The TOEFL Test

What was the most challenging thing you have ever done in your life? For some people it’s moving to the new place, for others to go to school. My journey started from the most important test for international students – TOEFL test. If you want to study at a university or find a job abroad, you need to pass the TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language). This test measures the ability of non-native English speakers to use and understand the English language as it is heard, spoken, read, and written in the university classroom.
The TOEFL test consists of four sections: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. The most challenging parts of the test for me was writing and speaking. Writing — because I had never written essays in English …show more content…
Only specialists who want to work in Europe or the United States study English. I decided to take the TOEFL test because I was planning to move to Europe and continue with my childhood education career there. Five months before the test, I began preparing. At that time, I didn’t have an idea how difficult the TOEFL test was. I felt confident in my knowledge of the English language before I bought my first TOEFL preparation guide book. To be honest, my first impression was, “Oh my God! What language is this?” I realized that my English was at the level of a fifth grader. When I turned to the first page of the book, I found a reading passage discussing the process of cultivating crops in the eighteen century. My heart sank because I had already registered for the test, and I was afraid that I would not be able to understand that level of English in five months. The first thought that came to my mind was to calm down and put myself together. The next day I sat at my desk, opened the book, and began translating the passage word by word. It took two hours to translate this passage. I was exhausted and disappointed. However, I persevered because I needed to get a good score for the …show more content…
I found her on my friend’s recommendations. Despite the fact that so much time has passed I still remember her name, Sandra. She worked as an ESL teacher in one of the best universities in Tashkent. Although we didn’t have a lot of time, and I had started at a low level of knowledge of the English language, she prepared me very well. I still remember those five sleepless months, when my mind was overwhelmed with the flow of new words and expressions. I still feel the taste of coffee that I drank to stay awake all night. All those feelings are still in my memory.
However, I reached the level that was needed to pass the TOEFL. A day before the test, Sandra wished me luck and told me, “Helen don’t study tonight. Relax, go for a walk with your friends, and forget that you have a test tomorrow morning”. I didn’t expect that advice from the tutor who pushed me so hard during those five months, made me learn fifty words a day and gave me political and scientific articles to translate. At one point, I thought that she was disappointed in me. I didn’t ask her why she said that, because I was afraid to hear the answer, that I wasn’t a good student and didn’t put in enough