Tending to details in the TOEFL® listening section

[Shouvik]

You absolutely need to tend to details in the listening section.

I am now quite sure that its more of a test of your "note taking" abilities than your listening capability

The questions are designed to test whether you wrote down (unless ETS expects everyone to have super human memory powers) details.

When trying out the reading section try and make your notes as detailed as possible.

When taking notes, it becomes difficult to concentrate without eyes on the paper.

Hence, I propose this - keep the monitor in your peripheral vision. This will allow you to notice whether the screen has changed to display something other than the usual clasroom/professor's/campus room setting.

1. What other tips can be effective in handling the listening section effectively?

2. How many can I get wrong yet still score 30 out of 30?

[Nzuahp]

I accept with you that note taking in the listening section is the fundamental step to succeed in the section.
I have come to understand too that it is not easy to retain vast information in a four minutes lecture.

But the reverse is true for the reading section. You will realise that one has to take about five minutes
to browse through the whole reading passage. So, the strategy I want to use to tackly this section is:
1. Read the whole passage once
2. Start answering the questions and going back to the passage to look for answers since it always appears beside.

Hope this will help someone!
Nzuahp
_________________
Practice makes perfect

[Mirela85]

I tried to take notes on the reading section...but it just slow me down....It is a fact that reading from the screen is slower than reading a paper for example.
I think I have done the worst job especially on this section...for the listening I tried to memorize the facts...and for things that wore hard to memorize i wrote down....
I would like to talk about this with someone that already has experience with taking test, cause this was my first time:(....
Do One really have to answer all the questions to get 30 points, or One can miss some...it seamed to me that I had 40 questions?

[Richard]

Hi guys.
you are right.

[Mirela85]

:)The limits of my language are the limits of my universe:) long live structuralism, and human being that in the modern age become not only being that thinks though it is, but the being of the language....I agree; there is nothing beyond the language!!!!
Now...is there a real chance to discover the question that concerns us all?
What about that TOEFL questions, will we reach that secret knowledge?Ever?

[Shouvik]

Yes, the text for reading section is always available.

You just need to be careful about the text for the listening section since it goes away.

In the reading section, it's useless to take detailed notes, but it's important to keep the gist of it in your head.

I have developed some strategies for all the section for the test but am awaiting the results.

If I score more than 116 out of 120 on my TOEFL test, I will release my tips, tricks and strategy documents for a fee - say around $30 per set as I can guarantee you the same score.

If I don't score more than 116, I will know my sets are not useful at all since it did not work even for me.

[Mirela85]

So, I believe you have already tried to take test...you don't do that for fun are you? I was having the feeling that one of my least worries will be reading, boy was I wrong...I started to panic after first text, I was literally lost. I don't really think that there might be any exceptional strategies, except a habit to read from the screen and mange to scroll the text. Anyway thank you for your offer.

[Shouvik]

Exactly, the reading section is not that easy as people make it out to be. You have to understand that you are under stress and in a test scenario.

Your reading abilities are being tested; nonetheless, you need some very specific skills to ace the reading section.

For example : Would it not help you if you knew within the first 10 seconds what message the passage was trying to send across?

Most TOEFL reading sections have some agenda to it. We must have that at mind from the very beginning.

ALSO, would it not help you if you would summarize EACH paragraph (TOEFL seems to have reading sections wth > 5 paras. Usually 6 - 9 paras) into a single line or maybe two?