8 Tips For TOEFL Reading Section

Many test-takers have a hard time ploughing through the reading section. Here are a few tips that can make it a lot easier for you to tackle it.

Tip #1: be an active reader

TOEFL Reading passages tend to be pretty boring. While some test takers love topics like geology or psychology, for the majority, interest disappears after the initial paragraph. By the time you have reached the second paragraph, your concentration is gone too. And this is a huge problem.

This loss of focus will stop you from fully understanding the connection between different paragraphs and ideas in them. As a result, you will either choose the wrong answer or will keep re-reading the passage again and again.

What this means, is that approaching TOEFL passages with the same casual attitude as you might approach a newspaper or a novel is really inefficient. Instead, a deliberate, goal-oriented active reading strategy is required.

In contrast to passive reading, active reading helps you understand the material better and retain it longer.

What can you do to read actively?

Step 1 - Before delving into any paragraph in TOEFL reading section, adopt the mindset of a teacher. Ask yourself, "How would I articulate this to a seven-year-old?"

That's the basis of active reading.

Before attempting to answer any questions, ensure you grasp the paragraph's main idea clearly and concisely. Visualize explaining it to a group of children.

Here is an example from a reading passage:

"In both cell types, the interior is known as the cytoplasm. However, in eukaryotic cells, the term specifically denotes the space between the nucleus and the plasma membrane. Suspended within this cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, within the cytosol, are numerous organelles with specialized structures and functions. These membrane-bound organelles are largely absent in prokaryotic cells, further distinguishing them from eukaryotic cells. In this discussion, we will focus on eukaryotic cells, particularly zooming in on the nucleus, where the majority of the cell's DNA resides.”

In simplified terms, this paragraph explains that in eukaryotic cells, the cytoplasm holds a bunch of different parts called organelles, which aren't found in prokaryotic cells, that the nucleus where most of the cell's DNA hangs out.

If we simplify it further, we can say that only eukaryotic cells contain organelles and that the nucleus has the majority of the DNA.

Your explanation should be as simple as possible, because it will make it easier for you to understand the text and not to be overwhelmed by it.

Tip #2: practice reading with a timer

You won't have much time to complete the TOEFL reading section, and that's definitely going to be challenging, unless you consistently practice with a timer. The reason why this is very useful, is that you by the time you do the actual test, you will be used to reading and answering questions quickly and staying focused for extended periods of time.

First, do a practice test without sticking to strict timing. Rather, just track how much it takes you to answer every question and write those numbers down. Naturally, some questions take longer to answer than others, so don't be frustrated if you realize that a sentence insertion question or a summary question takes you 2-3 minutes to figure out.

Next, start doing practice tests and trying to answer questions within 60 to 120 seconds each. Below is the detailed breakdown of how much it should ideally take you to answer specific questions types:

At first you probably won't always answer those questions fast enough, but over time, with enough practice, you will be able to hit those targets easily. Just make sure that you keep tracking your progress.

Tip #3: use keywords

In many cases, you can use keywords in the answer choices and in the question itself to try finding the correct option. Some people do this sort of keyword filtering subconsciously, while others are not aware of it.

Here are a few tips for identifying keywords:



Let's look at an example below.

Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.



Using the tips about keywords, I can cut some of the text down:



Now it is a bit more apparent that eukaryotic cells might be quite an important collocation. Based on this, let's get rid of some more words:



Tip #4: improve your academic vocabulary

Since the TOEFL Reading passages focus on academic topics, the words they use are pretty advanced too. One of the best ways to improve your vocabulary besides reading, is to go through the TOEFL academic vocabulary list that the most common words you could find in the test.

You don't need to memorize every single form of a word. If you know the basic verb or the headword, you can usually figure out what the other forms mean. So, don't stress over every word in a word family; just focus on getting comfortable with the main one.

Knowing these words won't guarantee you'll understand every single word in the passage, but it will dramatically improve your chances.

Tip #5: watch out for modifiers in answer choices

Another way to identify wrong answer choice is to focus on modifiers. A modifier is an adjective or a noun that alters the meaning a word. If you choose an answer with the wrong modifier, meaning of the statement can change dramatically.

Here are a few examples

1. He gave a phenomenal speech.

2. He gave a good speech.

3. He gave a passable speech.

4. He gave a disappointing speech.

All of those adjectives significantly change the meaning of the sentences above. If you are not careful enough and do not fully understand what those words mean, it is very easy to choose the wrong answer.

Tip #6: understand how words are formed

Understanding word parts like prefixes, suffixes, and roots is really helpful for learning new words. For example, if you know that "ex-" means "out of or not," or "anti-" means "against or opposite," it can help you figure out what a word means, even if you've never seen it before.

When you're reading for tests like the TOEFL, you're bound to come across words you don't know. Knowing these word parts can make it easier to understand or guess what you're reading, not just for vocabulary questions but for understanding the whole passage.

The tricky part is there are lots of word parts to learn, and some are more useful than others. Below are some of prefixes, suffixes and roots that you will come across:

Miscellaneous

1. meta - after, change, beyond - metamorphosis, metaphysical, metadata, metabolism, metaphor

2. hyper - over, exaggeration - hyperactive, hyperbolic, hyperlink, hypertension

3. pan - all - pandemic, panorama, Pangea, pan, panacea

Negatives

1. mal - wrong, badly - malefic, malcontent, malpractice, malnourished, malevolent

2. dis - away from, the reverse effect - disable, disadvantage, disarm, displace, disrupt

3. mis - wrong, incorrect - misjudge, mislead, misprint, mistreat, misfortune

Direction/Balance

1. equi - equal - equidistant, equity, equilibrium, equinox, equivalent.

2. inter - among, between - interaction, intercept, intermediate, interject, international

3. ex - out of, not - exposure, exaggerate, exonerate, exude, exclusion

Science

1. hydro - water - hydroelectric, hydrometer, hydrophobia, hydropathic, hydrodynamic

2. astro - the stars, outer space - asteroid, astrology, astrolabe, astronaut, astrophysicist

3. socio - social, society - sociocultural, socioeconomic, sociolinguistic, sociopolitical, sociopath

Tip #7: read more

The more you read difficult (and boring) texts, the easier it will be for you to adapt to the reading section in TOEFL. Every day, read a few articles on Scientific American, National Geographic, New York times, Science Daily, Psychology Today. The more you read, the better your comprehension skills get and the easier it is for you to answer reading questions.

Tip #8: analyze your results and take the same test multiple times

Many students get caught up in doing as many tests as possible without analyzing their mistakes. They dive headfirst into practice sessions, thinking that's the golden ticket to score improvement. But here's the kicker: they never stop to ponder what they actually did wrong, why and what they should do better next time.

In this whole TOEFL game, practice is just one piece of the puzzle. It's just one of several steps. Alongside practice, you have to dedicate some serious time to reflecting and fine-tuning your approach.

How do you reflect properly? Create a spreadsheet where you can write why you have made a mistake and outline your next steps to avoid the same mistake in future. You could use the following format:

Mistake: I have chosen the wrong answer in the reading section in practice test #1.

Reason: I have misread an answer option in a paraphrase question, because I was in a hurry.

Solution: I should be extra careful with paraphrase questions and read answer options properly, making sure that I see differences between them and understand what they mean.

This approach will take some time getting used to, but in the long run it will help you avoid making the same mistake twice and will make you more aware all pitfalls.

On top of that, retake the same test about 2 weeks after your initial attempt. Maybe you will remember answers, maybe not, but the crucial thing here is that you will be able to put the solutions you have come up with to practice.