Mark Zolotar · Beyond English
Updated：2026-09-30
A test-preparation plan can be diligent, expensive, and obsolete. Before buying another book, check which version of the test it prepares you for.
Start with the receiving institution
Record the accepted test, delivery method, score requirements, and deadline. Treat those as constraints. A familiar test is useful only when the institution accepts it for your intended purpose.
iBT and ITP are different tests
If someone asks for a TOEFL score, establish which test they mean. An institutional assessment requirement and an admissions requirement may be different. Obtain the actual policy rather than relying on an abbreviated label.
Prepare for the current tasks
The current Speaking section uses sentence repetition and a simulated interview. Writing includes sentence construction, email writing, and an academic discussion contribution. Older integrated-response materials can still be useful language exercises, but should not define a current test simulation.
Check the scale as well as the number
ETS now reports section and overall results on a 1–6 scale. During the two-year transition beginning in January 2026, reports also include a comparable overall 0–120 result. Confirm the receiving institution’s requirements; do not invent a conversion.
Choose preparation by the errors it reveals
In repetition practice, compare the original audio with your recording. Separate a word you never recognised from a word you understood but could not retain or pronounce clearly. For an interview response, check whether your first sentence answers the actual question. For an email, list every requested action before writing, then check that each appears in the finished response.
These distinctions matter because “practise speaking” is too broad to be a useful prescription. The learner who cannot recognise a phrase needs a different next step from the learner who recognises it but cannot hold it long enough to repeat it.
Use a correction cycle
- Attempt a current-format task and preserve the answer.
- Identify the main failure: comprehension, retention, task fulfilment, organisation, or language control.
- Practise that component briefly.
- Repeat the task without reading a model answer.
- Use a new task to check transfer.
A corrected answer is useful evidence. A new answer that avoids the same mistake is better evidence of learning.
Sources and related reading
Format checked 30 September 2026 against ETS test content, Speaking and Writing. The practice sequence above is an editorial teaching recommendation.