If your TOEFL is coming up, do this before making a study plan
If your TOEFL is coming up, do this before making a study plan
First post here. Going to keep sharing things I actually observe from students preparing — not tips you'll find on every prep site. Just honest patterns.
I see a lot of people starting TOEFL prep by collecting resources.
YouTube videos, templates, vocabulary lists. old practice questions, etc.
There is nothing wrong with that. But i observe that almost everyone skips the one step that actually tells you something useful.
Please take a proper practice test first. Before anything else. Don't take it after two weeks of prep. Not when you "feel ready." First. Like day 1.
Because without that you're just guessing what's wrong. You might think reading is your weak spot but actually listening is quietly dragging your score down. You might think speaking is bad because of "grammer", but maybe the real problem is your answers have no structure at all. You might think writing is fine, but your examples are too thin and vague.
I see this happen constantly. People spend three weeks on vocabulary and then wonder why nothing moved.
So here's what I'd actually do:
Day 1 — take one full practice test, yes I am asking you to take full length test ( all 4 sections in one go). Don't worry about the score. The point is just to get a baseline.
After the test, write down honestly:
- Which section felt hardest?
- Where did you run out of time?
- Did you guess a lot on certain question types?
- Did speaking feel scattered?
- Did writing feel rushed?
Then pick two problems to fix first. Not ten. Two.
Spend 3–4 days only on those. Then take another timed set and compare.
Simple rule I keep coming back to: one test shows your level, repeated targeted practice builds your score.
If your TOEFL is close and you're still asking "which resource is best", that's the wrong question.
The right one is: where am I actually losing marks right now?
Start there.