9 TIPS You Need to KNOW to Ace the TOEFL Test in 2025

Hello, everyone, and welcome back. I'm Anastasia, I scored 119 out of 120 on the TOEFL, and I have been helping students prepare for the exam for over 10 years now. I work with students one-on-one every day, and I keep noticing the same issues that stop them from reaching their goals.

So, in this video, I've collected the top 9 mistakes that hold students back, and based on those, I'll share 9 tips to help you succeed. My goal is to make this not just a theoretical list, but something practical you can use right away. That's why I'll be using the LinguaTOEFL platform to show you the real test examples, and we'll even go through some of the tasks together.

So, keep watching! This video is especially helpful for students who've been preparing for a while but still haven't reached their target score. But even if you're just getting started, it's still worth watching, so you don't waste time doing the wrong things. Let's get into it.

We'll go through each section, starting with reading. Tip number one. Skip the text and go straight to the questions.

One of the most common mistakes students make is trying to read the entire passage in detail. But here's the thing. You don't need to do that.

Let me show you what I mean. We're on the LinguaTOEFL platform now. I'm going to go to the Training section, select Reading, and show you one of the practice tests.

As you can see, the passage itself is pretty long. And if you read the whole thing carefully, trying to understand every detail, you'll end up wasting a lot of time. Time you really need to answer the questions.

So, here's what I suggest. Don't read the passage right away. Go straight to the first question.

The only thing you might want to look at before that is the title. This passage is about renewable energy. More specifically, wind power and its benefits.

That's more than enough to give you a general idea of the text before you dive into the questions. So, read the heading, then jump right into the first question. Now, in this case, the first question is the sentence simplification question.

That means you don't even need to read the whole paragraph. Just find the highlighted sentence, which in this example is in the second paragraph. Now, the first.

Read that sentence carefully. Break it into a few simple ideas, and then choose the answer option that says the same thing in a clearer way. After that, move on to the next question, and keep going like that.

As you go question by question, you'll naturally pick up the main points from each paragraph. So, by the time you get to the summary question at the end, you'll already have a solid understanding of the whole passage. And here's a tip.

You can always jump to any question using the review button. That gives you more control and helps you manage your time better. Now, you've just heard me mention terms like the summary question, the sentence simplification question, and so on.

These are the names of the question types you'll get in the TOEFL reading section. And that brings me to the second important tip. Drill each reading question type.

In my one-on-one sessions, I often see that many students don't even know the names of the question types, let alone what strategy they should use to answer them correctly, and more importantly, quickly. There are also those who do know the strategies, but struggle to apply them effectively because of time pressure or a lack of focused practice. So remember, you need to know the TOEFL reading question types.

And you need to know them really well if you want a high score. To do that, you have to practice each one separately. This is actually one of my biggest frustrations with most prep resources.

They only offer full reading tests and don't give you the chance to practice each specific question type on its own. That's why when Lingotrip came up with the idea of creating a TOEFL prep platform, I was adamant that we needed a section dedicated to drilling the reading question types. Without it, the whole platform wouldn't make sense.

So let's go to the vocabulary section and select reading question types. As you can see, you can focus on each question type one at a time and keep practicing until you really feel like you've got it down solidly. There are eight reading question types on the TOEFL test.

They are factual information, which asks us about specific details clearly stated in the passage. Negative factual information, which are similar to factual questions, but you need to identify the one detail that is not true. Inference.

These questions ask you to understand ideas that are suggested, but not directly stated in the paragraph. Rhetorical purpose. Asks why the author included a specific piece of information.

Vocabulary. Tests your understanding of the meaning of a word based on its use and context. Sentence simplification.

This question asks you to choose a sentence that best simplifies a longer or more complex one while keeping the meaning. Insert text. This question asks where a new sentence would best fit within a paragraph.

And prose summary. Asks you to choose three correct sentences that best summarize the main ideas of the passage. Let's start with the first question type, the factual information question.

It's one of the most common on the test and many students struggle with it. Here is the first question. These questions usually begin with according to.

On test day, the question will usually say according to paragraph one, since it refers to a specific section of the passage. Here is the strategy. First, find the keywords in the question.

Then, locate the part of the text that contains those keywords. Read it and find the right answer. In this case, the keywords are decline and Roman Empire.

I immediately spot the sentence. The decline of the Roman Empire can be attributed to various factors, but among most significant were economic instability and political corruption. The question asked about the major contributing factors and the test clearly says that most significant factors were economic instability and political corruption.

So, the correct answer is C. Great. As you can see, the platform also gives you a short explanation so you can check whether your reasoning was correct. Now, let's move on to question two.

It says according to passage four, what factor contributed to the decline of traditional craftsmanship during the industrial revolution? I need to find why traditional craftsmanship declined. The first sentence introduces the idea but doesn't explain why. Then, I read.

As mechanized production methods became widespread, small-scale artisans and craftsmen found it difficult to compete with large factories. So, the answer is C again. Mechanized production methods.

Then, I go to the next question which says what aspects of Thomas Edison's work in the late 19th century contributed to the transformation of society? The text says Edison developed several groundbreaking inventions, including the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph. That means answer C is once more correct. At the beginning of the training, the questions are slightly easier to help you learn the strategy.

But as you continue, they become more and more challenging. The idea is to make the strategy automatic. Find keywords, locate one to three sentences in the text, read carefully, and choose the correct answer.

Once you've practiced all the factual information questions, this process becomes second nature. Then, you can apply it in full reading passages much more easily. Once I finish this section, the platform gives me a performance breakdown.

And then, I move on to other question types. Drill each question the same way, making sure your strategy helps you find the right answers quickly. Once you feel confident with all the question types, go back to full reading sections and do test after test, analyzing your mistakes and tracking your progress.

Now, what if you are still struggling to understand the reading passages? What if you don't understand half of what's written? Then, it's time for tip number three. Expand your advanced vocabulary. This includes learning topic-specific words, words that often appear in texts about history, biology, agriculture, and so on.

I've posted a lot of videos on this channel about these topics, so feel free to check them out. But they are also general academic words, not tied to any topic, that show up all the time on TOEFL. These are the ones you'll often see in vocabulary questions, and they're also the ones you need to understand overall.

Unlike topic-specific terms that you can sometimes guess from context, these academic words like obtain, ubiquitous, procure, segregation, are essential. You need to know them. I've made a few videos on words like these, and you can start by watching those.

Then, go to the vocabulary section of the platform. You'll find tests for essential TOEFL words, academic vocabulary, advanced vocabulary. There are different types of tasks you'll see.

In some, you might fill in the blanks. In others, you'll need to choose a synonym for a word, but the goal is always the same. You need to comfortable with words like allocate, ambitious, arduous, analysis, assume, authority, because they show up on the test all the time.

Practicing them will help you answer vocabulary questions faster and improve your overall reading speed and comprehension. And here is one more tip. Whenever you learn a new word during your prep, add it to your personal dictionary.

That could be digital, like on the platform or in a notebook, whatever works for you. What's important is to review these words regularly, and if possible, avoid translating them into your native language. Instead, write down a definition or a synonym in English.

So, tip number four is learn definitions in English. For example, if you catch yourself using the word benefit too many times in speaking, you can use advantage instead. Or if you come across the word arduous in a reading passage, you'll know it means difficult.

This way, you'll remember new words better and you'll use them more confidently without constantly translating them in your head. When I teach TOEFL 101 lessons, I always speak English even with beginners. This approach really works.

When I introduce a new word, I bring pictures, examples, and ask a lot of questions, anything to get students using it right away. You should definitely do that too. One of my favorite assignments, and many of my students know this, is creating matching tasks where they have to connect words with their meanings.

They take time, but it's exactly why they work. You really remember the words. So, the next time you want to learn a lot of new words, ask ChatGPT to generate some matching tasks, or even better, create them yourself.

While making this kind of task, you'll actually learn most of the vocabulary you're working with. Tip number five is all about the listening session. Make sure you take smart notes while you listen.

What I often see is that students either don't take any notes at all and just rely on their memory, or they take too many notes, which ends up distracting them from actually listening. Your notes should be just the right amount. First, to help you stay focused while the recording is playing, and second, to help you remember small details you might otherwise forget.

Let's look at an example of how your notes might look. On the platform, I'll select the listening practice, then go to the first conversation. Before we start, just a quick heads up.

As you can see, in this section, you'll get three lectures and two conversations, and both types will play before you'll see any questions. Each recording is played only once, so it's really important to stay focused and not let yourself get distracted during these three to four minutes. By the way, I'll be releasing a full video on the listening section soon, so make sure you subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon so you don't miss it.

Now, let's listen to a short piece of a conversation. It's between a student and a student advisor. As I listen, I usually write down the main ideas.

This keeps me focused and helps prevent my mind from wandering. You can divide your notes into two columns, one for the student and one for the advisor, or just break the information into blocks. I have this big presentation coming up, and to be honest, public speaking isn't exactly my forte.

I get really nervous. That's perfectly understandable. Many students feel that way.

It's like learning to ride a bike. A bit wobbly at first, but you get the hang of it. What specifically are you worried about? Everything.

I worry I'll freeze up, forget my lines, or you know, just completely bomb in front of everyone. For this part, my notes might look something like this. Has an appointment.

Big presentation coming up. Public speaking. Isn't his thing.

A, which stands for advisor. Understandable. Like learning to ride a bike.

What worried about? S. Everything. Freeze. Freeze up.

Forget his lines. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation here. That's not what matters.

Just write down groups of words, not single ones. That makes your notes easier to read. You don't need to finish every long word, but make sure you can still read your notes afterwards.

If you want more help with note-taking, such as how to organize your notes, what to include, and what to skip, click the link below and join our TOEFL prep course. If you go for the pro package, I'll evaluate your speaking and writing and let you know exactly what to improve to raise your score. Now, ideally, it's best to practice with full-length tests.

If you don't have that much time, just do a few lectures or conversations on a regular basis. It's much better to practice consistently every day, even in small chunks. Now, tip number seven is practice campus and idiomatic vocabulary.

On the platform, we've added two extra vocabulary sections, campus vocabulary and idiomatic vocabulary, and there's a reason for that. These two types of vocabulary are especially important for the speaking and listening sections of the test. Many TOEFL conversations are campus-related, and you'll often hear students mention things like orientation week, prerequisites, majors, sophomore year, electives, and so on.

If you're not familiar with these terms, even simple conversations can become hard to follow. Also, question two of the speaking section often involves campus situations. If you open the speaking section on the platform, you'll see that question two includes a short reading about a change happening on campus, followed by a conversation on the same topic.

Even in question one, you'll frequently get questions related to university or campus life, although it also covers more general topics, like the benefits of taking risks, doing household chores, and more. That's where idiomatic vocabulary becomes especially useful. And here's a nice bonus.

The platform evaluates your answers and gives you quick feedback to help you improve. Tip number eight. Drill question one of the speaking section.

Let's talk about question one of the speaking section. I can't stress enough how important it is to practice this question regularly. If you've ever taken a consultation with me after finishing the TOEFL course, you know I spend a lot of time working on this exact question.

Here is the method I recommend. Break your response into three steps. Answer the question, give a reason, and provide an example.

Then, practice how to begin each part the same way every time and drill each part individually until your fluency becomes consistent. Also, make a list of 15 to 20 idiomatic expressions and campus-related words you can use in almost any answer. Keep this list with you and use it during your practice sessions.

Now, let's try answering one of the questions and see how the platform scores my response. You can pause the video and answer it yourself first, then listen to my version. Ready? Let's go.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should require all students to live on campus during their first year. Use specific reasons and examples in your answer. Please prepare your answer after the beep.

Please begin speaking after the beep. I agree that living on campus should be mandatory for freshmen, mostly because it gives students a much richer college experience. When I was a first-year student myself, I lived in the dorms, and being so close to everything allowed me to take part in many campus activities.

It also saves you a lot of time, since you don't have to commute every day or get stuck in traffic. Instead, you can use that extra time to focus on your studies or join extracurricular events. Another undeniable benefit of living in university housing is that it's much easier to make friends and build strong bonds with them.

You literally do everything together, like you go to classes with your roommates, hang out afterward, and even study or do research with each other. Now let's check my score. The platform evaluated my response and gave me a 4 out of 4. I used some interesting vocabulary in my response, such as mandatory, freshmen, richer college experience, dorms, campus activities, commute, extracurricular events, and so on.

As you can see, many of these words are part of campus-related vocabulary, and that's exactly why I always recommend studying this topic carefully. It really helps in many parts of the test. Now let's take a look at the feedback I received.

As you can see, the AI liked my personal story about being a freshman and mentioned that I gave enough reasons and examples to support my opinion. Again, if you're not a fast speaker, stick to the structure I just outlined. Answer the question, give one clear reason, and explain it with a personal example.

If you speak more quickly, you can try adding a second reason to strengthen your answer. And if you're thinking, I'll never be able to master this question, trust me, it's totally doable. You just need to practice each part of your response until it feels natural.

That way, no matter what question you're asked, you'll know exactly how to answer with confidence. And of course, don't forget to use the right template. You can find high-scoring templates by clicking the link down below.

Finally, tip number nine is give a different opinion in the writing for an academic discussion task. Our last section today is the writing section, and specifically its final task, the writing for an academic discussion task. When responding to this question, don't be afraid to offer a different opinion from the other two students.

In fact, you should give an opinion that's different. That's how you contribute something new to the discussion. I often see people trying to agree with one of the students, but they end up just repeating the same ideas that have already been mentioned.

Don't make this mistake. TOEFL writers are looking for critical thinking and your ability to present clear and well-supported arguments. It has to be your opinion, not someone else's.

And just like in speaking question one, you need to support your opinion with solid reasoning and relevant examples. Add a bit of detail to show that you're not just stating an opinion, you're explaining it. Well, that was it for today.

Thanks for watching. If you found this video helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon to be notified when the next video comes out. And remember, scoring 100 plus on the TOEFL isn't rocket science.

It's the little things you do that make all the difference. As always, I wish you all a stellar TOEFL score. Until next time!

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This is a great request! I can turn that transcript into a structured lecture format.

Here is the lecture on the Top 9 Mistakes and 9 Tips for TOEFL Success:

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🚀 Welcome: Overcoming TOEFL Obstacles

Hello, everyone, and welcome back. I'm Anastasia, and with my personal score of 119 out of 120 on the TOEFL and over 10 years of helping students prepare, I've noticed the same recurring issues that stop people from reaching their goals.

In this lecture, I've collected the top 9 mistakes that hold students back, and based on those, I'll share 9 practical tips to help you succeed. This is especially helpful if you've been preparing for a while but are stuck, but it's also essential if you're just starting out—you'll learn how to avoid wasting time on the wrong things.

Let's dive into the sections, starting with Reading.

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📚 Section 1: TOEFL Reading Strategies

Tip 1: Skip the Text and Go Straight to the Questions (Time Management)

The most common mistake students make is trying to read the entire passage in detail. You don't need to do that.

1. Read only the title: Just get a general idea of the topic (e.g., "Renewable Energy: Wind Power").

2. Go directly to the first question: For a question like Sentence Simplification, you only need to read the highlighted sentence and the immediate context.

3. Process paragraph by paragraph: As you answer questions sequentially, you'll naturally pick up the main points. By the time you get to the Prose Summary question at the end, you'll already have a solid understanding of the entire passage.

   Tip: Use the Review button to jump to any question and manage your time better.

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Tip 2: Drill Each Reading Question Type (Focused Practice)

Many students struggle because they don't know the specific names or strategies for each question type. To achieve a high score, you must know them well and practice them individually.

There are eight reading question types on the TOEFL test:

Question Type	Focus	Key Strategy
Factual Information	Specific details clearly stated.	Find the keywords in the question, locate them in the text, and read that sentence carefully.
Negative Factual	Identify the one detail that is NOT true.	Locate and eliminate the three true statements.
Inference	Understand ideas suggested, but not directly stated.	Read between the lines based on the provided text.
Rhetorical Purpose	Why the author included a specific piece of information.	Determine the function of a detail in relation to the main point.
Vocabulary	Understanding a word based on its context.	Look at the sentence and determine the best synonym.
Sentence Simplification	Choosing the sentence that best simplifies a longer, complex one.	Break the original into simple ideas and find the matching answer.
Insert Text	Where a new sentence best fits within a paragraph.	Look for transitional words and logical flow.
Prose Summary	Choose three correct sentences that best summarize the main ideas.	Identify the main points of the entire passage.

Example (Factual Information Strategy): The question mentions "decline" and "Roman Empire." I immediately scan for those keywords, find the relevant sentence, and select the answer that matches the stated facts. The goal is to make this process automatic.

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Tip 3: Expand Your Advanced Vocabulary (Comprehension Foundation)

If you're struggling to understand the reading passages, it's time to build your vocabulary. Focus on two main types:

1. Topic-Specific Words: Terms related to history, biology, agriculture, etc.

2. General Academic Words: Terms like obtain, ubiquitous, procure, allocate, arduous. These are not topic-specific and appear constantly, often in Vocabulary questions, and are essential for overall comprehension.

Tip: As you learn new words, add them to a personal dictionary (digital or physical) and review them regularly.

Tip 4: Learn Definitions in English (Boost Fluency)

Avoid translating new words into your native language. This slows down your comprehension and fluency.

• Instead of translating: Write down an English definition or a synonym (e.g., arduous $\rightarrow$ difficult; benefit $\rightarrow$ advantage).

• Practice using them immediately: Use new words in sentences, create matching tasks (even ask a tool like ChatGPT to generate them for you), and force yourself to think in English. This is how you remember them better and use them more confidently.

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🎧 Section 2: TOEFL Listening Strategies

Tip 5: Take Smart Notes While You Listen (Focus and Recall)

The mistake here is either taking no notes (relying purely on memory) or taking too many notes (distracting you from the audio). Your notes should be just the right amount to keep you focused and help you recall small details.

• Structure: Divide your notes into columns (e.g., Student | Advisor) or break the information into blocks.

• Content: Write down groups of words and main ideas, not single words. Use abbreviations you can read later (e.g., A for Advisor, S for Student).

• Priority: Do not worry about grammar or punctuation. Focus on capturing the core information and flow of the conversation or lecture.

Remember: Each recording is played only once, so focus is critical.

Tip 6: Practice Consistently

It's much better to practice consistently every day, even in small chunks (a few lectures or conversations), than to cram once a week. Consistency builds the stamina and focus you need for test day.

Tip 7: Practice Campus and Idiomatic Vocabulary

These two vocabulary types are especially important for the Listening and Speaking sections:

1. Campus Vocabulary: Terms like orientation week, prerequisites, majors, sophomore year, electives. Conversations are often set on campus, and unfamiliarity with these terms can make simple dialogue hard to follow.

2. Idiomatic Vocabulary: Expressions that improve your naturalness and can be used in Speaking questions and often appear in Listening content.

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🗣️ Section 3: TOEFL Speaking and Writing Strategies

Tip 8: Drill Question 1 of the Speaking Section (Structure and Fluency)

The most important step for Speaking Question 1 is practicing a simple, consistent structure. Break your response into three essential steps:

1. Answer the Question (State your opinion clearly).

2. Give a Reason (Provide one clear explanation).

3. Provide an Example (Support your reason with a personal story or specific detail).

Tip: Fluency is key. Practice how to begin each part the same way every time. Also, keep a list of 15–20 idiomatic expressions and campus-related words to use in almost any answer.

• Example Response Structure (Agree/Disagree):

  • "I agree that living on campus should be mandatory for freshmen, mostly because it gives students a much richer college experience." (Answer + Reason 1)

  • "When I was a first-year student myself, I lived in the dorms, and being so close to everything allowed me to take part in many campus activities." (Example 1)

  • "Another undeniable benefit is that it’s much easier to make friends and build strong bonds with them." (Reason 2 - optional for faster speakers)

Tip 9: Give a Different Opinion in the Writing for an Academic Discussion Task (Critical Thinking)

For the Writing for an Academic Discussion task, a common mistake is simply agreeing with one of the other students and repeating their ideas.

• The Goal: The TOEFL writers are looking for critical thinking and your ability to contribute something new to the discussion.

• The Strategy: Offer an opinion that is different from the other two students. Support your unique opinion with solid reasoning and relevant examples, adding detail to show you're not just stating a position, but explaining it.

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🎓 Conclusion

Scoring 100+ on the TOEFL isn't rocket science. It's the little things you do consistently—drilling question types, building targeted vocabulary, and applying smart strategies—that make all the difference.

As always, I wish you all a stellar TOEFL score!

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Would you like me to find a practice example for one of the specific TOEFL question types we discussed, like Negative Factual Information or Rhetorical Purpose?