After some time scouting out various web sites offering TOEFL iBT services, Natalia decided to join “The 7-Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT.” She wanted to increase her TOEFL score to 88 points or higher and score a minimum of 22 points in each section, but time was not on her side since she only had about three weeks before taking her next TOEFL iBT.
After she joined a TOEFL course, her life got a little hectic. Her two kids were attending pre-school and kindergarten, which required her to drive them to school in the mornings around 7:30 and then pick them up at 12:15 and 2:45 respectively in the afternoon. In between, the house was an absolute mess, so she spent time cleaning, vacuuming, and cooking. After all of those chores, she had a total of about 45 minutes each day to study TOEFL. During the day, she spend time watching TV and listening to the radio in English, and she would read magazines and journals for about 30 minutes right before going to bed. There was light at the end of the tunnel. Right now her husband was in the middle of his doctoral studies, but in a few weeks he would finish his studies and begin his much anticipated summer break. And on his break he would be able to watch the two children and do more chores around the house, leaving more time for Natalia to study TOEFL.
Despite her not being able to use her TOEFL course very much, she went ahead and took the official TOEFL exam as a practice exercise. She wanted to see what her weaknesses were, which would help her to focus more in her studies during the summer. So, on April 20, she took the TOEFL iBT, and, to her surprise, scored 91/120: R = 26, L= 22, S = 22, and W= 21. Although she reached her overall goal of 91, she did not reach the minimum requirement of 22 in the writing section.
The perfectionist that she is, Natalia also wanted to improve her speaking score, so, since her husband was at home to help out around the house, Natalia planned out her TOEFL studies with a focus on improving her writing and speaking proficiencies. She e-mailed her TOEFL iBT specialist and asked him to give her a plan that would help her in the next few weeks to help her improve her speaking and writing proficiencies. She knew that, with a little elbow grease, she would be able to reach her desired TOEFL score and then move on to the next exciting obstacles in her life.
| This article was written by Michael Buckhoff–co-founder and materials writer for Better TOEFL Scores and The 7-Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT, Composition and Linguistics Professor, TOEFL Specialist, ESL Master Instructor, and Placement and Testing Coordinator for California State University, San Bernardino.Follow more posts and videos from Michael at Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube. |