What is a
Good TOEFL Score?
ETS, the company that makes the
TOEFL, also sets official levels for how good your TOEFL iBT score is.
When you get your TOEFL scores,
they will be accompanied by a document called “performance feedback.” This
document will contain a summary of your general level in each section/skill of
the TOEFL. There will be separate descriptions of your performance for TOEFL
Reading, Listening,Speaking, and Writing.
Performance Levels for TOEFL Reading and
Listening
For TOEFL Reading and TOEFL
Listening, ETS’s performance feedback breaks the score into 3 TOEFL score range
levels: high, intermediate, and low. You can use this information to figure out
how good your score is in a very general sense.
Here is a short summary of the three official ETS
“performance feedback” levels for TOEFL Reading and Listening:
- HIGH: At
the high level, you have a chance to get into the best schools that accept
the exam. And the very top high scores give you a chance the very
top schools, schools that are Ivy League or similarly good.
- INTERMEDIATE: ETS’s
intermediate TOEFL scores will meet the requirements of most schools.
Intermediate scores are good enough to get into the schools I mentioned
earlier in this article: the ones that only need you to meet their minimum
score.
- LOW: As
you probably guessed, low TOEFL scores are not-so-good. At the upper end
of ETS’s “low” score range, you can probably get into conditional
acceptance programs. However, if your score is low by ETS standards, you
should consider a retake. Very few universities accept TOEFL scores in
this bottom range.
Performance
Levels for TOEFL Speaking
TOEFL performance feedback reports give four different
levels for TOEFL Speaking: Good, Fair, Limited, and Weak. Here are short
descriptions of these four levels:
- GOOD: “Good”
TOEFL Speaking performance will get you into upper-mid-ranked schools and
top schools. Obviously, the closer you are to the maximum score of 30, the
better. Perfect or near-perfect scores give test-takers a great shot at
the Ivies.
- FAIR: If
your TOEFL Speaking performance is rated as “Fair,” you will be able to
get into most mid-ranked universities. Believe it or not, fair TOEFL
spekaing scores can sometimes also get students into top graduate
programs. Certain graduate programs, especially ones in the STEM fields,
are willing to accept talented applicants at this lower level of TOEFL
Speaking.
- LIMITED: At
this level, test-takers may be offered conditional acceptance into some
schools. Full acceptance into a degree program is very unlikely at this
level.
- WEAK: The
name of this Speaking performance level says it all. If your TOEFL
performance feedback indicates that you’re weak in Speaking, you may be
eligible for conditional acceptance at some schools. However, full
acceptance into a university degree program is very unlikely at this
performance level.
Performance
Levels for TOEFL Writing
Like TOEFL Reading and Speaking, TOEFL Writing is divided
into three levels in ETS’s feedback performance document. However, these TOEFL
Writing performance levels don’t have the same names as the levels for Reading
and Listening. Instead, the three TOEFL Writing performance levels are Good,
Fair, and Limited. Here is what a score each performance levels means:
- GOOD: Good
TOEFL Writing performance means good chances at getting into a good
school. Exactly how good of a school? Like the other top performance
levels, that depends on how close your score is to the perfect 30 score.
Expect acceptance into upper-mid-ranked schools at the very least, with the
possibility of top school acceptance in some cases.
- FAIR: If
your TOEFL Writing performance is fair, you still have a good shot at
mid-ranked schools. You may also be able to get into top schools,
particularly for STEM graduate programs. Conditional acceptance at upper
mid-level and top-ranked schools is also a distinct possibility.
- LIMITED: Limited TOEFL Writing abilities equal limited chances of acceptance into school. If your TOEFL score indicates limited Writing ability, consider conditional acceptance programs. You may also have a chance of full acceptance at mid and low-ranked schools, provided the rest of your TOEFL sections have higher performance levels.
Tips on How to Get a High Score on TOEFL
A TOEFL
goal score is guaranteed to meet all of your schools’ minimum score
requirements and is thus the one most likely to get you accepted to all of the
schools you’re applying to. Here are some general steps needed to get a high
score on your TOEFL test :
1.
Practice a lot
There’s no
way around it, the more you practice, the higher you will score! But
do you know how to make the best use of your time, money, energy and
other resources as you prepare?
- Don’t take the test too soon. If you can
afford to postpone the test for a few more months, you will gain more time
to prepare. Do not sign up until you feel 99% ready. This means you will
probably score higher. But be careful: You must make a commitment to
yourself to use the extra time to study intensively or you may forget what
you learned.
- Make a study plan and stick to it. See how
many practice tests and resources you can get access to and make a plan. You
should regularly take practice tests. Try to take one every week or every
two weeks. Remember the questions that you most often get wrong, and
practice those areas of English. Spend the rest of your time improving
your general level of English. If you don’t have access to as many
practice tests as you’d like, you can create your own.
- Pretend you are taking the exam.
Save seven practice tests for the week before the exam.
Wake up every day like you would on the day of the actual exam and pretend
it’s the real thing. Take a full test every day, in exam conditions, and
try to imagine you are at the exam. No dictionary, no phone, no help. Time
yourself and stop when the time has ended. You will probably feel quite
nervous, but that is a good thing! Overcoming nerves is something you need
to do. Once you learn how to control your own level of stress, chances are
good that the actual exam will seem just like another practice session.
You will feel more familiar with the situation, and you will probably feel
more confident and prepared.
- Have a teacher or friend help with speaking and
writing. You’ll probably be able to do reading and listening practice by yourself,
but you are going to need someone to read your writing samples
and listen to your speaking. You need some feedback. Ideally,
this person should be a teacher or native speaker of English, but anyone
who can speak really good English can help you.
2. Know
All the Directions
All tests are
created equal in terms of difficulty and what you have to do. You are going to
read the same directions on every TOEFL test you take. These
directions tell you what task you have to do (reading, writing, answering
questions) and how much time you have to do that task.
If you do a lot
of practice tests, you will not need to read the directions anymore. This means
you can read them very quickly, click the CONTINUE button as soon as it appears
and use this extra time on the questions. Extra time to read, think and
answer questions is always good!
When you take
practice tests, read the directions carefully. Try to remember
the directions for each section. When you take the real test, read the
directions of every section again quickly to make sure that you know what to
do.
Make sure you
follow directions and prove that you understand them. In the
speaking test, whenever you are told to “use reasons and examples to support
your response,” make sure you include specific reasons and examples! For every
main point you make, you should present at least one reason and one
example to support it.
Also, don’t
forget that this is a language test, so you cannot just use the same words from
the task directions. You must show that you know a variety of English
words. Do not use the words “reasons” and “examples” repetitively in
your writing, as this can sound annoying to the listener. Try to prove you have
a wide range of vocabulary by using lots of synonyms.
3. Be
Wise With Your Time
Time is not
the enemy, if you know how to use it. Keep one eye on the title and directions on
your computer screen, but focus on the questions. Don’t waste time on minor
issues, like one specific word you don’t know or can’t remember. If this is
just one question, it is better to guess the answer than waste 5 valuable
minutes thinking about it. Just think
about how many correct answers you can get in 5 minutes.
You can go more quickly through easier
questions, gaining you more points. If you are
taking the test online, work on your typing skills. Start doing this well in
advance of the test so you can maximize your writing time. If you do a lot
of practice tests while timing yourself,
you will see that the time you are given is just about the right amount of
time.
4. Focus
on Grammar and Vocabulary
Don’t forget
that this is a test of how much English you know.
All languages are, in the end, about words (vocabulary) and how you connect
those words (grammar). You need to prove your knowledge of English is at the
right level for you to pass the test. How do you that?
- Learn a few new words and expressions every
day. Make your own sentences with them. If you just try to
memorize them without using them in context, your memorization won’t work.
You have to practice new words so they become a part of your active vocabulary.
Your active vocabulary are all the words you can remember and use easily.
This means you’ll be able to use them in speaking and writing without
thinking too much. Here are some really good resources to help you improve
your vocabulary and grammar.
- Prove you learned those words. Try to
include them in your speaking and writing practice.
- Only use the words you know. On the
exam, avoid using words and structures you are not sure about.
5. Take
Good Notes
Practice
note-taking when reading and listening in your spare time. You can do this
while relaxing with an article in your favorite magazine or a documentary. You
can also work with more exam-like texts and academic lectures. Write down information
using key words (the most important words) and symbols to
save time.
You don’t
need to write down everything word-for-word. You won’t be able to do
that because there is not enough time. Writing full sentences will take
you a very long time.
Practice by
reading academic texts and listening to lectures and by doing exam-like practice tests. Look for the main
ideas. They are usually signposted (marked) with discourse markers.
To
practice speaking and writing you are going to need a partner to
work with, ideally a teacher or a friend with good English skills.
But you don’t
need a partner to be there for you all the time. You can practice speaking by
recording yourself and then listening to yourself. You can read writing samples to see how your
writing compares.
With both
speaking and writing, make sure your message is very clear. You can achieve
clear writing by following these steps:
- Decide on your main ideas. Do not change the focus
of your writing after you start writing.
- Make sure you understand the connection between
your ideas. Are the ideas different from one another? Are they cause and
effect? Are they part of a numerical list or series of steps?
- Use discourse markers to signpost
the main ideas and the connections between them. For example, you can use
the following phrases:
- To show contrast or difference:
however, nevertheless, on the other hand
- To show cause and effect: as a result,
consequently, therefore
- To show a numerical list or series
of steps: firstly, secondly, finally
8. Work on
Your Attitude
Everybody has
exam nerves. Some level of stress is good because it can help you focus on your
goals and motivate you.
But if you
worry too much, you will not be able to prove your real English skill level in
the exam. You will answer questions wrong or make mistakes because you are
too nervous and not paying attention to the exam. Remain calm and confident,
and do not let that happen.
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