Tadeu from Brazil took the TOEFL test and scored 109, Rafaat from Pakistan retake the TOEFL test and scored 104, and Kathy from Argentina scored 114 on her TOEFL test. Those who score more than 100 rank in the 10-20 percentile of all test takers, making them an elite group. But what makes your command of English so spectacular? I surveyed 14 examinees, all of whom got over 100 to see what makes them so special. A look at their prolonged exposure to the language, a regular routine of reading and listening practice, and limited explicit preparation for the TOEFL can shed light on why and how these test takers scored so high.
Long exposure to English
In the first place, a common point among the 14 examinees surveyed is the length of exposure they had to the English language. In all cases, these examinees reported that they had used the language for more than ten years. In fact, although English was not their mother tongue, they regularly spoke it at home with their parents and siblings. 80% of these examinees reported that at least one or both parents had previously studied English and attended an American university for undergraduate or graduate studies.
Regular reading and listening practice
Second, these high-scoring test takers had also engaged in a regular routine of reading and listening to English for several years prior to the time they took the TOEFL test. For example, over a three-year period, Tadeu read the entire Harry Potter book series, Rafaat read English newspapers while riding the subway for two and a half years, and Kathryn read half a dozen John Grisham fiction books, which he specialized in writing dramatic stories. about lawyers.
Additionally, these TOEFL students had extensive listening practice with websites such as National Public Radio Y Ted speaks and they watched movies for years, which, in addition to helping them develop advanced listening comprehension, helped these examinees to speak more competently with a high intelligibility rate. For example, Teresa, who scored 109, said she had watched popular TV shows like Breaking bad, american idol, Y The good wife. Consequently, he can understand practically everything that is said and spoken to him as a near-native English speaker.
Limited Explicit TOEFL Preparation
The final similarity between these test takers is the limited time they spent explicitly preparing for the TOEFL test. It seems hard to believe, but these 14 test takers reported that they had studied TOEFL for just 3 to 8 weeks. In Tadeu’s case, she had studied for three weeks, but Rafaat, who said he had to solve some problems in speaking and writing, had studied TOEFL for 2 months. During their short period of preparation for the TOEFL, these test takers learned about the format of the reading, listening, speaking and writing sections of the test and learned strategies for taking the test. Many of them purchased TOEFL materials directly from the Educational Testing Service. Once these test takers became familiar with the TOEFL test structure and presentation strategies, used their existing English skills, took the test, and scored over 100.
In short, prolonged exposure to English dramatically affects the TOEFL score. Explicit preparation for the TOEFL is beneficial to some extent in that it helps the individual to get used to the structure of the test and to develop strategies for taking the test.
