Reading
In order to succeed on the reading section of standardized tests, students need to practice reading constantly. The more reading you do regularly, the better your vocabulary, your speed, and your comprehension will be. But how do you find a steady source of quality reading material? Take a look at the links below. By using these resources, you will have a nearly endless supply of free, almost entirely non-fiction, reading material.
Reading to get you TOEFL ready
What to expect from the Reading section on the TOEFL
The Reading section of the TOEFL is made up of 3 or 4 academic articles followed by roughly 12 questions about the passage. If you have 4 reading passages, one will be part of the experimental section that ETS uses to test out new material and it will not affect your score, though you will not know which passage is the experiment.
All passages on the TOEFL are non-fiction passages that look like excerpts from college textbooks. The subjects range, covering everything from agriculture to music, but you are not expected to know any outside information in order to succeed.
The questions that follow each passage follow 10 disctinct patterns, so make sure you practice each type and know which ones are your strengths and which ones are your weaknesses.
For each passage and set of questions, ETS gives you 20 minutes. At the end of 20 minutes, the test does not automatically move you to the next section. It is therefore important that you manage your time on your own knowing that the expectation is 20 minutes a piece. In other words, if you have 3 passages with corresponding questions, you will be given 60 minutes that you must divide. Many students spend entirely too much time on the first set of questions, potentially costing them easy points on the last passage and question set.
Reading Strategies for the TOEFL
What can you do to improve your Reading Section score? Follow these suggestions to increase your comprehension and ultimately your score.
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Use the title to identify important terms. Pay attention when these words or their synonyms (words that mean the same thing) are used.
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Practice taking notes on a different piece of paper. Although homework or in class practice may often be printed, you should practice abstaining from writing on the actual text. On the day of the real test, the reading passage will appear on the computer screen, so you will not be able to write on the actual passage. By taking your notes on a different piece of paper when you practice, you are simulating the test. We want practice to be as realistic as possible so you are prepared the day of the exam.
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Read the full introduction paragraph, then the last question (it will always be a summary or an organizing into charts question), then the topic sentences of each paragraph. Afterwards, go back and skim the remaining sentences in order to save some time.
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Outline as you read (not after-- outlining after wastes time). This will help you answer detail, summary, negative detail, organizing information into charts, and inference questions. Also, make sure you practice outlining by completing an outline every time you have reading homework.
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Look for patterns in your outline. Words that are repeated in your outline will likely help you answer questions. What do the important terms or examples in a paragraph have in common? What makes them different from the paragraph that came before? This may help you sort answers into the right section for category questions.
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It is not important to understand everything you read. As long as you understand the gist--the most important points-- you can answer the majority of the questions.
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Don't feel the need to answer all of the questions in order. You should go through all of the questions and answer the ones you feel comfortable with first. If you see that sentence 6 is an inference question and you tend to get those wrong, skip it and write a 6 on the top of your notes so you remember to go back and answer it.
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Answer every question within the 20 minutes, and know that it is okay to guess. You should always eliminate (cross out) any wrong answers first because this will increase your chance at getting the answer right.
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Keep track of the types of questions you are getting wrong on your score tracker.
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Read frequently in English, even if you aren’t doing TOEFL specific reading practices. You can find many short (and some longer) articles to read with challenging, academic vocabulary in The New York Times and on The History Channel’s websites (History.com)