TOEFL Skills and Strategies

READING
Question
Skills Tested Exam Strategies and Tips
Types
Tests: Extensive range of formal and academic • Identify word form (learn affixes)
vocabulary through choosing a synonym • Divide into parts (identify root)
• Use context clues in the text: the verb ‘be’, appositives, punctuation,
Vocabulary the word ‘or’, adjective clauses, referents, contrasts, examples
• Guess meaning & eliminate wrong answer options
• Think about multiple meanings
• Make word maps, charts, & associations
Tests: Understanding of cohesion and coherence in a • Look for nouns/ noun phrases in the text that could replace the word,
text (the relationship between reference words and correct answer usually appears before the highlighted word (may be
previously mentioned words/ideas) in prior sentence)
Incorrect Answers: • Replace word to make sure it makes sense
Reference a. Do not agree in # or gender
b. Do not make sense in context • Eliminate wrong answers
• Understand different types of reference words (pronouns, possessive
adjectives, demonstratives etc.)
Tests: Ability to identify restated information. • Eliminate distractors (see hint: incorrect answers)
Incorrect Answers: • Look for synonyms or restatements of words and ideas in a different
a. add information not highlighted in the sentence sentence structure: often clauses are reversed
Paraphrase
b. include words from highlighted sentence but
convey different meaning • Check references in previous
c. contradict highlighted sentence
Tests: Understanding of specific info: facts, details, • Identify key words in the question
examples, definitions. In order to answer correctly • Scan relevant paragraph for key words, synonyms & related ideas
students must scan and recognize paraphrased
information. • Compare information in answer choices and eliminate incorrect
Incorrect Answers: answers
Factual a. repeat words/phrases from the passage but • Select answer that is closest restatement or paraphrase
incorrectly answer question
b. contradict info in the passage
c. are not mentioned in the passage
d. do not answer the question
e. are incomplete according to the passage
Tests: Ability to specify an answer NOT true in the text. • Identify key words in the question
Incorrect Answers: • Scan for key words or restatement of key words
a. are true according to the passage
• Sometimes all three answers are contained in one sentence, one
Negative paragraph, or the whole passage
Factual
• Find appropriate section of text: if answer is true eliminate it
• The correct answer is not true or not mentioned
• Double check your answers
Tests: Students ability to make inferences and draw • Identify key words in the question
conclusions. • Scan paragraph for key words, synonyms & related ideas
Incorrect Answers:
a. repeat words and phrases from the text but cannot • Make own inferences about stated facts
Inference
be logically inferred from stated facts • Eliminate answers that contradict info in the passage, or repeat
b. contradict info in the passage words/phrases from the passage that are not logical inferences
c. are not mentioned • Choose most logical inference connected to explicitly stated facts
 READING Continued
Question
Skills Tested Exam Strategies and Tips
Types
Tests: ability to explain why an author included • Scan highlighted passage and surrounding text
particular information such as providing an example, • Identify main idea of paragraph and check thesis statement
reason, evidence or support.
Purpose Incorrect Answers: • Skim paragraphs before and after for connecting ideas
(attitude/ a. Are untrue according to passage • Pay attention to transitions and connecting words that point to a
function) b. Contradict info in passage purpose (for instance, for this reason, however etc.)
c. Are not mentioned • Make an inference about the purpose of the passage
d. Repeat words/phrases but express a different
meaning • Select answer that is closest in meaning to your inference
Tests: Where does key information best fit in a • Scan for referents, pronouns and transitional expressions; check for
paragraph? Insert a sentence in one of four positions. S/V agreement
Incorrect answers: • Identify whether text is topic sentence, supporting detail, or example
a. Do not logically connect to sentence before/after sentence
Insert Text b. Separate logically connected sentences
c. Employ illogical use of transitions • Look for referents and transitions and connect to previous sentence.
d. Separate reference word and referent • Look for clues near black squares
• Try sentence in all squares for best fit.
Tests: Understanding of main ideas in a text (distinguish • Read summary statement
from details). Ability to recognize compare/contrast, • Skim first and last sentences of each paragraph
cause/effect, agree/disagree relationships, & steps in a
process • Note the thesis of each paragraph
Prose Incorrect answers: • Determine if each answer choice is a restatement of a major point,
Summary a. Are not critical to understanding a passage minor point, or not mentioned
b. Contain ideas/info not explicitly stated • Eliminate incorrect answers
c. Are not true/not mentioned
• Review choices: they should reflect the three main ideas in the
reading
Tests: Ability to categorize important ideas in the text. • There are always two or three categories and 5 or 7 correct answers
Incorrect answers: • Understand categories
a. Repeat words from passage but are incorrect
b. Contradict info in passage • Identify key words in answers
Schematic
Framework c. Are not mentioned • Scan for synonyms/restatements of key words
/Category d. Do not fit in one of the categories listed • Read each section and determine if the answer is true/false/not
chart mentioned
• Eliminate answers not mentioned
• Categorize answers (guess if you are not sure, can get partial marks)
 LISTENING
Question
Skills Tested Exam Strategies and Tips
Types
Tests: understanding related to the overall topic. • Listen carefully at beginning of lecture or for early comments in a
Gist content questions relate to the subject matter conversation: main ideas usually mentioned at beginning of passage
of a lecture/conversation. Gist purpose questions • If a conversation take notes with a line down middle of page (always
Gist Content come after a conversation and relate to the purpose one male and one female speaker)
& Gist of the conversation. • Use note taking symbols and abbreviations
Purpose • As you listen confirm or reassess your concept of the overall gist
• If not directly stated, draw a conclusion from details
• Eliminate choices that only refer to a detail
• Choose the answer relate to the largest portion of the entire passage
Tests: ability to distinguish the supporting details • Most common kind of listening question
related to a lecture or purpose of conversation. • Number each main point (usually 3 in a passage)
Correct answers typically paraphrase stated • Answers refer to first and second level details
information directly. • Use a note-taking system: note repeated information and terminology
Incorrect answers: • Read the question carefully
Detail
a. Repeat speakers words but incorrectly answer • Look for paraphrased ideas
question • Eliminate wrong answers
b. Use similar sounding words • Make sure answers relate to main points in the passage
c. Are not true according to the speakers
d. Are not mentioned
Tests: Students ability to make inferences and draw • Facts can be scattered throughout the passage or found in one or two
conclusions. sentences
Incorrect Answers: • Sometimes a passage will be repeated
a. Cannot be supported by facts in the passage • Note main points and main details
Inference b. Repeat words and phrases from the passage • Read question and answers carefully
but cannot be logically inferred from stated • Find facts that support one of the answer selections
facts • Eliminate answers not supported by facts
c. Contradict info in the passage • Choose an answer that is a logical conclusion based on explicitly stated
d. Are not mentioned in the passage facts
Tests: Understanding the overall organization of a • These questions are found after lectures and relate to how it is
lecture of the underlying structure of a lecture organized or how examples support it
(relationship between two parts). • Be familiar with & identify ways of organizing a lecture:
definition/example; classification; chronology; compare/contrast/;
cause/effect; hypothesis/results; advantages/disadvantages; process;
least to most important
Organization • Listen to the introduction (often explicitly stated)
• Listen for transitions and signal phrases
• As you listen ask yourself how the professor is organizing the
information
• Draw a conclusion and note unrelated examples
• Eliminate incorrect answers
• Choose and answer that reflects the organization of lecture