As many of you know, I’ve been teaching the TOEFL test for about fifteen years now. This is what I have learned about students who are not getting their required score on the TOEFL test. If you keep spending big bucks on the TOEFL and are not seeing any improvement, then this blog is for you.
Here are the mistakes you are probably making:
5. You are not paying attention to grammar.
Believe it or not, some students think – and have told me – that grammar is not important on the TOEFL test. Of course, this is not true. It’s an English test, and grammar is very important. Without good grammar, what you are trying to say is very difficult to understand. What you write will not be coherent. Obviously, frequent grammar errors will lower your score in a big way. If you are a pharmacist who needs 26 or more on speaking and 24 on writing, it’s VERY important you do well on grammar. It could really hurt a patient, for instance, if your verb tenses are wrong. You cannot ignore or skip grammar and just speak or write and hope for the best.
Here is a grammar book I really like:
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Use-Book-Answers/dp/1108457657
4. You are not surrounding yourself in English.
The United States is a diverse country full of so many cultures. As a result, it’s easy for people to find others from their own country and stay in that community. For instance, many of my Spanish-speaking students choose to live in Miami and befriend other Spanish-speaking individuals. While this is understandable, it is NOT ideal for your English progress. You need to make friends who speak English, watch TV in English, speak English at work, and listen to English music. Keeping English as your primary language for daily use is essential for TOEFL success.
3. You do not know the format of the test.
Many students go to the test without being aware of the format, or even what happens in the speaking or writing sections. You should invest in the TOEFL Guide by ETS to understand the test. Do NOT be afraid to spend a little bit of money on this book. It will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. Here is a link to ETS materials:
https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/prepare.html
2. You take long breaks when you do not pass.
Students who do not pass often get discouraged and take a few months off studying, often returning to speaking in their mother tongue in their free time. This usually harms them a great deal and it takes them many months to return to readiness to take the TOEFL test. You must become like a TOEFL machine—unstoppable! Do not let one failure define you.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON YOU ARE NOT PASSING THE TOEFL TEST:
You are trying so hard to not spend any money, you do not get the help you need. I've heard it a hundred times – students take the test over and over again until they finally break down and hire a tutor. Often, students who come to me have taken the test over twenty times. They finally realize they need help and tell me that they wish they had hired me sooner.
Even worse, there are some students who refuse to even buy a TOEFL book. In today’s world, there are a lot of free resources, and that’s great. But there are also things you simply cannot get for free, like the most recent ETS books or specialized help from a HUMAN tutor. Save yourself a lot of time—and in the long run, money—by getting help and buying materials. You will make that money back and much, much more when you start working in your professional field.
As always, good luck with your test. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions for me.
[email protected]
Here are the mistakes you are probably making:
5. You are not paying attention to grammar.
Believe it or not, some students think – and have told me – that grammar is not important on the TOEFL test. Of course, this is not true. It’s an English test, and grammar is very important. Without good grammar, what you are trying to say is very difficult to understand. What you write will not be coherent. Obviously, frequent grammar errors will lower your score in a big way. If you are a pharmacist who needs 26 or more on speaking and 24 on writing, it’s VERY important you do well on grammar. It could really hurt a patient, for instance, if your verb tenses are wrong. You cannot ignore or skip grammar and just speak or write and hope for the best.
Here is a grammar book I really like:
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Use-Book-Answers/dp/1108457657
4. You are not surrounding yourself in English.
The United States is a diverse country full of so many cultures. As a result, it’s easy for people to find others from their own country and stay in that community. For instance, many of my Spanish-speaking students choose to live in Miami and befriend other Spanish-speaking individuals. While this is understandable, it is NOT ideal for your English progress. You need to make friends who speak English, watch TV in English, speak English at work, and listen to English music. Keeping English as your primary language for daily use is essential for TOEFL success.
3. You do not know the format of the test.
Many students go to the test without being aware of the format, or even what happens in the speaking or writing sections. You should invest in the TOEFL Guide by ETS to understand the test. Do NOT be afraid to spend a little bit of money on this book. It will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. Here is a link to ETS materials:
https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/prepare.html
2. You take long breaks when you do not pass.
Students who do not pass often get discouraged and take a few months off studying, often returning to speaking in their mother tongue in their free time. This usually harms them a great deal and it takes them many months to return to readiness to take the TOEFL test. You must become like a TOEFL machine—unstoppable! Do not let one failure define you.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON YOU ARE NOT PASSING THE TOEFL TEST:
You are trying so hard to not spend any money, you do not get the help you need. I've heard it a hundred times – students take the test over and over again until they finally break down and hire a tutor. Often, students who come to me have taken the test over twenty times. They finally realize they need help and tell me that they wish they had hired me sooner.
Even worse, there are some students who refuse to even buy a TOEFL book. In today’s world, there are a lot of free resources, and that’s great. But there are also things you simply cannot get for free, like the most recent ETS books or specialized help from a HUMAN tutor. Save yourself a lot of time—and in the long run, money—by getting help and buying materials. You will make that money back and much, much more when you start working in your professional field.
As always, good luck with your test. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions for me.
[email protected]
