Most Bhutanese students aspire to further their education in prestigious universities abroad. As part of your student visa application, you must take English proficiency tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Want to learn about the TOEFL exam pattern?

The TOEFL test evaluates your English proficiency in both academic and everyday situations. 

You can qualify for different courses if you get the required TOEFL score for the university you’re applying to. However, taking the TOEFL exam is not always easy, especially if you don’t have enough preparation time.  

That’s why we have compiled 6 challenging aspects of TOEFL exam patterns to help you face them head-on!

If you are looking for customized TOEFL preparation classes from certified tutors, connect with our professional tutors at Chhundu Training Institute(CTI) to prepare for your TOEFL practice test and achieve a high band score. To get started, book your class now!

1. Test Duration

One of the most challenging components of the TOEFL practice test is its test duration which takes approximately four hours to complete. 

Even if you consider many of the questions to be simple, analyzing the answers takes a significant amount of time.

Furthermore, the TOEFL writing section requires you to prepare and compose two essays, so you may run out of time when you arrive at this section. 

The solution? You must work on your endurance and learn to pace before you begin.

2. Challenging Vocabulary

You’ll be directly examined on your vocabulary knowledge in the reading part. Every section of the TOEFL exam pattern will require you to use your vocabulary when reading vocab-heavy academic passages and answering questions directly about language. 

You will be better able to comprehend the questions for the TOEFL if you have a good vocabulary in English. You can widen your vocabulary by reading and using them in different contexts. 

3. Multiple skills required

The TOEFL exam pattern is divided into four sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing; however, this does not mean you will only practice one skill at a time. 

Many TOEFL test requires the use of two or more abilities to answer the questions. This is particularly noticeable in the Speaking and Writing parts. 

In Speaking, you’ll need to listen to a conversation, read a written paragraph, and then give your response, all in rapid sequence.

For the writing section, you must listen to a conversation, read a passage, and write your response. Other TOEFL questions include listening and reading, writing and speaking, and different skill combinations.

So, you must be able to quickly move between several English skills throughout the test to answer all the questions

4. Minor Specific Questions

The TOEFL exam pattern can be challenging if you only skim chapters, answer questions, and know only half of what was discussed.

You will frequently be given questions regarding minor facts to test your English knowledge.

You must understand and answer questions regarding minor details in written passages in both the reading and writing sections. 

You can miss out on many questions if you’re used to skimming or ignoring words or phrases you don’t understand while practicing for your TOEFL preparation. 

This is particularly noticeable in the listening section when you listen to many minute-long audio recordings. 

There is a lot discussed in these recordings, and while you can take notes, you will not be able to listen to any of them again. You will only have one chance to recall everything.

The easiest way to approach this challenge is with lots of listening skills and practice. 

TOEFL preparation classes are a great way to prepare for the TOEFL exam. Our team of experts will help you identify your weaknesses and strengths so that your TOEFL exam is a walk in the park. 

5. Open-Ended Questions

Answering four hours of multiple-choice questions in English is challenging, but the TOEFL test requires more than selecting the correct answer. 

In both the Speaking and Writing sections, you will be asked wide, open-ended questions and will be required to respond in a clear and precise manner.

Consider this example. “What is your favorite childhood memory?” asks the speaker. To respond, you must choose one memory from your childhood and speak about it for 45 seconds. 

Similarly, in the Writing section, you’ll find essay questions encouraging you to describe your point of view on a particular issue and back it up with specific reasoning and examples.

6. Time Crunch

In addition to being an extended test and answering many tricky questions, you must also get through those questions reasonably quickly. 

The Speaking section probably has the fastest pacing of the entire TOEFL, and you’ll need to quickly jot down notes after hearing/reading the prompt to be ready to start speaking when the timer starts. 

For the Writing section, you’ll have more control over how you organize your time, but you’ll still need to complete two essays in less than an hour.

Overall, you won’t be able to spend much time pondering a particular question or figuring out what to say if you want to answer all the questions in time.

The TOEFL test like all tests can be challenging without the right preparation. Most Bhutanese students find the reading and listening sections challenging. 

But once you know which sections you need to spend more time practicing, you can easily track your progress and get you test-ready! If you’re working on your TOEFL test, make a table with your scores, the test date, and the skills you need to work on.

Learn which TOEFL countries are the best for you and be among those aspiring Bhutanese students who score high in their TOEFL exams. 

Remember, there are no “good” or “bad” scores in TOEFL. Each university sets its requirements, with 80 typically being the minimum requirement for most universities.

So, why take the chance of scoring low on your TOEFL test when you can contact CTI?