How to score 30/30 on the TOEFL Reading: 10 Crucial Tips

Summary

In this video, Anastasia shares her top 10 tips for acing the TOEFL Reading section. She emphasizes strategies such as skipping the entire passage and diving directly into the questions, improving vocabulary, practicing active reading, and mastering techniques like skimming, scanning, and close reading. Time management, guessing the meaning of unknown words from context, and familiarizing yourself with different question types are also crucial. Anastasia advises practicing with various test platforms, reviewing mistakes, and consistently preparing for the test to boost your TOEFL Reading score. Her tips help students navigate the test more efficiently and effectively.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on answering questions first, instead of reading the entire passage to save time.
• 😀 💡 Expanding your vocabulary is essential for better understanding passages and answering questions accurately.
• 😀 📚 Practice active reading by underlining new words, looking up definitions, and using synonyms to retain new vocabulary.
• 😀 ⏳ Master skimming, scanning, and close reading to improve both speed and comprehension during the test.
• 😀 🧐 Pay attention to keywords and synonyms in questions and passages to identify correct answers quickly.
• 😀 🕒 Manage your time wisely by not spending too much time on any single question—mark and revisit difficult questions.
• 😀 🤔 When encountering unfamiliar words, try to guess their meaning from the context of the passage.
• 😀 📝 Familiarize yourself with the different question types and develop strategies for answering them efficiently.
• 😀 🔁 Practice with a variety of test resources to ensure well-rounded preparation and avoid over-relying on a single platform.
• 😀 🔍 Review and learn from your mistakes after each practice test to improve continuously and avoid repeating errors.

Q & A

What is the most difficult part of the TOEFL test for many students?

The speaking section is often considered the most difficult part of the TOEFL test.

Why do some students struggle with the reading section of the TOEFL?

Students struggle with the TOEFL reading section due to difficulty in getting the required score, trouble completing all questions on time, and not understanding the academic vocabulary used in the passages.

How should you approach the TOEFL reading section to save time?

Instead of reading the entire passage, start by reading the title to get the main idea and then dive straight into the questions. This allows you to answer questions quickly and efficiently.

Why is vocabulary important for succeeding in the TOEFL reading section?

Vocabulary is crucial because it not only helps you answer vocabulary-based questions more effectively but also helps you understand the passages better, making it easier to find the correct answers.

What is active reading, and how can it help in TOEFL preparation?

Active reading involves underlining unfamiliar words, looking up their meanings, writing down synonyms, and creating sample sentences. This helps you expand your vocabulary, especially for academic topics covered in TOEFL passages.

What are the three key reading skills to master for the TOEFL?

The three key reading skills are skimming (quickly getting the main idea), scanning (looking for specific information), and close reading (carefully analyzing a sentence or paragraph to understand its meaning).

Why should you focus on keywords and synonyms when answering TOEFL reading questions?

Focusing on keywords and synonyms is essential because many TOEFL reading questions require identifying key concepts and finding equivalent expressions in the text. This helps save time and ensures accuracy.

How can you manage your time effectively during the TOEFL reading section?

To manage time effectively, don't spend too much time on any single question. If you're unsure about an answer, mark it and move on to other questions, returning later if needed.

What should you do if you come across a word in the TOEFL reading section that you don't know?

If you encounter an unfamiliar word, don't panic. Focus on understanding the words you do know and try to infer the meaning of unknown words based on the context of the passage.

Why is it important to familiarize yourself with different question types in the TOEFL reading section?

Familiarizing yourself with different question types allows you to approach each question strategically, saving time and ensuring that you answer efficiently without needing to read instructions for every question.