Studying abroad needs a lot of preparation for before-hand. Be it your finances, educational qualifications, recommendations, or arrange for an accommodation, it takes a lot of effort to put together everything for a smooth and hassle-free experience. While all of these factors are important, students must remember to ace their language test as well. TOEFL is a standardized test to check the English Language proficiency of the candidate. This exam has four sections - reading, listening, speaking, and writing sections.

Each section in the TOEFL exam holds equal importance. If you are appearing for it, you must focus on all the sections covered and ace them all. Here in this article, we will help you with the TOEFL Speaking Section. Get answers to why it is important? How tough is it to crack it? And how to practice speaking section in TOEFL?

What Is The TOEFL Speaking Section?

The aim of the speaking section in TOEFL is to test the applicant’s communication efficiency. The test will be a holistic overview of the candidate's ability to read, listen, take notes, pronunciation, grammar usage, and time management. 

If you are taking the TOEFL Speaking test, you will be given 4 tasks based on real-life situations. The first question being ‘Independent Speaking Test’ will test your opinions on some general questions. You will be given a preparation time of 15 seconds to speak for the next 45 seconds. 

Questions 2 to 4 will be ‘Integrated Speaking Tasks,’ which will require you to display your listening and speaking, or listening, reading, and speaking skills. You will have to respond to the questions within the timeline of 20 to 30 seconds after the reading time. You can only take 60 seconds to respond to the questions. 

How To Crack The TOEFL Speaking Test?

Now that we know what questions are asked in the speaking section of the TOEFL exam, we must have a look at all the tips and tricks to ace it. Given below are X tips to crack the TOEFL Speaking Test.

Pay Attention

Any speech test requires one most important prerequisite, i.e., Listening skills. You can only put forward your thoughts, opinions, and frame answers appropriately only if you have good listening skills. The grounds for your answers are based on this basic life skill. While listening to the question, jot down the main points that need attention in your answer. Comprehend them within the stipulated preparation time.

Get Your Thoughts Together

While pondering over the question, make sure to understand its context. Try to comprehend the vantage point of the question and analyze what would be the best possible answer to such queries. At the time of getting your thoughts together on this, make sure you keep a track of time given to you to prepare your answer and then respond accordingly in the next 45 to 60 seconds. 

Grammar On Point

The overall purpose of this test is to check whether or not you are competent in the English language and to ensure your English speaking skills are efficient. You don’t need to use complicated words, but you must work on your tenses, and other grammatical concepts such as usage of adjectives, verbs, adverbs, nouns, etc. If you are well versed in English speaking, you must try to enhance your vocabulary for an added benefit. 

Pronounce Correctly

The other most important aspect of a speaking test is to pronounce words and sentences correctly. While giving your answers you need to utter clear and comprehensible sentences. It does not matter if you have an accent or not, just focus on verbal communication and work on it to the best of your abilities. 

Work On Concentration

While attempting the test, you will come across many distractions. The test room may be noisy or you may just get distracted by your thoughts. In such cases, you must try and focus on your test. For this, practice your listening and speaking skills in a room full of people or just close your eyes and try to focus just on your thoughts.

Be Coherent

While giving answers in the TOEFL Speaking Test, you must make sure that you are coherent. Make logical arguments and put forward a rational opinion. Also, candidates taking this speaking test are advised to avoid taking long pauses in between words and sentences, and if you stammer out of nervousness, start working on it. The more comprehensive your argument is the more chances of clearing the exams. Also, students must not speak to fill in time, they must speak to make the most reasonable arguments and put out their opinions efficiently within 45 to 60 seconds.

Practice At Home

Preparing for the TOEFL Speaking Test requires a lot of practice. You can start practicing speaking skills on your own in the comfort of your home. Take the sample tests and start working on your answers accordingly. Time is the key factor in this exam, track your performance. you can either have a set up for yourself as is it is in the TOEFL IBT or you can record your answers on your mobile phone. Accordingly, you will be able to observe the areas of improvement and the time taken to respond to the questions. 

How To Judge Your Performance in The TOEFL Speaking Test? 

The answers in the speaking test will be scored from 0 to 4 marks. For final scores, scaling will be done and a combined score will be announced from a total of 30 points. You can check your performance in the test in the following manner:

• if your score lies between 0 to 9 points, you have performed weakly.
• A score of 10 - 17 points is a fair performance
• You have put up a good performance if your score lies between 18 to 25 points.
• Lastly, you have excelled the test if you have scored somewhere between 26 to 30 points

Apart from all the above-mentioned tips and tricks, your confidence will lead your way to a good score in TOEFL Speaking Test. Make sure that you exude confidence while giving your answers. Now that you know what it takes to ace this section, go ahead and excel in this exam.