Name: Watch before you take TOEFL in 2025 | Top strategies
Uploaded: 2025-05-07T03:39:27.000Z
Duration: 11 min 59 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

If you're taking TOEFL this year, I'm here to help you.

I did the home test, and I did the testing center version.

And in this video, I'll walk you through the structure of the test, explain the different formats, share tips for each section, and give you the best ways to prepare.

So first of all, TOEFL is divided into four sections, reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

The entire test takes less than two hours to complete.

But these two hours are gonna be really intense.

So really, the first skill you need to learn is how to focus.

When something's going on, your thoughts wander, like, either learn to meditate or take as many tests as possible.

Your English could be perfect, but if you start thinking about other things, you will lose focus, you will miss important things, and you can really fail because of that.

Now, once you've focused, let's talk about the sections.

Reading, you will read two passages and answer 10 questions per passage.

To do well, practice skimming to find key information quickly.

And this is also where your focusing skills need to shine.

Then comes the listening part, which, again, requires a lot of your focus and attention.

You will listen to lectures, conversations, and then answer questions about what you heard.

So in the reading section, you can always go back to the text to answer the question.

In the listening section, there is no such option.

This means that taking good notes is super important.

The more details you capture in your notes, the higher the chances of answering all the questions correctly.

If you struggle with note-taking, we have a course where we not only go over lectures and conversations with you, we show you effective note-taking strategies because it's really an art.

For me, it's, I love to chat, as you can tell.

There are four speaking tasks where you will express your opinion, summarize information, and respond to a discussion.

You need to structure your answers clearly and use examples to support your points.

Speak at a natural pace, as if talking to a friend.

There are two writing tasks, the integrated essay where you summarize a lecture and a reading passage, and the writing for an academic discussion task where you should write at least 100 words on a given topic.

Focus on organizing your ideas clearly and using linking words to connect your thoughts smoothly.

The test is computer-based, and you can take a test at a test center or from home if you choose the TOEFL iBT Home Edition.

I prefer the second format just because when I was taking my test at the testing center there were, first of all, other people, and when the speaking part started, oh my God, it was so distracting because everyone started chatting at the same time.

And also when you're trying to focus on reading, people are still entering classes, they're still asking questions.

So for me, the home version is the best, but make sure everyone's out of the house.

If you decide to take your TOEFL at a test center, you will take the test on a computer in an official testing location.

This is a good option if you prefer a controlled environment without distractions that come from your family.

You can stay focused and avoid potential technical issues that might arise at home because in the testing center, they will take care of your computer when it freezes or if something goes wrong with the software, they're gonna take care of it.

If you're taking the test from home, you have a live proctor monitoring you.

You'll need a quiet room, a stable, very stable internet connection, and a webcam.

For that type of test, you don't have to travel, but you also have to ensure, like for example, they ask you to lift your camera and show what's in your room, and my camera was basically built in my computer, so I had to lift my computer and show everything in my room.

So there are minor disadvantages to the home test as well.

Both formats have the same structure, questions, and scoring, so choose the one that suits you the best.

Okay, now let me give you some tips regarding each section.

Start with the questions, not the passage.

Many test takers waste time reading the entire passage before looking at the questions.

Instead, scan the questions first to understand what you need to find.

This approach helps you stay focused and prevents unnecessary reading.

Once you see a question, locate the relevant section in the passage and read just enough to answer it correctly.

This method saves time and keeps you from getting overwhelmed with details.

Tip number two, eliminate wrong answers first.

If you're unsure about a question, use the process of elimination.

The TOEFL often includes at least two incorrect answers, and they're clearly incorrect and unrelated to the passage.

Cross these out first, and then focus on choosing the best option from the remaining choices.

Example, if the passage says, polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt seals, but an answer choice says, polar bears hunt seals on land, you can eliminate this one immediately.

Tip number three, don't get stuck on difficult questions.

If you spend too much time on one challenging question, you might not have enough time to finish the entire section, and this could hurt your score because you'll end up guessing or skipping questions at the end.

If you like the way I communicate with you, if you like the tips that I'm giving, we have the whole TOEFL prep course, and it has everything you need to nail the test.

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The course is well-structured and provides important tips and tricks to score better on TOEFL IBT.

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Noticing the speaker's tone and attitude help you understand their intent.

So pay attention to how they feel, whether they sound excited, uncertain, frustrated or happy.

Practice picking up on small hints in their voice that show their attitude.

Take notes on main ideas and key details.

Since you can't replay the audio, effective note-taking, as I said, is really everything.

Focus on writing down key points, such as main ideas, supporting details, and any changes in the speaker's opinion.

After the lecture or conversation, your notes should help you recall important details quickly.

Terms like electives, residence halls, accommodation, freshmen, and so on, they come up very frequently in conversations between students and professors.

Knowing these words will help you understand discussions about student life, courses, and university policies.

If you're unfamiliar with these terms, it can be hard to follow along and you might miss important details.

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Watch before you take TOEFL in 2025 | Top strategies

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