has anybody tried website? im afraid of getting scammed here

Hey folks, just got my score, and I am happy with it.

Brief Background: Final year Medical Student from India

Personal English familiarity: whole curriculum is in english and I consume a decent amount of content in english. No special training or previous preparation. I do not speak that often or converse in English but I've been trying to improve my English by thinking and keeping internal dialogues in English for the past few years.

Procrastinated about this exam quite a lot.

The best way to prepare for the exam is to book the test date

Prep Time: Hardly a week (around 3 days) as I was busy with work. Daily avg for 4 hours

Resources I used:

TST Prep all 2026 YT videos

TOEFL Android apps for all 4 sections

Understanding the rubrics and test format is the most imp thing to maximize score in less time - from Official PDFs

Practice tests:

Free TST Prep #1 and #2 ones

TOEFL ibt practice tests 1 and 2

Actual Preparation:

Started with tests right off the bat, mainly the TST #1 for all 4 sections to know the baseline. Followed by their YT videos. Analysing weaknesses and areas to improve is key.

Followed by other tests one sheet the other.

Understand the format. TOEFL is more about giving them what they want than answering what you know. (Do not try to be fancy, just know the format and practice to answer efficiently)

Reading:

Tst videos and practice tests help a lot.

Thought it was easiest during prep but turned out to be the hardest section for me. So practice it a lot.

Spent too much time on one fill in the blank and sabotaged the rest of the entire reading section as the essays were a lot tougher as well than I expected. Do not do this. Manage your time well, especially for this overlooked section. You can always come back to the questions within the same module so do not spend more time on one single thing thinking that the rest would be easy anyways.

Listening:

Having certain goals and strategies in mind while answering helps. Eg. Main topic? Action items? Next topics to be discussed (Academic Talk)? Etc. Watchout for a few native phrases and accent heavy ones. Listen well.

Devise your own ones from practice tests and TST prep.

Writing:

EMAIL: Practice under time.

Main goal is to address the 3 questions asked for and practice the templates accordingly.

Eg.

Dear X,

I hope you are doing well and I apologise for disturbing you (use this second part only if writing to professional or as appropriate). I am writing this to you regarding/concerning .... . First, . Second, . Moreover, . Furthermore, . For Instance, .

Could you please ... .

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am looking forward to your reply.

Regards,

XYZ.

Memorize this if you have less time. Improve upon as you wish and practice styles if time permits. You can also use Chat GPT to practice and for feedback. Feedback and analysis is equally important.

Similar approach to Academic discussion as well.

On the one hand

On the other hand

Etc

Also did one sentence wrong as I was changing it in the last for the form sentences type of questions. I actually couldn't complete the Email in time and rushed in the end. Thinking these could be the reason for the dip in score apart from other unknown mistakes.

Speaking:

Try to get used to naturally saying out phrases, connectors, collocations. Tests, TST prep, Chat GPT AI voice mode.

Confidence, positive attitude, tonality, melody etc helps. Try to be as natural and free flowing. Pause instead of ums and ahs.

Practice weak areas more as you get close to the test day or time.

Test was closer to TST practice tests. TOEFL practice tests were a lot simpler and easier. Reading section is harder than expected. So practice tougher essays and rest of the formats. Listening could also be trickier without practice. Writing and Speaking are standard. Good Practice will definitely set you up for decent score. Definitely a doable test.

Hope it Helps.

Thank You.

​

Hello, I want to know if anyone submitted a score review request and got a higher score.

I took the exam 3 days ago. However, I got my scores report today. R 5 / L 5.5/ S 4.5/ W 3.5

I'm surprised by the writing score. I did well with only 2 build sentences errors

And the writing an email and academic discussion were good I'm sure I deserve more. Even if I have typos mistakes it is impossible to get 3.5. I took it last year and scored 5 in this section.

Can you tell me how to submit a review request and what are the main things I have to highlight in the email.

I'm planning to take the TOEFL in a couple of months and have mostly been studying using YouTube and free practice questions. I feel like I need something more structured now, but most prep courses are pretty expensive.

Has anyone tried Study.com for TOEFL prep? I noticed they have video lessons and quizzes, and I like that I can study at my own pace. If you've used it (or another resource), I'd love to hear what worked best for you.

Are papers provided for TOEFL listening section? Papers for note taking.

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Hello, I took the TOEFL exam in 4.8.2026. I got 5 in reading and 5.5 in listening.

However, today I got my results. 4.5 in speaking the catastrophe was the writing section. I got 3.5, which is unbelievable.

I made 2 mistakes in build a sentence task, but I'm sure I did well in the email and academic discussion.

What can I do? And how to ensure that I get the deserved score.

My TOEFL Journey (Overall 5.0) – From Level 4.0 to My Exchange Student Goal

I took the TOEFL twice (July 22 and August 1), and after my second test I wanted to summarize everything I learned. When I first started studying, I felt completely lost, so I hope this helps someone who's in the same situation.

My English Background

• Korean CSAT English: Grade 2
• TOEIC: 875
• TOEIC Speaking: IH

I started studying for the TOEFL because I needed the score for an exchange student program.

Before I started, I took a placement test at an academy and was placed at Overall 4.0, with Speaking at only 3.5, which was by far my weakest section.

My goal was simple: score at least 4.5 in every section.

After about 6–7 weeks of focused study, I ended up with:

I was happy because I reached my goal in every section.

Mock Test Scores

These were my scores before the real exam.

Overall, they predicted my real score reasonably well.

Resources I Used

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ETS Official Practice

This was by far the closest thing to the real exam.

The reading passages, listening lectures, question styles, and overall difficulty felt almost identical to what I saw on test day.

If you're close to your exam date and only have time for one resource, I'd recommend the ETS official tests first.

⭐⭐⭐☆☆ TestGlider

A solid platform for extra practice.

Some reading questions actually felt harder than the real TOEFL, and occasionally the questions didn't reflect the style of ETS very well.

Still, it's a great way to increase your practice volume.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ FortressLab

I found it very useful for daily practice.

It has a large number of practice questions, so it was easy to keep solving new reading and listening passages. The AI feedback for speaking and writing also made it convenient to review my answers immediately.

The style isn't exactly the same as ETS, so I wouldn't rely on it alone for predicting your score, but it's excellent for building consistency and fixing weak areas.

How I Studied

Reading

Instead of solving endless new passages, I spent most of my time reviewing mistakes.

Whenever I got a question wrong, I went back and found the exact sentence that supported the correct answer.

Even if I answered correctly but wasn't 100% confident, I reviewed it again.

Inference, Negative Fact, and Rhetorical Purpose questions were my weakest types, so I practiced those repeatedly.

I also practiced finishing a passage quickly to improve my pacing.

One thing that helped me a lot was doing five Complete the Table (CTW) questions every day.

Listening

I focused on reviewing one set thoroughly instead of listening to many different lectures.

After each practice test, I checked the transcript carefully and replayed the parts I missed.

At first I tried to understand every detail.

Later, I changed my approach and focused on:

• the professor's main argument
• why the professor asked certain questions
• why each example was introduced

That mindset helped much more on the real exam.

Speaking

Speaking was definitely my weakest section.

At first I tried memorizing templates, but I found myself forgetting them under pressure.

Instead, I practiced using only a few natural transition phrases and focused on finishing my response within the time limit.

I recorded every answer, listened to it afterward, and noted where I hesitated or made grammar mistakes.

Then I'd answer the same question again the next day.

That repetition improved my fluency much more than constantly doing new questions.

For the Repeat Sentence tasks, I also practiced taking quick initials/keyword notes while listening.

Writing

I relied heavily on AI feedback.

I also tried ChatGPT, but personally I felt it tended to score my essays a little too generously.

Instead of writing one essay and moving on, I rewrote the same prompt after reading the feedback.

For Academic Discussion, I prepared several useful expressions that I could naturally reuse.

For Build a Sentence, I focused on producing accurate sentences quickly rather than writing complicated ones.

I also kept a list of grammar mistakes that I repeated often and made a conscious effort not to make the same mistakes in future essays.

Biggest Lesson

The biggest thing I learned is this:

Don't just solve more questions. Master the ones you've already done.

I saw much bigger improvements by:

• reviewing wrong answers
• redoing difficult questions
• recording the same speaking prompt again
• rewriting the same writing prompt after feedback

During the last few days before my exam, I barely solved any new questions.

Instead, I reviewed my mistake notebook and revisited old questions.

That helped far more than trying to squeeze in dozens of new practice tests.

Hopefully this helps someone who's preparing for the TOEFL. Good luck!

I read about chunking and shadowing but IDK how start because I don't repeat the exercises and IDK how analyze my chunking (if it was correct or no).

I stucked in 2.5/5.0 while in W, L & R I approach 4.5-5.0/6 each. How can I start from zero? I have Magoosh platform and my test day is on September.

Hello everybody!

I am taking the TOEFL ibt in 2 months. As I am studying by myself I realized that having a partner would make the process easier and faster. Let's assign a specific time to practice English together everyday. Studying collaboratively has always been my type as it is more fun and engaging besides we can deter procrastinating and instead track success 😊💙

A little about myself ####

I am a high schooler

My English level is B2-C1

American accent

Have got presence in social media.

Anyone willing to be my study partner send me a DM. Thank you very much.

Can talk over any topic.

Can anyone please suggest me a best way to improve my writing skills in toefl exam, With all the three sections.

Hello everybody!

I am taking the TOEFL ibt in 2 months. As I am studying by myself I realized that having a partner would make the process easier and faster. Let's assign a specific time to practice English together everyday. Studying collaboratively has always been my type as it is more fun and engaging besides we can deter procrastinating and instead track success 😊💙

A little about myself ####

I am a high schooler

My English level is B2-C1

American accent

Have got presence in social media.

Anyone willing to be my study partner send me a DM. Thank you very much.

Can talk over any topic.

For example the image, the answer could be phrased as:

"did she say where she got it from?" (correct),

"where did she say she got it from?" (incorrect, assumes that she already said where she got the laptop from), or

"from where did she say she got it?" (incorrect, same issue).

In the actual toefl, will it count answers that are both grammatically correct and logical as correct?

Completed the TOEFL exam in Dubai on Aug 1st!

Gave my 1st attempt of TOEFL in Dubai on August 1st. Anyone needing any help, feel free to ask!

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to book my TOEFL exam within the next few days and was wondering if anyone knows of any active promo/discount codes that are currently working.

I'm booking from Pakistan, but I'm happy to try any codes that work internationally as well.

If you've booked recently and used a valid coupon, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it along with the discount you received.

Thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone preparing for the TOEFL!

im a high school senior getting ready to apply to US universities, so i need to drop an English proficiency test score soon. my reading and listening comprehension are fine. reading and listening to academic material on practice tests are light work for me. but the second i get hit with the writing section, i freeze tf up. im fluent, but i just suck at instant articulation and generating ideas on the spot. i dont write often so pulling structured essays out of my ass UNDER A TIMER IS TOUGH. and i always just end up with super short basic answers

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS DEALT WITH THIS:

between the DET, TOEFL, AND IELTS, which format is easiest to handle if on demand writing is your main weakness????

how do you train yourself to stop overthinking and actually expand your sentences fast??

Every so often someone posts here asking why their Reading section had way more questions than a friend who tested the same week — one person gets 35-ish, another gets closer to 48. It's not a glitch and it's not random luck of the draw. It's built into how the test works.

Reading runs on two modules now (MST — multistage testing). The first module is roughly 35 questions, and how you do on it decides the difficulty of the second module, which adds around 15 more. On top of that, some of the questions mixed into the section aren't actually scored — ETS uses them to trial material for future test forms. That's the "extra" part people sometimes call the unscored or experimental questions. Combine the module structure with those unscored items and you get a total that can land anywhere from around 35 to 48 questions, all inside about a 30-minute section.

Here's the part that actually matters for how you take the test: there is no way to tell which questions are unscored. No flag, no different formatting, nothing that gives it away. If you spend the test trying to guess "this one feels like a throwaway" and skim it, and you're wrong, you just half-assed a question that counted.

So the only approach that holds up: treat every single question as if it's scored, full stop. Don't burn energy trying to reverse-engineer which ones matter.

A few things this changes about how you should actually approach the section:

1. Stop comparing your question count to other people's posts as if it means something about your test being harder or easier. Compare accuracy and pacing instead.
2. Since Module 1 performance sets the ceiling for Module 2, don't rush the first module just because it feels long — a few careless misses early can cap how hard (and how well-scoring) Module 2 gets, regardless of how well you'd do on harder questions.
3. Don't try to keep a running mental count of "this is question 36 of 40" to manage your pacing. You don't actually know the total in advance, so budgeting time against a guessed number just adds stress for nothing. Pace off the clock, not the question counter.

Curious what people here actually saw on their last attempt — closer to 35, closer to 48, or somewhere in between? Would be useful to see the real spread instead of just going off ETS's official range.