TOEFL score; it’s been proven that students who are able to take organized notes get a better score.

The test center will provide you with paper to take notes on, you are allowed to request more paper if you happen to need more. However, make sure you do not clutter your paper with information, give yourself plenty of room between different sections so you can easily find the information you are looking for.

Like everything else note taking skills improve by practice. As you practice taking notes, you will develop a skill in being able to focus on key information and ignore factors that are irrelevant. By having these skills you will enable to retain important facts and data and to develop an organized way to structure your notes.

Here are some tips on how to take good notes for the TOEFL

1.  If you miss a section don’t panic, just write down a couple keywords and revisit the section when you have finished listening

2.  Do not try to write everything you hear, write down key phrases and summarize

3.  Always use your own words but make sure you do not change the meaning

4.  Develop a way you always take notes, use the same structure every time

5.  Keep it short so you can grasp the section right away. Don't try to use every space on the page

Many students underestimate the usefulness of good notes, that's why we the title of this article is "The Secret Weapon for the TOEFL: Notes". To use these tips on actual TOEFL practice tests sign up with ePrepz TOEFL prep and learn how to apply the information we have covered in today's post.

There is no magical way to raise your TOEFL score, all you can do is practice to improve your TOEFL test taking skills and increase your knowledge of the English language. In this post we will provide you with 5 different resources and tips that could help you improve your knowledge of the English language for free.

Write at least 100 English words every day
There is no shortcut to improving your score on the TOEFL writing section. The fastest way to improve your English writing skills is to practice your writing every day. Joining a discussion forum online regarding a topic you’re passionate about is an easy way to put you in an environment where you can do just that. Other simple tools that will help make sure you write every day is to start a diary of some sort or create a blog online.

Watch TV shows in English
Do you have a favorite British or American TV show? Why not watch your show in English! You could decide to watch one show every day at hulu.com. The great thing about the shows at Hulu is that you can decide to watch it with closed captions (text) which will help you understand the storyline and enjoy the show! This is a fun and often underrated way to improve your listening comprehension in English.

Learn complete English sentences
Students often go crazy with flash cards when practicing for the TOEFL. Being able to understand a text relatively fast is very important in both the Listening and Reading sections of the TOEFL test. One thing that can really slow you down is trying to understand a passage word by word. Another factor that makes this even more important is that the TOEFL is a timed test, which means that you might be in a time crunch to understand the content you are reading.

So when you are memorizing the meaning of English words make sure you are able to put them in a sentence within the right context. For example, instead of just memorizing the word “factor” think of sentences where the word can be used. For example “The wind was an important factor in today’s race.

Read your daily newspaper in English
Do you keep up with the news? How about only reading English newspapers until you take the TOEFL exam? By reading the news in English you will steadily improve your reading comprehension. Sites like CNN or Guardian serves as perfect free reading material.

Stop translating to your own language
When learning new words or when you find a sentence you don’t quite understand, make sure that you first try to figure it out in English. By translating words or sentences to your own language first you slow down your ability to comprehend information in English. It is very rare that students have extra time during the TOEFL test. If you don’t know a word, look at the context of the sentence and the words around it.

By following some of these tips you will improve your overall English skills and raise your TOEFL score in no time!