Claudia’s TOEFL Prep Tips
Claudia is a Brazilian student who scored super-well on the TOEFL (113 overall) the first time she took it. Despite a busy job and family life (she’s a wife and mother of three sons), Claudia managed to consistently work on her English with spectacular results. So how did she do it? Here’s a Q & A with Claudia.
What was your overall approach to preparing for TOEFL?
When students are preparing for the TOEFL, it is important that they immerse themselves as much as possible in the English language. Listen to American audiobooks, podcasts, and YouTube channels, watch American movies and TV shows, and even have their GPS talk to them in English (I learned a lot about directions in English with the Google Maps app). Also, they should try to speak with a native speaker at least half an hour every day.
Any more specifics for listening?
I am hooked on audiobooks. I believe this is the easiest and most effective way to learn new words, improve pronunciation, and get familiar with the rhythm of the language. I like to run, and I used to run listening to audiobooks in English instead of music. I listened to all the books by the young adult writer, Stephanie Meyers (Twilight, Dusk, Dawn, The Chemist, etc.), because her stories are captivating, and the English is easy to understand. I also listened to the last audiobook by Hillary Clinton, What Happened, because it is read by her and her rhythm and intonation are perfect.
How about podcasts and channels?
I would recommend subscribing to many English podcasts (I love All Ears English!) and YouTube channels such as Gabby Wallace – Go Natural English, Rachel’s English, SmallAdvantages, Amigo Gringo, and Ask Jackie. The last three ones are aimed at Brazilian learners.
Hilary’s Note:
Because preference in podcasts and channels is such an individual thing, here are some other recommendations from English learning websites. Keep experimenting until you find the perfect ones for you, and then try to listen consistently.
11 English Podcasts Every English Learner Should Listen To
12 Native English Podcasts for Learning English
Top Five Podcasts to Help You Learn English
10 Awesome Channels to Learn English on YouTube
7 Great YouTube Channels for English Learners
11 Of The Best YouTube Channels For Learning English
And, if you’re an advanced learner, consider Great Courses Plus, which Claudia discovered thanks to this blog 🙂
And what about TV and movies?
It is very helpful to watch American TV shows. First, I watched them without subtitles to try to understand as much as possible. Later, I watched them again, but this time with subtitles to make sure that I understood every single line. I used to write every new word or expression that I didn’t know in a notepad. My favorite TV show is The Good Place, while I think just about any American movie is useful.
Anything you’d recommend for translating?
My favorite online dictionary is Linguee
How about speaking practice?
For speaking practice, I like the app called Cambly. The teachers are not as prepared as the ones on italki, but I had the chance to talk every day with Americans for a very low price. Although you get what you pay for, I believe that it is very important to speak English with a native speaker every day when you are preparing for the test. On the other hand, the most prepared teachers for the TOEFL are on italki. So, students should invest some money in having classes with these teachers as well.
Hilary’s Note:
Italki is a Chinese-based company; Verbling, an American-based company, also employs more selectively hired professional teachers. Choose your teachers carefully if you are preparing for TOEFL Speaking. Although teachers may say that they’re trained to teach TOEFL and most can do a reasonably good job preparing you up to a certain point, to attain a really high score, you may need to find a teacher with more direct knowledge of the test and how it’s scored.
So let’s move on to reading. What helped with that?
I think students should read lots of academic texts. I like to read newspapers and magazines, but for the TOEFL test, I don’t think it is worth wasting time with them, because the style and the vocabulary are very different.
You scored 28 in Writing. How did you study for that section?
For the writing part, students should try to write as many essays as they can. However, before writing, they must be familiar with the essay structure and the topics used in the TOEFL, because the essay subjects tend to concentrate on certain areas, such as children, university life, hobbies. A good source of ideas is the following book:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W8ndIzhOUIsfO6OOlEXOHhDl9jxzYdNd/view?usp=sharing
The essays in that book are not masterpieces, but they are realistic essays done by students just like us. These works are helpful to teach us how to keep an essay simple but effective. In addition, there are so many essays in that book that after reading 10 or 15 of them, you wind up creating your own method of writing a simple essay.
Hilary’s Note:
I agree with Claudia that the best way to practice is to write essays. The book she recommends contains some good essays, but I would not exactly recommend them as models to imitate. Please read my article about the TOEFL independent essay for more of my advice about the writing section.
Any other advice you can give?
One last piece of advice is not really for students, but for parents who want their children to master a foreign language. Although it is important to study English in their own counties, it is essential to expose them to an English environment at an early age. My personal history provides a compelling example of this. When I was fifteen years old, I went to the U.S. as an exchange student for three months. Although it was a short period, it made a huge difference to my English skills. I believe that, at a young age, our brain can better learn the rhythm of a foreign language, just like learning how to ride a bike.
Twenty-five years later, I went back to the U.S. with my husband and our three sons. My husband had a student visa, and our children were able to go to school for three months in San Diego. This short period was amazing for my boys’ English (at 13, 11 and 9 years old), but it wasn’t so effective for my husband’s English. I am saying this not to discourage anyone from learning English as an adult, but to encourage parents to send their teenagers to study and live abroad even for a short period of time.
You mentioned living in the U.S. as an adult. Did you work on your English there?
Yes! There is also one more thing that should help your students who already live in the U.S. Why don’t they volunteer to work at the local church or library? When I was in San Diego, I volunteered at the local church. It gave me the opportunity to speak with many different people in a welcoming, friendly environment. They even taught me how to answer the phone and how to give directions.
