Study. Review and improve your skills ahead of time

20 TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS USE THIS BOOK WITH OTHER TEST-PREPARATION MATERIAL TOEFL Exam Essentials gives you key information about the TOEFL exam in a quick, easy style and format. Unlike other test- prep books that use a question-and-answer format, TOEFL Exam Essentials offers strategies for studying and test taking that can make the difference for you in getting a top score on this important exam. When used in combination with other test-preparation materials, TOEFL Exam Essentials is a powerful tool that will help you succeed. If you are committed to doing well on the TOEFL exam, you should also invest the time and money into purchasing or using other test-preparation materials that contain practice tests. As you prepare for the exam, consider taking several practice tests. Use the study plan described earlier in this chapter to schedule your practice test. You will find many test-preparation books at your bookstore, library, or for purchase online. See Learning Express’s TOEFL Exam Success LearningExpress, 2002 for detailed study and learning strategies, lessons, and practice questions targeted to the kinds of questions asked in each section of the official exam. The Internet also contains resources for the TOEFL exam. Some websites offer online practice tests and scoring, with an analysis of your results. If you register for the computer-based TOEFL exam, taking a practice test on a computer will be an advantage to you. You will become more familiar with the expe- rience of taking a standardized test on a computer so that when you take the official exam, it won’t be new to you. See Appendix B in the back of the book for more print and online resources. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK TO GET A TOP SCORE 21 A primary resource for TOEFL exam preparation is the offi- cial TOEFL exam website at www.toefl.org. Since July 2003, the Educational Testing Service ETS—the service that administers the TOEFL exam—has made test-preparation material avail- able at no charge when you register for the test. You can access the material on the TOEFL exam website or request that it be mailed to you. The TOEFL exam website also offers online reg- istration, the most current information about the test, and the loca- tions of test centers around the world. Here are some other helpful resources found at www.toefl.org: ■ Frequently asked questions about the computer-based test: www.toefl.orgtoeflcbtcbtfaq.html ■ Free online computer tutorial how to scroll, how to use mouse: www.toefl.orgtestprepcbtutprq.html ■ Practice questions computer-based: www.toefl.orgtestprepcbtutprq.html ■ Complete list of TOEFL exam writing topics: www.toefl.orgtestpreppreindx.htmlwrtgtopics ■ Frequently asked questions about the paper-based test: www.toefl.orgtoeflsupsuppfaq.html ■ Practice questions paper-based: www.toefl.orgonsitetstitpprac.html Now that you have started getting ready for the exam, let TOEFL Exam Essentials streamline the test-preparation process for you. The next chapters describe each section of the TOEFL exam, emphasizing the specific language skills and test-taking strategies that will help you do your best.