The key to smashing any exam is knowing exactly what to expect before you go in; that way, you’ll have plenty of time to study and improve on the areas that need the most work. So, what can you expect when you walk into your TOEFL exam? What does it consist of?

READING: You will be tasked with reading at least 3 to 5 long passages, with questions about each of the passages. They are typically on academic topics and consist of the kind of material that may be found in any typical undergraduate university textbook.

You must answer various questions about the primary ideas, minor details, inferences, sentence restatements, sentence insertion, relevant vocabulary and function, including the overall ideas proposed in the passages.

There are new types of questions in the iBT that will require paraphrasing, completing summaries, and/or filling out tables of information.

Please rest assured that you won’t necessarily need prior knowledge of the subject under discussion in order to provide the correct answer (although it certainly helps). Typically speaking, these are simple subjects with a focus on how you formulate your answers.

At GK Consultants, we can take you through previous passages that have been used in these exams to give you an idea of what to expect – but more importantly, how to present your answers.

LISTENING: Next up, you will move onto the listening section of the exam. This consists of 6 long passages with questions relating to them. These passages will feature 2 students in conversation, and 4 academic lectures of discussions.

You will be required to answer questions about the conversations and lectures in order to determine what the main ideas were, any important details, function, stance, inferences, and the overall organization of the spoken passages.

As part of our TOEFL exam preparation service, we can go through previous exercises and help you gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence you need to complete the listening section of the test with total confidence.

SPEAKING: Following that, the speaking section begins. This consists of 4 tasks: 1 independent and 3 integrated.

•       (1) Independent task: you must answer a question by offering your own opinion on the subject matter.
•       (2) Integrated tasks: you will be required to read a passage and listen to another passage; then, speak about how both passages are related to one another.
•       (1) Integrated task: in the third and final integrated listening and speaking tasks, you’ll be required to listen to long passages, summarize them, and offer your own opinions on the information derived from said passages.

You will be expected to accurately convey information, explain your ideas coherently, and offer a clear defence of your opinions.

Again, we can help you to prepare by going over old material and refining your speaking and debating skills.

WRITING: finally, in the writing section of the TOEFL exam, there are 2 tasks: 1 integrated and 1 independent.

•       (1) Integrated task: in this task you will be required to read an academic passage and listen to another one; then, write about both passages and how they are related to one another.
•       (1) Independent task: in the independent task you will be required to write a personal essay.

GK Consultants can take you over old material, help improve your writing skills, and offer actionable tips that can help you score points when formulating your written responses.