Hi guys,

My TOEFL score was: 112(30, 28, 24, 30). Hope my story helps you in the test preparation.

The people at the test center were very nice; we had the opportunity to chat with each other, a little bit before going to the exam.

Listen to Rudranil's story for more on TOEFL

Reading: Within an hour, I had to read three texts of 700 words and answer 42 questions. Time-management, here, plays a major role. The questions are not direct, they are detailed and complicated. The best strategy is going question-by-question and reading only that part of the text which helps for the answer. While preparing for the reading part, get used to reading fast and make some guesses when not sure, then it’ll not be a problem. I scored a nice 30/30.

Listening: I thought that this section would be the easiest, but as always, reality is opposite to my expectations! You have to stay alert. You need to memorize and make inferences between what has been said. You are probably allowed to make some mistakes. I guessed a lot too, but I scored 28/30.

Speaking: My lowest score: 24/30. I was really disappointed about my performance in listening section. Maybe this is the reason I started speaking so badly. Made many pauses in between and used the wrong words. My advice for you is: Practice a lot for this section. However, this part may not be challenging, but you should be habituated to the test format.

Writing: You have some freedom here. Write as much as you can without worrying about the mistakes. I’m sure I made many, but I wrote 400 words in the first and 520 in the second essay. It was a wonder to me, even now. While practicing, the number of words did not cross 800 (including two essays). I guess when everyone around you is hitting on the keyboard, it motivates you. My score: 30/30.

I used the official guide to practice, which is enough for Reading and Listening sections. For the speaking part, I advise you to watch some videos on Youtube. There is no need of preparing for the Writing part, just write the essays with confidence.

Cheers,

Sebastian.

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