TOEIC Test Tips: 6 Points to Think of when Taking the TOEIC Exam

Today we are going to share a couple of TOEIC test tips that has been shared with us to share with our community.

Reading Comprehension: Pay attention for keywords to reveal themselves in the beginning of the text. Usually the first paragraph contains important key information that will help you answer the questions.

Another tip is to preview the questions before actually reading the text. By having an idea on what type of questions to expect, you’ll find some answers when reading the texts for the first time. This will save you time and give you a better understanding of the text.

Listening Comprehension: Be aware of the environment the listening part is taking place. For example same words can mean different things in different context.

Short Conversations: Do not panic if you miss a word or two, as long as you understand the big picture of the conversation you will be fine. Focus your attention on who is speaking, why are they speaking and what do they want?

Writing Section: Remember to write your answers in the format of Introduction, Body and Conclusion.

Speaking Section: Remember there is no right or wrong answer, they are looking at how well you speak on different subjects and how well you can express your thoughts. So relax and try to speak naturally.

How to Deal with Stress when Taking your Test

To be nervous before taking a test is normal, it’s actually a good thing. Scientists have proven that test takers generally do better when they are little nervous before their exam. However, there is also a negative impact of nervousness and stress when taking an exam especially if you let the stress control you and occupy your mind rather than focusing on the task at hand.

A key factor when it comes to reducing stress when taking a test is to get into a positive rhythm and sense of forward movement.

Students often come to us and explain that they underachieved on their test because they were so stressed throughout the exam. After asking the students a few questions we realized that 90% of these students had difficulties with the first question on the test. What was interesting is that instead of skipping the first question they panicked, wasted time, and got stuck on the first question.

So the first few questions are crucial to get into a positive flow. If you are stuck with a question in the beginning skip it and try to answer it later. If you have no clue what the answer is…guess! Remember there is still a chance that you will choose the right answer, so there is no need to panic if you are uncertain.

Another aspect that’s important for reducing stress when taking a test is to actually practice your test taking skills. Take your computer and go to a coffee shop a couple times before taking the exam. By taking practice tests in an environment where you have people around, you learn to focus on the questions rather than distractions around you.

Other small details to remember are, to leave early so you have plenty of time to get to the test center. If you are rushing to the test center you will definitely be stressed and speed through the test. Think of what you can achieve with a good score rather than thinking of failing. Do not try to cram a lot of information the night before taking the test, it’s better to just review a little and get a good night sleep.

There is no better help for stress when taking a test than being fully prepared. By taking practice tests and putting yourself in an environment which simulates the actual test, you will feel relaxed and ready to give it your best on the day of the exam.

TOEFL Speaking Tips & Tactics

Each question in the TOEFL speaking section gives you a score on a scale of 0 - 4. 4 being the highest score for a question and 0 the lowest score. However, the only way to get a zero is to not answer or to ignore the questions and give a response on a different topic. You can also get scores with decimals such as 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 etc.

When recording your answer it’s easy to focus on giving a perfect response but it’s important to remember that your answer does not have to be perfect, just logical and coherent.

You are allowed to make a few mistakes as long as they do not change the overall meaning of your point. The key is to keep calm and to not stress.

When recording your answer keep it simple. You do not want to take unnecessary risks when giving your answer.

Always be aware of how much time you have. For independent questions you have 45 seconds to give a response and for the integrated speaking question types you will have 60 seconds to response. Make sure that you do not go over the time limits.

It’s easy to circle around your main point but with time restrictions in place make sure you go straight to your point. Remember that it’s better to finish a couple seconds early than going over a couple seconds past the time.

During the integrated part of the TOEFL speaking section you should greatly rely on your notes. It’s important to have organized notes so your response can be well organized and comprehensible.

Record yourself speaking prior to taking the TOEFL and listen to yourself to determine if you speak clearly and concisely. You will be surprised on how much you can improve by repeating this procedure over and over again.

Practice makes perfect, so continue practicing! We hope that these TOEFL speaking tips & tactics gives you an additional boost to practice for the TOEFL test!

IELTS Test Format: Understanding the IELTS Exam

The IELTS test includes four different sections, in this post we are going to dig deeper into what to expect in the different sections of the IELTS exam. All test takers take the same speaking and listening section regardless if you are taking the academic or general training version of the IELTS.

Listening Section

The listening section of the IELTS consist of 40 questions, expect different kind of question types like multiple choice, matching, labeling etc. You receive 1 mark for each correct answer.

The listening part includes four different sections, where you will be listening to four different types of verbal communication. You will only be able to hear each part once.

  1. Conversation between two people or more
  2. Monologue (One person speaking)
  3. Conversation between a group (3 to 4 people)
  4. Monologue on an academic subject (lecture)

The listening part of the IELTS measures your listening comprehension of the main topic and information you have received.

Reading Section

The reading section gives you 60 minutes to answer 40 questions. Each correct answer gives you one mark. Like the listening section you can expect different types of questions like true/false, matching, sentence completion etc. There are 3 different sections included in the reading part and each text contains around 2500 words.

IELTS Academic Reading

Each section contains a long article. The article is usually an academic topic taken from journals, magazines, newspapers, and books.

IELTS General Training Reading

The first section includes between 2 to 3 short articles about general situations in an English speaking country.

The second section includes 2 short informational articles on a business related topic.

The third section includes a longer article on a complex issue.

The reading part measures your reading comprehension and ability to understand main ideas as well as implied meanings.

Speaking Section

The speaking section of the IELTS test takes between 11 to 14 minutes, it consist of a 3 part face to face interview with an examiner.

Part I: Introduction & Interview

You will be asked to introduce yourself and answer questions about personal matters.

Part II: Monologue

You will be given a task to talk about a specific topic, you will have 1 minute to prepare your speech. The examiner will ask you a couple of questions when you have finished your speech.

Part III: Discussion

You will be asked questions on the previous topic, and will discuss this topic with the examiner.

Your speaking test will be recorded.

Writing Section

The writing section includes 2 tasks; candidates are required to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2. You will have 60 minutes to complete the writing section.

IELTS Academic Writing

Task I: the test taker is asked to describe the data presented in a graph, chart or diagram.

Task I: the test taker is asked to write an opinion essay.

IELTS General Training Writing

Task I: the test taker is asked to write a letter based on a specific situation.

Task II: the test taker is asked to write an opinion essay.

International English Language Testing System

The IELTS tests your ability to communicate in English with focus on factors like, organization of ideas, ability to justify opinion, compare and contrast facts, and the accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar.

To learn more about the IELTS test format visit ielts.org which is the official website for the IELTS exam, to familiarize yourself with the IELTS test format and practice for the IELTS with click here.