Last month, Mohammed subscribed to “The 7-Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT” with one goal in mind: to increase his TOEFL reading score and to improve his performance on the writing and speaking sections of the test, both of which require additional reading. As a subscriber to this TOEFL service, Mohammad is studying TOEFL lessons for four main reading purposes:
1. First, Mohammed is learning 1,700 basic and college-level vocabulary words by completing matching, reading, grammar, and listening exercises to help him learn the words he is studying. Additionally, he has downloaded all the audio files of the vocabulary words onto his iPod so he he can listen to the new words while he is out and about doing his daily routine. Even, he has created a note-card system to study the words by putting the word on one side of the card and the definition, sample sentence, parts of speech, and synonyms and antonyms on the other side. Finally, Mohammed is taking vocabulary quizzes to see if his study system is working.
2. Second, Mohammed has been taking lessons in the reading part of the course so that he can better understand what kind of test-taking strategies he should use during the reading section of the TOEFL iBT. For example, he is learning about rhetorical purpose, schematic tables, organization, implied detail, and other types of reading question types so he will know how to identify the question being asked and where to find the answer in the reading passage.
3. Third, Mohammed is taking speed reading tests so that he can read faster with good comprehension. Out of the 70 speed reading practice tests in the course, he has completed 35 of them and has a current reading speed of 175 words per minute with 80% comprehension. His goal is to continue working on the speed reading exercises until he has reached a reading speed of 350 words per minute. Keep up the good work!
4. Finally, in addition to completing all the TOEFL lessons in “The 7-Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT,” Mohammed is also practicing extensive reading for about 45 minutes each day. He likes reading the Wall Street Journal and the Daily Press newspaper in the US city in which he currently resides. Also, Mohammed likes to read nonfiction books, his last book being Into Thin Air by John Krakuaer.
Once Mohammed has completed this TOEFL course, he will be ready to take the TOEFL iBT.