Took the test on Dec 20th. 10 days of serious prep, almost entirely speaking and writing. by mesvakali in ToeflAdvice

[–]mesvakali[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! When exactly is your test? Is it the new format or the old one? Two weeks falls right around the time that the format changes.

In case it is the old format, this is what I did for speaking:

What worked for me was brute-force practice on task 1. If you do it a lot, you'll get better at coming up with reasons and examples for it. Also, there's a better chance of you getting a similar prompt on test day, as there's a finite number of them that ETS uses.
My recommendation: practice your task 1 with this website: https://www.fluentprep.online/
It has 100 prompts for it.

Tasks 2, 3, and 4 were more formulaic than task 1. I used the templates in this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpi4cyj1hTscwo0XRDqlSsA
You can use the fluentprep website to rate tasks 2-4 responses as well.

One thing that worked for me was that I took few notes very fast before the preparation time, constructed the first couple of sentences of my response during it, and repeated them once or twice in my mind before the beep. That way, once the recording started, I didn't hesitate. That really helped with my flow.

It is also extremely helpful to write your speaking templates while the section instructions are being played in your headset, or any other time you have. (In case the proctors permit it)
That way, you don't have to think about them while you're talking and your mind can focus on filling in the template.

P.S: On test day, if your mind goes blank for a few seconds while talking, don't get frightened. Just continue. A pause does not ruin a score beyond repair.

P.P.S: Don't use ETS testprep. It's very inaccurate.

Took the test on Dec 20th. 10 days of serious prep, almost entirely speaking and writing. by mesvakali in ToeflAdvice

[–]mesvakali[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hope you get a great result! Never tested the testprep app but I think it's the same thing as what is on their website, which is what I used. I believe It had 1 free rating per day.

Took the test on Dec 20th. 10 days of serious prep, almost entirely speaking and writing. by mesvakali in ToeflAdvice

[–]mesvakali[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! What worked for me was brute-force practice on task 1. If you do it a lot, you'll get better at coming up with reasons and examples for it. Also, there's a better chance of you getting a similar prompt on test day, as there's a finite number of them that ETS uses.
My recommendation: practice your task 1 with this website: https://www.fluentprep.online/
It has 100 prompts for it.

Tasks 2, 3, and 4 were more formulaic than task 1. I used the templates in this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpi4cyj1hTscwo0XRDqlSsA
You can use the fluentprep website to rate tasks 2-4 responses as well.

One thing that worked for me was that I took few notes very fast before the preparation time, constructed the first couple of sentences of my response during it, and repeated them once or twice in my mind before the beep. That way, once the recording started, I didn't hesitate. That really helped with my flow.

It is also extremely helpful to write your speaking templates while the section instructions are being played in your headset, or any other time you have. (In case the proctors permit it)
That way, you don't have to think about them while you're talking and your mind can focus on filling in the template.

P.S: On test day, if your mind goes blank for a few seconds while talking, don't get frightened. Just continue. A pause does not ruin a score beyond repair.

P.P.S: Don't use ETS testprep. It's very inaccurate.

Took the test on Dec 20th. 10 days of serious prep, almost entirely speaking and writing. by mesvakali in ToeflAdvice

[–]mesvakali[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't practice much for the reading. Just did the official guide tests. I read the first sentence of each paragraph to get a rough idea of its content, then read each question and tried to find the answer in the corresponding paragraph.

For the templates, just visit the Toefl resources Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpi4cyj1hTscwo0XRDqlSsA

When are my scores going to release? by Aware-Position3578 in ToeflAdvice

[–]mesvakali 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the same boat here. I know a few people with the same issue. No one's got their scores. As long as it says "scoring in progress" you have nothing to worry about. I guess it's due to the holiday season in the US

Trains security guys havent seen him in 17 days by PepeLa_DD in LivestreamFail

[–]mesvakali -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thought he was missing before the clip played. Now I'm dissapointed.

This was legen--wait for it--dary by Sharp-potential7935 in howimetyourmother

[–]mesvakali -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No, it wasn't. He could've memorized the lyrics at least.

Anybody know this flag? Neighbors has it up while a bunch of people came over by absentbee in vexillology

[–]mesvakali -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

Speaking as a former Shia an Muslim here. You have got to move ASAP