Things to Think of when Studying for your English Language Proficiency Exam

Are you about to take an English language proficiency exam? Regardless if it is TOEFL, TOEIC or the IELTS test, the key to maximize your score is to prepare for the test efficiently and with a purpose.

You should have a clear schedule on what to study for and which specefic areas to focus on. By having a study schedule you avoid panicking the days before taking the test and cramming the night before your exam. We have all been there, the panic and anxiety the night before a big exam. Studying a little every day will help you avoid those feelins and prepare effectively without becoming overwhelmed with information (cramming).

There are cases when students actually don’t need to study for their English language proficiency exam. If you feel like you are fluent and could pass as a native speaker you might not need to study. However, we always recommend that every student should at least take a practice test before deciding to skip studying. By taking the practice test you will, 1. Know what level the language exam is and 2. Learn what the format of the test is.

Before you start preparing for your exam you should be aware of how much time you have available to study for the test. Different students need different amount of time to best prepare for their test. If you have good background knowledge of the English language we recommend you give yourself at least one month to study. If you feel a bit more insecure with your English language skills, you should give yourself at least two months of preparation time.

A key factor when studying for your exam is to know what your weaknesses and strengths are. Give yourself plenty of time to study on sections you are struggling with. By focusing on improving your weaknesses you’re exam score will increase noticeable.

When taking practice tests always analyze the questions you missed and review your mistakes. It’s easy to just read prep books and expect to be prepared for your test but remember that the best way to prepare for your exam is to take actual practice tests. By taking practice tests you will learn how to apply what you have learned.

Always keep yourself disciplined and on track with your studying. A good way to keep yourself on point is to have an outlined schedule that you check off every time a day of study session is complete. Always keep in mind of the big picture and end goal. Thinking about your goal helps you remember why it’s important to stick with your study schedule.

The Night Before the Exam

Many students panic the day before their exam and start cramming the night before. However, if you have followed a study plan and studied a little bit every day there is no need for panicking. Instead get a good night’s sleep, and have a healthy breakfast in the morning.

Five Tips on How to Improve your English for Business

There are many reasons why you might want to brush up on your English for business. In this week's post, we are going to share few tips on how to improve your English for business. By applying these exercises you will see an improvement in your comprehension and vocabulary.

1, Try to incorporate English in your daily habits, such as reading the news or visiting business websites like the WSJ in English on a daily basis. The key to improve at a quicker pace is to write down words you don’t understand and looking up the definition of the words.

2, In the past, we have recommended watching TV shows and movies that apply to Business English. What’s even better is to watch movies and TV shows with English subtitles as well as English speaking. This helps you learn how to pronounce specific words. Choose movies or TV shows that have a business or political topic to learn the language and terms used in the business world. Some recommended TV shows are: mad men, the west wing, and the newsroom.

3, Set clear goals for yourself, for example you might want to learn at least 10 new words a day. A good way to accomplish this is to review your notes of the words you didn't understand from reading the business news. Try to review the words in your notepad before going to bed and you will improve your vocabulary in no time!

4, Always try to practice speaking out loud as often as possible when learning new vocabulary words. A good exercise is to record saying a common business phrase and than compare it to how a native speaking person would say the phrase. A couple of common business phrases include, “I just wanted to give you a heads up about the meeting next Wednesday” or “there are a lot of regulatory industries that audit us on a regular basis. It's important that we do everything by the book”.

5. The fastest and most affective way to improve your English for business is to put yourself in real life business situations that require you to communicate in English. Traveling to an English-speaking country where you have to speak English is a great way to do this but this just isn’t possible for everyone. The next best thing is to join an online interactive community that focuses on a Business English topic.

Improve your IELTS Listening Skills

ePrepz has a few posts about different aspects of IELTS test. If you are facing a specific IELTS challenge, I highly recommend you browse our IELTS tips section. This post will focus on how to improve your IELTS listening skills.

Learn how to interpret tones and sentence transition. The tone of the voice can determine a lot on what the speaker is trying to share. Be aware of the attitude of the speaker or the people in the conversation.

Focus on improving your comprehension of different sounds in English. For example, listen to a song and really focus on trying to hear the lyrics. A good exercise is to try writing down the lyrics of the song while it’s playing and then comparing it with the actual lyrics. This also works well with speeches if you’re able to listen to the transcript while writing down the speech. Check out tedtalk to listen to speeches and lectures in English.

If you continue to practice these exercises you will notice a difference when listening to someone speak in English. Everything will sound clearer and also make sense.

These exercises will also improve your ability to take notes and keep pace with what you hear. When taking the IELTS listening test half the battle is to keep up with the speed of the recording. A useful tip is to always make sure you read the question before you start listening, remember you only get to hear the recording once.

There might be occasions when you don't know the meaning of the some keywords you are listening to. You always can try to figure it out by looking at what else the speaker says, meaning the context surrounding the word.

Make sure you are aware of how much time you spend on each question, click here to learn more about the IELTS listening format.

TOEFL Score Range for the Different Versions of the TOEFL Test

Different versions of the TOEFL test have different score range, in today’s we post we are going to review the score range for all versions of the TOEFL exam. Remember that there is no pass or fail score on the TOEFL test but rather an estimate of your English language comprehension.

TOEFL iBT Score Range
Reading Section: 0-30
Listening Section: 0-30
Speaking Section: 0-4 Converted to 0-30 scale
Writing Section: 0-5 Converted to 0-30 scale
Total: 0-120

Learn more about the TOEFL iBT Test Format

TOEFL PBT Score Range
Listening Section: 31-68
Structure/ Written Expression: 31-68
Reading Section: 31-67
Total: 310-677

TOEFL ITP Score Range
TOEFL ITP Level I
Listening Section: 31-68
Structure/Written Expression: 31-68
Reading Section: 31-67
Total: 310-677

TOEFL ITP Level II
Listening Section: 20-50
Structure/Written Expression: 20-50
Reading/Vocabulary: 20-50
Total: 200-500

Learn more about the TOEFL ITP Test

TOEFL Junior Score Range
Listening Section: 200-300
Language Form/Meaning: 200-300
Reading Section: 200-300
Total Score: 600-900

Source: https://www.ets.org/toefl

13 TOEIC Study Tips to Help you Practice for the TOEIC Test

People that succeed with TOEIC do two things very well: First, they identify what they need to improve before taking the test. Second, they put their focus on studying with a clear objective in mind.

For a full time working professional or people with kids, preparing for the TOEIC can be an inconvenience. Everybody has different schedules and time constraints however it’s imperative that when preparing for the TOEIC that you get some practice in everyday. Twenty minutes a day can be enough if you are organized and study with a purpose in mind. You ready? Let’s do this.

Before you start preparing for the TOEIC test you need to figure out what you should focus on. Do you need to focus on your general English comprehension or TOEIC test taking skills? If you already have decent English knowledge your focus should be on the test. If you are struggling with understanding and communicating in English maybe your focus should be on improving your basic knowledge of English.

Consider the time frame and the amount of time you can dedicate to studying for the test. To really improve your test taking skills you will need at least one month of preparation before taking the test. If you would like to improve your overall English language comprehension you will have to plan to study at least a few months before taking the test.

Take practice tests so you know what section you should concentrate your time on. Maybe you’re good at reading comprehension but not as well at listening comprehension. By improving your weaknesses you will utilize your study time as well see an improvement in your TOEIC score.

Students often read a TOEIC preparation book and expect to be ready for the test however it’s useless if you don’t actually practice what the book is teaching. You learn by applying what you have read with practice tests and exercises. Review your mistakes and analyze why you missed the question. By practicing and correcting your mistakes you will improve at a rapid pace.

Have a clear schedule and structure in place. Keep yourself on track and apply different small goals to reach when studying. Keep your eyes on the prize, which is a great TOEIC score!

TOEIC Practice Tips
Reading Comprehension
Read passages and write down unfamiliar words.
Take practice tests for the TOEIC reading section
Review your practice test and analyze the questions you answered incorrectly

Speaking
Answer a few TOEIC speaking questions on your phone
Listen to your speaking answers and take notes on your strengths and weaknesses
Listen to a short speech by a native speaker, try to mirror his speech and compare your speech with the original

Writing
Write a short essay on a topic you are interested in or join a forum that discusses something you are interested in
Write an essay based on TOEIC question
Write a short essay based on a speech from YouTube

Listening Comprehension
Watch a movies/ TV shows in English and review it
Do practice tests for the TOEIC listening section
Listen to songs while reading the lyrics
Listen to a speech on YouTube and take notes of the speech, write down unfamiliar words.

These are a few easy way’s you can study for the TOEIC test.

However keep in mind that the best way to practice for the TOEIC is to actually take practice tests and exercises that are based on the TOEIC test.