The stronger your study skills, and the better you understand learning strategies, the more you will get out of each skill-building chapter.. Chapter 6 provides general information about
Trang 1Building your English reading, writing, and listening skills is important, of course But before address-ing these specific skill sets, this book takes you through a review of basic study skills and learnaddress-ing strategies It also helps you prepare a detailed study plan The stronger your study skills, and the better you understand learning strategies, the more you will get out of each skill-building chapter
Each skill-building chapter of this book includes several practice exercises, and detailed answers and explanations are provided in Appendix A Appendix B offers an extensive list of resources to help you fur-ther strengthen your basic skills Chapter 6 provides general information about the TOEFL exam, including notes about registration and scoring
T h e T O E F L E x a m : W h a t t h e Te s t I s A b o u t
The TOEFL exam has four sections: Listening, Structure, Reading, and Writing The Listening section meas-ures your ability to understand English as spoken in North America If you have lived in an English-speak-ing country or region where the accent is different than you will find on the TOEFL exam, you may need to spend some extra time adjusting to the sound of American English The Structure section of the exam tests your knowledge of English grammar and usage, including topics such as verb tenses, idioms, and parallel structure The Reading section measures your ability to understand passages written in English You will be asked to identify the main idea, determine the meaning of vocabulary words, identify specific details, and draw inferences based upon the passage Finally, the Writing section will ask you to write a short essay on a
gen-eral topic A list of possible topics is included in the TOEFL® Computer-Based Test Information Bulletin and
online at www.toefl.org (For more information, see Chapters 5 and 6.)
BECAUSE test centers fill up quickly, you should begin the TOEFL exam registration process right away The first
step you need to take is to obtain the Bulletin If you have access to the Internet, the easiest way to get the
Bul-letin is to download it from www.toefl.org BulBul-letins for both the paper-based and the computer-based exams are
available on this site If you don’t have Internet access, you can get the Bulletin from an English language
cen-ter or the incen-ternational student office at the university to which you are applying.
You can also send a written request to:
TOEFL ® /TSE ® Services
P.O Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
USA
609-771-7100
Don’t Delay—Register Right Away
– I N T R O D U C T I O N –
x
Trang 2Why the TOEFL Exam? Why Me?
Proficiency in English is essential if you are to follow class discussions and complete the reading and writing assignments in most college classes In many courses, you may also be required to deliver oral presentations And if you are applying to a graduate program, you may be given a position as a teaching assistant, which means you will be expected to help undergraduate students with their schoolwork, instruct them, and grade their assignments In order to ensure that you can succeed even though you are not studying in your native language, and that you will be a competent teaching assistant if you are applying to graduate school, colleges and other institutions require you to take the TOEFL exam
The TOEFL exam is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS®), the organization that also administers other standardized tests, including the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT®) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE®) Even if you have lived in the United States or another English-speaking coun-try for several years, you still may be required to take the TOEFL exam if English is not your native language Don’t be offended—this may be of benefit to you because some schools will look at your verbal SAT score with kinder eyes if you have done well on the TOEFL exam Look at the TOEFL exam as an opportunity to learn English better if you don’t know it well, or to brush up on what you already know if you are already pro-ficient
Standardized Tests and Computer Skills
In July 1998, a computer-based version of the TOEFL exam was introduced, and the paper-based exam is rap-idly being phased out In addition to mastering the English language, students who plan to take the TOEFL exam should develop their standardized test-taking skills and basic computer skills In the United States, basic computer proficiency is assumed in college, and many of your assignments will require computer work Mul-tiple-choice tests are also common in college, especially in the first year when students attend introductory
or “core” classes that are required of all students Therefore, studying for the TOEFL exam will not only help you to increase your English proficiency, but it will also enable you to pick up other skills you will find use-ful in college
➧ In the school year 1999–2000, more than 477,245 people registered to take the paper-based TOEFL exam, and more than 348,417 people registered to take the computer-based exam.
➧ TOEFL exam scores are required for purposes of admission by more than 2,400 two- and four-year col-leges and universities in the United States and Canada.
➧ The TOEFL exam is also used by institutions in other countries where English is the language of instruction.
➧ Many government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing/certification agencies use TOEFL exam scores to evaluate English proficiency.
➧ Native speakers of 145 different languages have taken the TOEFL exam.
➧ Citizens of more than 220 countries and regions take the exam.
TOEFL Exam Facts
– I N T R O D U C T I O N –
x i
Trang 3Scoring on the TOEFL Exam
There is no single passing score on the TOEFL exam The institutions to which you are applying determine the minimum acceptable score However, some colleges provide ESOL (English as a Second or Other Lan-guage) classes If you score below what is required by the institution of your choice, you may be able to reg-ister for ESOL classes your first semester and continue to take other classes when you successfully complete the ESOL course Alternatively, you can take the TOEFL exam again, but one of the goals of this book is to prepare you to do your best and succeed the first time around
H o w t o U s e T h i s B o o k
Though each chapter of this book is an effective skill-builder on its own, you will get the most out of this book
by beginning with Chapter 1 and working through each chapter Some of the later chapters refer to ideas and information discussed in earlier parts of the book, so you may find it most effective to tackle Chapters 2–5
in order (you can read Chapter 6 separately at any time) However you proceed, read carefully, take good notes, and use your time wisely Remember that you are already on your way to success on the TOEFL exam
– I N T R O D U C T I O N –
x i i
Trang 4L e a r n i n g E x p r e s s ® ’ s
TOEFL ®
[Test of English as a Foreign Language™]
EXAM SUCCESS
In Only 6 Steps!
Trang 6JU L I O A N D OK S A N A will both be taking the TOEFL exam in a few weeks Their proficiency in
English is at nearly the same level They have both taken the practice exams in the TOEFL®
Infor-mation Bulletin However, Oksana has done a few things that Julio has not She has created a
study plan, determined her learning style, and reviewed test-taking strategies She has also been learning how
to relax so that she won’t be nervous during the exam Although Julio and Oksana have about the same Eng-lish skills, Oksana is likely to score much higher than Julio on the exam And for good reason: she is better prepared She knows what to expect on the test, how she learns best, and what she needs to study She has been following a study schedule, knows how to tackle multiple-choice questions, and knows how to calm her nerves
so she can do her best on the exam Obviously, you want to be prepared for the TOEFL exam—that’s why you bought this book But good preparation takes a lot more than just taking a practice exam or two That’s why this first chapter is all about study skills and test-taking strategies In this chapter, you will learn how to study, how to better learn and remember, and how to tackle standardized tests like the TOEFL exam
C H A P T E R
How to Prepare for the
TOEFL ® Exam
The TOEFL exam is an important test, so it’s important to be properly prepared The advice in this chapter will help you set up an effective learning environment and create a successful study plan You will also learn important study strategies and test-taking tips
1
1