TOEFL – READING COMPREHENSION TIPS!

 TOEFL – READING COMPREHENSION TIPS!

The first Section that you will have in TOEFL iBT exam is the Reading Section. The Reading Section of TOEL iBT measures your ability to read and apprehend academic based passages in English. You have to have a strong and effective Reading Skills that will help you achieve high Score in the Reading Sectopn. As we discussed in our previous TOEFL iBT Format Blog; with its 4 Sectional division of Reading, Listening, Speaking & Writing, in my TODAYS BLOG, we will be learning about the 1^st Section of READING SKILLS & its STRATEGIES.

There are 3 main purposes for Academic Reading in TOEFL iBT:

1. Reading to find related information

2.Understanding the Basic comprehension

3. Reading to learn

The Reading Section in TOEFL iBT consists of 3-5 Passages; each Passage is about 500-700 words long. Each Reading passage is followed by 12 – 14 questions related to the passage. The complete time frame for the reading Section is 60 – 80 Minutes, depending on the number of passages appear.

The total time dedicated to all the passage is for 60 -80 minutes for reading and answering the questions, this time as mention varies depending on the number of Passages that appear going up to maximum of 80 Minutes. The system will automatically stop you after the time ends, so you must be very attentive on the time. Thus, you must be not only good at reading and grasping the details of the passage but also pretty quickly in it.

 10 Strategies for Reading Comprehension:

1) When you have at least 3 month in hand: I suggest you Read, Read & Read a lot. Keep a regular habit of reading English Newspaper that will particularly enhance your reading skills. Emphasis on academic based reading particularly, from university textbooks or other materials. Don’t just read on topics that interest you. Your Reading Comprehension passage comes from wide range of Topics, Therefore, expand your reading topics, whether is suits your interests of NOT, whether its boring or interesting, make it a point that you read from different subjects & topics like History, Arts, Sociology, science, Finance, Social science, Business journals, Archeology, Geography, Economics, and any others. Academic texts, apart from textbooks, these could be found in variety of articles in various Publications like Nat Geo Magazines etc. and academic publications Or on the Internet or your university libraries.

2) Strengthen your vocabulary: When reading any topic on different subjects you should make your own set of vocabulary. Improve your vocabulary by starting with Root Prefixes & Suffixes first, have a grip over your Root Words, the origin of these words, this you will find in my previous Blog on VOCABULARY. Then make separate list, organize your list in topics for better results may be alphabetically. Study through Flash cards, there are lots of flashcards available by various publications like Barron’s, Kaplan & Princton, study them when you are travelling in Train, Bus, Or Car make best use of your travel time. Or you can make your own flashcards to help you learn those set of Vocabulary. Use the words learned in your writings and speaking section of your TOEFL / SAT / GRE OR GMAT.

3) Take rough notes: You are provided with a rough sheet to take notes on them, make full use of it – take notes on that paper. It is an absolute essential element, as it’s difficult to remember all facts and details from a reading text in order to answer the questions. You don’t want to waste your time in searching details over & over again in the passage. So, the best thing to do is to keep taking note with line numbers for reference. While skimming and reading the texts you should jot down all key facts and details so find them when, you need them.

4) Skim the Passage: Skimming is reading the passage in about 30 seconds, just an over all look on the passage. Skimming means having a quickly glance of the Passage to obtain very first idea / imprint on what the passage is about, or get a rough idea of what is its main idea of it. Train yourself to skim quickly through the passage, without wasting much of your time and by identifying the main point & key words in the passage. Taking notes will help you sail through this.

5)  Read Passage after skimming : Once your skimming is done, read the Passage carefully looking for details & facts. Look for key words & Phrases mentioned in the passage. Particularly the 3 Major types of transition Words: Connection, Progression & Contradiction, along with them look for Phrases, idioms and Adjective words. It will enlighten you with author’s opinion and point of view. As only skimming is not enough. Reading it more carefully, but don’t forget you do not have much time. Keep taking notes; make it a habit whenever you solve any practice test. You need to understand the ClassificationOR Types of Passages like – classification, Rhetorical Type, Cause & effect, Persuasive, Factual Type, Detailed type, compare or contrast, Narrative, Problem OR solution, Sarcastic Type, etc.

6) Make an intelligent guess the word meaning: Use your knowledge of Prefixes, Root & Suffixes in order to identify the meaning of the word from the passages; refer to its context to get the over all meaning of it. Guessing the words from the context is very easy, as it must not be a dictionary meaning. You save on time and it its very quick.

7)  Practice, Practice & Practice a lot: Practicing in a proper exam environment will help you deal with exam pressure better. Try to take a minimum of 5 Full-length Test before your main TOEFL Exam. You need to always remember that TOEFL is a standardized test. This means it always follows the same format. Keep practicing tests to familiarize yourself with the format and testing conditions and keeping track of your time.

There are lots of Free Online Testing site to help you attain good score in respective sections like:

1) http://www.testden.com/challenge/free-toefl.asp

2) http://www.4tests.com/toefl

8)  Remember: That all the answer are present in the Passage, you are not expected to answer from your opinion. Through the Reading Comprehension it tests your ability to understand and comprehend ideas related to the passage. Hence focus on reading & cognizing the over all idea of the passage.

9) As discussed earlier understand and keep taking note with line numbers so you can quickly reach that part, Note down the Main Topic or its Main idea and the Key words / points or Phrases when reading the passages, and use your notes for answering the questions.

10) Read the questions careful, remember if you interpret the meaning of the question wrong, you will choose a wrong answer, so be careful! However, remember that the answer to all the questions are in the information provided in the passages itself. Try to answer these questions using what you have understood from the read passages.

If you want to get a superb score in the TOEFL Reading Section my advice – Keep Practicing!

ALL THE BEST for your TOEFL EXAM !!

See you in my next Blog on the Different TYPES of QUESTION & and its approach, under the TOEFL READING SECTION, which will help you score high in READING PASSAGES.

Till then Adios mi amigos !! 😀

Shraddha

FACT SEMINAR in APRIL!

Hi Everyone!

MISSED the SEMINAR ??  NO Worries… Call on the respective Office to Meet the COUNSELLORS, One on One, for Expert Guidance ON YOUR CAREER!  OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE on F.A.C.T. !

Careers after 12th & Diploma are getting increasingly “UNCERTAIN” in India. Every year, lacs of students appear for IIT-JEE, AIEEE and the state CETs. A Seminar by well known Career Advisor Mr.Sunil Shah who guided more that 10,000 + students to study abroad ranging from HSC to Ph.D.

We are very pleased to say that the dates for our Seminar for X , XII & Diploma students in the month of April 2014 are as follows:

PLACE – DATE    –  DAY  –   SEMINAR TIMING         – PHONE No.
Thane – 05 April’14 – SAT – 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm    – Call on  025397777
Dadar – 05 April’14 – SAT – 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm    – Call on  024170056
Borivali – 05 April’14 – SAT – 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm  – Call on  028984773
Vashi – 06 April’14 – SUN – 10:00 am to 12.00 pm – Call on 065224435

Its always better to take a Professional Guidance before starting thing on your own, it give you a clear picture of the Process!

So, complete your online Registration soon & for more details about the event and happenings at respective days, Visit us on http://www.gurukulonweb.com/hsc.html Or CALL US on the ABOVE  RESPECTIVE Nos.

 

 See you soon then! 🙂

 

TOEFL Registrations!

Hello Every one ,

Today I thought that I we will discuss about TOEFL iBT and how to go about its registration details.

TOEFL is conducted by ets.org

I have always been asked by students about  its registration & University unloading details, so i thought to hare it with all of you.

TOEFL is abbreviation for Test of English as a Foreign Language. It’s international test conducted by ETS that is Educational Testing Service. The TOEFL Exam is compulsory for students who come from Non – English Background, i.e. If you do not come from a country where English is NOT you 1st Language then you are required to take the TOEFL Exam. This exam basically conducted to estimate a level of English language of foreigner speakers. Many university need students to take and pass TOEFL with Minimum requirement of 85+ to enter students to there Masters or Undergraduate Programs. TOEFL is accepted in more than 300 Universities in USA and Canada; and more than 150 world countries accept TOEFL certificates. TOEFL certificates can be accepted even in UK. If you are planning early to start preparing for higher education , you can take TOEFL Exam as its Valid for 2 Years and the registration Fees changes as per your area you leave, like TOEFL Fees in INDIA is $ 165 and UAE $ 235. 

TOEFL iBT Test has four sections consisting the 4 division of English language skills like of Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. It is approximately 4 hours long, with an obligatory 10-minute break after the Listening section.

At FACT we train you to prepare you for these specific section with online tests & evaluation of every test that you take.

TOEFL iBT Test is approximately 4 hours long

‘TOEFL iBT Test is for 4 hours long so be prepared to sit that long’

 

Scoring On The TOEFL iBT Test – The TOEFL score report will show:

1. Separate Score of 0 to 30 for each of the Four Sections of the language skills
2. Total test score of 0 to 120

Uploading Of your Universities: You can upload the names of 4 Universities for FREE, under the Test Services in your Account, but this should be done BEFORE the Exam , as after the exam you pay  $18 for each university you upload.

For more information: Visit the official website: www.ets.org/toefl

There are various books available to prepare yourself or TOEFL like …

Will meet next time with Tips for every section of TOEFL, till then adios… 🙂

Byeee… All the best!

Testimonials – What Students have to say about us!

Study effectively for Gre,Gmat,Sat,Ielts,Toefl.

1. Prepare blocks of study time and break:
As your tests are approaching develop and plan for, blocks of study time in a typical week. Blocks ideally are around 50 minutes, but perhaps you become restless after only 30 minutes. Some difficult material may require more frequent breaks. Shorten your study blocks if necessary—but don’t forget to return to the task at hand! What you do during your break should give you an opportunity to have a snack, relax, or otherwise refresh or re-energize yourself. For example, place blocks of time when you are most productive: are you a morning person or a night owl?

2. Dedicated study spaces:
Determine a place free from distraction (no cell phone or text messaging!) where you can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies can bring! You should also have a back-up space that you can escape to, like the library, departmental study center, even a coffee shop where you can be anonymous. A change of venue may also bring extra resources.

3. Weekly reviews:
Weekly reviews and updates are also an important strategy. Each week, like a Sunday night, review your words, your notes, your calendar. Be mindful that as deadlines and exams approach, your weekly routine must adapt to them!

4. Prioritize your assignments:
When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject or task. You’ll be fresh, and have more energy to take them on when you are at your best. For more difficult courses of study, try to be flexible.

5. Postpone unnecessary activities until the work is done!
Postpone tasks or routines that can be put off until your school work is finished! This can be the most difficult challenge. Distracting activities will be more enjoyable later without the pressure of the test, assignment, etc. hanging over your head. Think in terms of pride of accomplishment. Instead of saying “no” learn to say “later”.

6. Identify resources to help you

Are there tutors? An “expert friend”? Have you tried a keyword search on the Internet to get better explanations? Are there specialists in the library that can point you to resources? What about professionals and professional organizations. Using outside resources can save you time and energy, and solve problems.

7. Use your free time wisely

Think of times when you can study “bits” as when walking, riding the bus, etc. Perhaps you’ve got music to listen to for your course in music appreciation, or drills in language learning? If you are walking or biking to school, when best to listen? Perhaps you are in a line waiting? Perfect for routine tasks like flash cards, or if you can concentrate, to read or review a chapter. The bottom line is to put your time to good use.

8. Review notes and readings just before class
This may prompt a question or two about something you don’t quite understand, to ask about in class, or after. It also demonstrates to your teacher that you are interested and have prepared.

9. Review lecture notes just after class
Then review lecture material immediately after class.
The first 24 hours are critical. Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review!

Conquer Those Fears for the exams.

Many students ask me: “Sir, I am a student from vernacular medium. Will I be able to score good in SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL or IELTS?” Another question is posed to me very frequently: “Sir, I am very weak at mathematics. Should I prepare for SAT, GRE or GMAT?” My simple answer to these questions is: “If you ask me WHETHER, I will not be interested. But if you ask me HOW, I will be more than eager to put extra efforts so that you may overcome this hurdle.”
I am not saying that these questions are irrelevant. On the contrary, these are very important questions. But, should one give up the idea of going abroad for higher studies just because his/her first language is not English or he/she is not comfortable with mathematics? Any one has to put some efforts for the tests discussed above. And the students who are weaker than average, will have to put some extra efforts. But yes, it is possible for a student, who is below average, to score equally good. Period.
But it is equally true that one has to work in a planned way in order to score high. Reading standard English i.e. editorials of good newspapers,magazines,etc. is very important if one wants to score good in verbal section. Brushing up one’s grammar also will help a lot. In addition to this, one should watch some good news channels like CNN or BBC on a regular basis. As far as mathematics is concerned, it is not very difficult. But it is tricky. In other words, it is not so difficult that one should get disheartened and it is not so easy that one should ignore it. Like verbal section, mathematics also requires a lot of practice. Hence, studying high school books is very important. But one has to be very specific and should study only relevant portions. Otherwise, a lot of time and energy will be wasted. Keeping time limit in mind, learning short cuts also is necessary.
Having made proper strategies, one should start implementing them immediately. Because an ounce of action is far better than a ton of planning. I would like to quote a famous saying in this context, “An action without vision is a waste of time. And a vision without action is day-dreaming.” In other words, the weaker students will have to do more thorough planning. And not only planning, but more proper execution also is required. So, do not kill your dreams, execute them
The students from vernacular medium have little problem in grammar. But they may face problems in sentence formation or conversation. To overcome these problems, they should read as much as possible. Taking help of print and electronic media is very helpful. If they study with a right and aggressive approach (not physically please) and are regular, they can do as good as convent educated students, and in some cases, even better.Hence, overcome your mental hurdles and start practicing now.