- What the section looks like
- Format: 2 academic passages, 10 questions each, 35 minutes total (about 17 minutes per passage). Always verify current format on ETS.
- Topics: Natural sciences, social sciences, humanities. Passages are dense, objective, and often include classification, cause-effect, comparison, or problem-solution structures.
- Navigation: You can move between questions within a passage. Scratch paper is allowed; highlighting on-screen may be available.
- Core skills to master
- Macro-reading:
- Skimming for structure: Title, first/last sentence of each paragraph, signposts (however, therefore, in contrast, for example).
- Paragraph mapping: Write 1–5 words per paragraph (e.g., P1: background; P2: cause; P3: evidence; P4: counterargument).
- Recognizing organization: cause–effect, compare–contrast, classification, chronology, problem–solution, hypothesis–evidence.
- Micro-reading:
- Locating details quickly via keywords/synonyms.
- Paraphrasing: Restate a sentence with simpler wording to check understanding.
- Reference tracking: Resolve pronouns and “this/that/these,” and noun substitutions (the process/the phenomenon).
- Vocabulary-in-context: Use surrounding sentences, examples, contrasts, and restatements.
- Inference discipline: “Must be true” based on the passage; avoid speculation.
- Testcraft:
- Elimination: Remove answer choices that are extreme, outside scope, reverse cause-effect, or distort time/quantity.
- Timing: Don’t over-read. Read to get the map; answer questions to read deeply where needed.
- Accuracy first: One careless miss is costly in a 20-question section.
- Common question types: what they ask, how to solve, traps
- Factual/Detail: Ask for directly stated information.
- Strategy: Find a unique keyword/synonym, scan the relevant sentence(s), match meaning precisely.
- Traps: Answers that are generally true but not stated; details from nearby sentences; distorted quantities/time.
- Negative Factual (NOT/EXCEPT): Which option is not true according to the text.
- Strategy: Confirm three true statements; the remaining is your answer.
- Traps: True-but-partial statements; wording tricks that flip meaning.
- Inference: What is implied/suggested.
- Strategy: Support must exist in the text; paraphrase the evidence; prefer mild, conservative conclusions.
- Traps: Overreach, new ideas, strong/extreme wording.
- Rhetorical Purpose/Function: Why the author includes an example/statement.
- Strategy: Ask “What job does this sentence do?” Common purposes: define, contrast, give evidence, qualify, transition.
- Traps: What the sentence says vs. why it’s there.
- Vocabulary in Context: Meaning of a word/phrase in the passage.
- Strategy: Replace with a synonym that fits the sentence; ignore your prior knowledge if context disagrees.
- Traps: Dictionary definitions that don’t fit the passage’s usage.
- Reference: What “it/they/this” refers to.
- Strategy: Check the nearest logical noun phrase; test substitution for grammatical and logical fit.
- Traps: A plausible but too-distant noun; number mismatch (singular/plural).
- Sentence Simplification: Choose the sentence that best paraphrases a long sentence.
- Strategy: Keep core subject–verb–object and key modifiers; drop non-essential details but not meaning.
- Traps: Missing a contrast/condition; changing scope or cause-effect.
- Insert a Sentence: Choose where a new sentence fits in the paragraph.
- Strategy: Match connectors, pronouns, time markers; ensure coherent before/after flow.
- Traps: Local fit but global incoherence; pronouns without clear antecedents.
- Prose Summary: Pick 3 main ideas (often from 6 choices).
- Strategy: Use your paragraph map; choose broad, essential claims; avoid examples/minor details.
- Traps: Specifics, very narrow points, or points from only one paragraph.
- Pacing plan (per passage ~17 minutes)
- 2–3 minutes: Skim + paragraph map.
- 10–11 minutes: Standard questions (detail, vocab, inference, rhetorical).
- 3–4 minutes: Sentence insertion and Prose Summary (do these last).
- If stuck >60 seconds, eliminate, guess conservatively, and move—don’t let one item sink the set.
- High-yield practice methods
- Deliberate drills by type:
- Day 1–2: Detail + Negative Factual speed drills.
- Day 3–4: Inference + Rhetorical Purpose.
- Day 5: Insertion + Simplification + Summary.
- Each drill: 10–15 questions, time-capped, immediate review.
- Passage sprints:
- 13-minute run: 1 passage + all questions. Then 10–15 minutes of deep review: Why is each wrong choice wrong?
- Error log (non-negotiable):
- Record passage, question type, your choice vs. correct, the trap you fell for, and the repair rule (e.g., “Avoid absolute language on inference”).
- Paraphrase training:
- Take 1 dense paragraph/day. Underline core clause(s), rewrite in simpler English, verify you kept relationships (contrast/cause).
- Vocabulary the right way:
- Learn Academic Word List word families and common TOEFL-in-passage synonyms (e.g., “consequently”→“as a result,” “virtually”→“nearly”).
- Create context cards: word + a sentence you write that mirrors academic style.
- Reading diet (20–30 min/day):
- Sources: National Geographic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Aeon, Nature news, JSTOR Daily, Britannica.
- Read actively: title → predict → paragraph gist → one-sentence summary.
- Full test simulations:
- 2–3 times before test day under real timing and break conditions. Review immediately.
- Four-week study plan (adapt as needed)
- Week 1: Fundamentals
- Learn all question types and strategies. Do 6–8 passages untimed to build mapping/paraphrasing. Start error log.
- Week 2: Speed + Accuracy
- Timed single-passages (13–17 min). Heavy focus on inference, negative factual, insertion. Daily paraphrase and vocab-in-context drills.
- Week 3: Mixed Sets + Stamina
- 4–6 timed passages across 2–3 days; 1–2 full tests. Review traps and update rules in your log.
- Week 4: Refinement
- Target your weakest 2 types with dedicated drills. 1–2 more full tests. Finalize pacing and guessing strategy.
- Reliable materials
- Official (best): ETS TOEFL iBT Free Practice Test, TOEFL Practice Online (TPO), The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT, Official TOEFL iBT Tests Vol. 1 and 2, TOEFL Go app.
- Supplementary: TST Prep, Magoosh, Manhattan Prep, Cambridge (for extra passages; verify they reflect current question styles).
- Fast fixes for common problems
- “I run out of time”: Shorten initial read; commit to paragraph maps; answer questions to drive close reading. Cap hard items at 60 seconds.
- “I misread tricky wording”: Underline negatives (NOT/EXCEPT), quantifiers (some/most/all), and contrast words (however, despite).
- “I fall for traps”: In review, write why each wrong option is wrong. Patterns repeat—train your eye to spot them.
- “I don’t retain details”: Note paragraph roles and 1–2 key keywords per paragraph on scratch paper.
- Test-day checklist
- Calibrate pace: after 8–9 minutes, you should be near Q6–7.
- Do summary/insertion last.
- Use elimination aggressively; avoid revisiting solved items.
- Keep your paragraph map visible; it speeds up detail hunts and summary choices.
If you want, I can generate a timed mini set (1 passage, 10 questions) with full explanations tailored to the skills you want to practice most.