- TOEFL® iBT – Test-Taking Strategies -
Course Overview:
The TOEFL® (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is designed to measure the skills and to
evaluate the ability of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level.
Many American and English-speaking colleges and universities require non-native speakers of English to
get a certain score on this test before they are admitted into their actual academic programs. The TOEFL®
is administered worldwide by Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Since 1964 the test has been taken by nearly 20 million students and gone through various
changes in the way it is administered. The most recent format is the TOEFL® iBT. For the first time, the
test includes a speaking section where the individual has to use his verbal skills to demonstrate his ability
to speak about a topic or respond to questions in English within a given time frame. Another major
change is that instead of the usual single essay in the last section of the test, the test taker now has to
present two.
At Prime Education Consulting, we have a carefully-developed program that will enable our
students to get the score they need. The 12-week 180-hour concentrated course will cover all four
sections of the new TOEFL® iBT, Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Throughout the course,
there will be diagnostic tests and numerous mini-tests to emphasize strengths and identify weaknesses.
Individuals are placed in small classes to get the most attention from our professional instructors and to
learn from each others’ experiences. Every section of the test will be supported by practice sessions on the
computer and followed by review exercises. At the end of the course, students will have gained the
necessary knowledge and confidence to apply their skills to the real test with much greater results.
Course Content:
Our main text book is Longman’s Preparation Course for the TOEFL® Test – Next Generation
iBT (with CD-ROM and Answer Key). Throughout the course, the students are presented with extra
grammar exercises to reinforce their reading, speaking, and writing skills.
Course Syllabus:
Session 1 (Weeks 1-4): Three of the four sections are going to be covered in the first session, Reading
Listening, and Speaking. These will be followed by Mini-Tests 1, 2, and 3, and the study of
Appendix C, Error Correction.
• Description of the TOEFL test-strategies, explanation of the scoring system, examination of the
material.
• Assessment of grammar knowledge, overview of necessary grammar points
• Reading: Pre-Test, Skills 1-4, Practice (Book and CD-ROM), Review
• Listening: Pre-Test, Skills 1, 2, Review
• Speaking: Pre-Test, Skills 1-4, Review
• Mini-Tests 1, 2, and 3 in Book and on CD-ROM, Review
• Appendix C, Error Correction
Session 2 (Weeks 5-8): In Session 2, all four sections of the test, Reading, Listening, Speaking, and
Writing, will be covered. These will be followed by Mini-Tests 4 and 5. This session will also
present the first of the two complete tests. Appendix A is going to focus on Cohesion in the flow
of sentences.
• Reading: Skills 5-8, Practice (Book and CD-ROM), Review
• Listening: Skills 3 and 4, Review
• Speaking: Skills 5-12, Review
• Writing: Pre-Test and Skills 1-7
• Mini-Tests 4 and 5 in Book and on CD-ROM, Review
• Complete Test 1
• Appendix A, Cohesion
Session 3 (Weeks 9-12): In Session 3, again all four sections of the test, Reading, Listening, Speaking,
and Writing, will be covered. These will be followed by Mini-Tests 6, 7, and 8. This session will
also present the second (last) complete test. Appendix B is going to focus on Sentence Structure.
• Reading: Skills 9 and 10, Post-Test (Book and CD-ROM), Review
• Listening: Skills 5 and 6, Post-Test, Review
• Speaking: Skills 13-18, Post-Test, Review
• Writing: Skills 8-14, Post-Test, Review
• Mini-Tests 6, 7, and 8 in Book and on CD-ROM, Review
• Complete Test 2
• Appendix B, Sentence Structure