New TOEFL in Two Months: 4.5 on My First Try, 5.5 on My Second. Thanks to SK2 David's New-Format Intensive Course!

How did a student with pretty average English jump from 4.5 (90 on the old scale) to 5.5 (110 on the old scale) in two months?

Here's a detailed write-up of my experience:

Academic background: Accounting, Tamkang University

English level: GSAT: 13, TOEIC 865

Prep period: 2026/1-2026/2

Why I took the TOEFL: applying to grad school

Score history: first attempt 4.5 (R5 L5 W3.5 S5), second attempt 5.5 (R5.5 L5.5 W 5.5 S5.5)

Why I chose SK2TOEFL:

This was the first time I'd taken a prep course for an English test, so I asked friends who had already gone abroad or were still preparing, and almost all of them recommended SK2, because a consultant with a perfect score personally teaches the test strategies and organizes the key points systematically. The course is also entirely pre-recorded video, which made it easy to fit around my schedule, and when I had questions I could discuss them in real time with the perfect-score consultant through the official Line account.

Notes by section:

Reading:

When I first started practicing, I thought my reading wasn't bad, but I found that the new fill-in-the-blank task in the new-format reading section isn't easy to complete fully, and the faster overall pace meant I often couldn't finish at first. On the fill-in-the-blank questions in the first part, sometimes I couldn't think of what to fill in, but many of the strategies consultant David taught in class were really useful, especially understanding what the previous passage describes to judge what the next sentence says, and using part of speech and tense to decide. For the other questions, the quick skim and scan David taught in class handles most of them, but I wasn't very fluent with it at first, so for certain question types I used the official Line account to discuss with the consultant how to solve them quickly while also making sure my reasoning was right. The consultant's real-time replies made my prep much more efficient and convenient, and after getting used to it for a while, in later practice and on the test I could finish at least 4 to 5 minutes early and leave time to check.

Listening:

This was already one of my stronger sections. I love American TV shows, MLB and the NBA, so every day I listen to English-language commentators and reporters analyzing how teams are doing, and listening didn't take much prep time. But in the first part, the question-and-response items, I'd often get stuck between two choices on one or two questions. If you have that problem, I suggest talking it through with David. What I learned most from class and from asking questions afterward was how to quickly pick the most direct answer and how to use verbs and tense to decide. The academic questions at the end can get genuinely harder once you reach the high-score range, but as the consultant taught in class, try to understand as much as you can while you take notes. Use abbreviations or symbols to help, and take notes in order and in an organized way, and even when you only understand 60 to 70% you can still answer. I think if you do all this, the test will definitely be fine.

Writing:

This is my weakest section. I remember that at first it took me over an hour to finish one essay, and it still wasn't very good. On my first attempt I only got 3.5, with lots of grammar problems in particular. That's why I think the essay Word Bank David teaches in class is really important and practical. I prepared reasons for several different topics, paired with examples, so on the test I only had to check which of my prepared topics best matched the question and could start writing right away. After all, I think typing a specific, on-topic essay in a short time takes technique. I also didn't really know how to write the new Email task at first, and 7 minutes often wasn't enough, but the structure the consultant taught helped me see which parts need more description, and that I should adjust the tone of my email depending on who or what it's about.

Basically, every time I finished an Email or academic discussion response, I sent it to David to grade. I revised one essay four times, slowly working on it until the structure, arguments and reasons were all specific and on topic. For grammar, I first had AI correct it, got familiar with the mistakes I make often, had the AI organize them, and practiced them more.

Finally, I think you really have to do what the consultant keeps stressing: after grading, retype the whole thing yourself once you've seen the problems, because the consultant lists in detail where your descriptions could be more precise, what's unnecessary, and the grammar problems, so you have to get familiar with them. The biggest difference between my first and second attempts was changing how I reviewed. I stopped just reading the feedback over. Quality over quantity matters a lot, and it let me improve by two points in one go on my second attempt.

Speaking:

This is probably my strongest section, because as a kid at school I had lots of time every day to chat with foreign teachers, so the interview part was basically no problem. Still, I followed David's advice and built a word bank to make sure my answers flowed better overall and to lower the chance of my mind going blank in the moment.

The most distinctive part of the new speaking section is Repeat. I think this is where you should really use the strategies David teaches in class, like practicing breaking long sentences into chunks, which also helps you understand them. I find this technique extremely useful. On the test, by questions six and seven I used this method and could reproduce basically over 90% of the content. And as the consultant says, for this kind of question you can't just listen; you have to understand quickly so you can organize the content and say it again within 3-4 seconds.

You can't really use templates for the new speaking section, since the questions are about everyday life. So whenever I had time, I'd ask myself questions I might run into in daily life and answer them, and after a few rounds I got used to responding on the spot. When I watched American shows, sports analysis or talks from abroad, I'd also pick up their word choices, and sometimes I'd listen for a few seconds, pause, and practice my Repeat reflexes, turning my daily life into part of my practice.

Notes on resources:

Because of my schedule, sometimes I couldn't join the online group classes, but the SK2 new-format intensive course records them and puts them on the online course platform quickly, so I could still practice every question. Personally, what helped most was that the official Line account is answered directly by a consultant with a perfect TOEFL score, which helped enormously. When I asked friends, they sometimes weren't sure whether an answer was right, and AI grading doesn't always point you in the right direction either; after all, it has never taken the TOEFL or gotten a perfect score. Having David, a perfect scorer, personally answer all my listening, speaking, reading and writing questions and grade my writing and speaking let me see my true level and set the direction for what to work on next. It saves a lot of time spent figuring things out and second-guessing, and greatly raises your prep efficiency, so make full use of it.

The new-format intensive course also comes with a mock test website with 14 practice tests, which is quite useful. I think the scores it gives are actually fairly accurate, because the difficulty of the mock questions is similar to the real test, so make the most of every practice session to get used to the test's difficulty and pace.

Afterword and advice:

On prep strategy: I still have the GMAT coming up, so I couldn't spend too much time on the TOEFL. I basically finished David's recorded video course in just five days and started practicing the strategies from class. At first I also looked for single-section practice questions on YouTube and some websites, like my speaking score, and later I did one full mock test a day, then graded and reviewed it. I think for the new TOEFL, besides the strategies and tips from class, you also need to find ways to work English into your life, because listening Q&A, the speaking interview and the writing email all require quick reactions and comprehension, so English has to become part of your everyday routine. I love watching ball sports, so I often read the columns on official sites and articles online, and I often listen to commentators analyzing all kinds of topics and learn how they phrase things. Making English part of my life is, I think, a great way to build English skills beyond classes and tests.

The biggest difference between my first and second attempts was that I reviewed and improved each section. I think you shouldn't just keep doing new questions; you always improve the most when you review. Later on, I often spent over an hour more reviewing than doing the questions. Even when I got something right I'd think it through again, sometimes discussing it with the consultant, friends or even AI to check whether my reasoning was right, and making sure I didn't repeat my mistakes.

Lastly, the test really is rushed and the pace is fast, so when you practice, try your best to make it feel like the real test: don't let yourself be interrupted, and speed up your pace.

Finally, thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, to David and the SK2 new-format intensive course for all the teaching and help throughout, which let me improve quickly and break through from an overall 4.5 at the start to 5.5.