WHAT TO DO:
- Refrain from looking at the options to begin with. They should infact be the last things that you look at.
- Look for synonyms or antonyms that may help you understand the word being tested.
- Look at the words being used in conjunction with the word being tested. Some of the options may seem to be correct; however, they may not collate with those words in the text.
- Look at the word being tested and see if you can break it down into its basic components; prefix, root and suffix as these can often give vital information about the meaning of that word and lead you to the correct option.
- Use information in the passage to help you build a mental picture of the word being tested.
If after all that you still have no idea as to what the correct answer is, just take a guess and take a note of the question number; if you have any time left over you can always come back to it later.
OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
ETS, the company which created the new generation TOEFL iBT® exam, has spent a lot of time and effort finding out the best way to catch you out. Typical tricks they employ include:
- The use of false friends (words that appear to be and may sound the same in two different languages, but infact have two very different meanings, ie: Sympathetic and sempatik).
- Words which have more than one meaning. Here they play on the fact that with some vocabulary you only know one meaning of a particular word, and therefore eliminate it as a possible correct answer (take the word ‘’fast’’ for example; how many meanings does it have?).
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF VOCABULARY:
- Set yourself realistic daily goals. Learning 5 words per day is more effective than learning 20.
- You will come across books and lists of commonly used vocabulary on the exam, but remember that a lot of this vocabulary may not be tested on the exam.
- Practice using new vocabulary not only when writing, but also when speaking.
- Invest in some magazines such as National Geographic or New Scientist. It is easier to remember vocabulary if you see it on a daily basis.
- Use a good English dictionary to look up the other meanings of words you already know.
Invest in a good thesaurus. It is a quick and easy way to enlarge and enrich your vocabulary.
