How to Make a TOEFL Study Plan

I'm David, co-founder of SK2 TOEFL (TOEFL iBT 119/120)

In ten years of teaching, the question students ask me most is:

"Teacher, how should I plan my studying between now and the test?"

The key to answering this isn't "how much to practice a day" or "which section to start with." It's whether you've thought systematically about a more fundamental question: "How much time do I have? What are my weaknesses? What's the most efficient way to fix them in the time I have?"

🎯 1. Set a goal

You need to set a clear target score, and "roughly" when you want to take the test, or when you need your scores by.

This goal can be adjusted, but you need a reasonable starting range.

For example, if your English foundation isn't strong enough and you set an extreme goal like "110 within two months," you'll feel anxious every time you practice and won't be able to focus on fixing problems.

Setting your goal based on the average admitted score or minimum requirement at the schools you want to attend is a good idea.

Also, in general, we recommend aiming high rather than low. Aim high, and you're more likely to push past your limits. Aim low, and you'll probably just coast, and the schools you get into may not be what you hoped for.

🔍 2. Understand what the test measures

The TOEFL doesn't test vocabulary and grammar. It's very different from the tests we know well, like Taiwan's GSAT (學測) and AST (指考), or even the TOEIC.

The TOEFL tests your ability to understand, express, infer and organize in English. You need to understand which ability each TOEFL question type maps to. Only then can you think about which abilities are weaker and which you've already mastered.

Here's a quick list:

• Reading: identifying key points, logical reasoning, understanding passage structure

• Listening: anticipating where a conversation is going, capturing key points (note-taking)

• Speaking: logic of expression, delivery (intonation, pronunciation, fluency)

• Writing: developing arguments, organization

🧠 3. Find the problems you need to solve

Many people start out "preparing blindly," for example:

• Jumping straight into grinding through lots of TPOs

• Taking the TOEFL once to "test the waters," then finding out how hot the water is but not knowing what to do next

• Buying a pile of books or collecting a pile of materials but not knowing where to start

What you should do is take just one or two TPOs, note the question types you got wrong, and then start analyzing the mistakes in your thinking and actions while answering. That gives you a first sense of:

• Which question types do you often get wrong?

• Is the reason that you didn't understand, weren't familiar with what the question type requires, got fooled by a wrong option, or ran out of time?

• What old "bad habits" are hurting your performance?

  Remember, "doing questions" isn't the goal. "Solving the problems you run into while doing questions" is.

🛠️ 4. Work out the right fix for each problem

For each "problem to solve," you need to answer:

1. What ability does solving it require?

2. How will you solve it? (For example: practicing timed answers, learning how to scan / skim for key points)

3. How much time will it take? Which problem should you tackle first?

4. How will you check your progress?

This is usually where prep schools and teachers can help you most. A good teacher should have many methods for you to choose from. If one doesn't work, they switch to another, instead of having only one trick up their sleeve.

💡 I suggest stopping to review after each section, and discussing with a partner who is also preparing and following the same steps.

For example, if after finishing a reading passage and checking your answers you can say, "I got the main idea question wrong because I spent too long on each paragraph and got lost. I should practice stating each paragraph's main idea after reading only its first sentence," then you're on the road to fast progress.

📈 5. Make a plan

You should build your daily study schedule around "which problem to solve" as the unit of practice, not "do TPO 48 and write one essay today." That kind of practice doesn't work.

For example:

• 5/25 (Sun)

• Goal: fix the problem of "inconsistent detail questions" in listening

• Plan: listen to two Conversations, mark the spots that will be tested in detail questions, guess the questions and answers, then check against the actual questions.

🧭 6. Check whether the problem is solved

After practicing, you need to know "whether the problem has been solved," so you need a way to check.

Taking the real test is of course the most expensive and time-consuming way. We suggest saving a few TPO sets just for "checking whether a problem is solved." Once one problem is solved, move on to the next.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 7. With partners, you go further

If your habits urgently need to change, preparing with partners and reviewing each other's work makes this "period of change" less lonely. Come join SK2 TOEFL's Master Class open session and find like-minded study group partners who share the same approach and can put it into practice with you.

Further reading: SK2 consultant column: http://sk2toefl.blogspot.com/

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🎓 SK2 TOEFL Master Class (open session)

📅 Date: 5/28 (Wed) 🕢 Time: 19:30 - 21:00

🎯 Topics include:

• TOEFL or IELTS? Do you need the GRE / GMAT?

• Can you prepare with ChatGPT?

• How should you actually practice writing and speaking?

• High-scoring recordings / essays VS low-scoring ones: what's the real difference?

📩 Sign-up link: Click here to fill out the form