TOEFL iBT Preparation: Typing, Vocabulary and Academic Writing Practice

What the TOEFL iBT covers

The TOEFL is run by ETS. The iBT measures English in an academic setting through Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, taken on computer at a test centre or at home. Writing involves typed responses, including tasks that combine reading and listening. ETS has revised the test recently, so the section structure, task types and scoring scale differ from older guides. Check ets.org/toefl for the format you will sit, and make sure your practice materials match it.

Why it is hard and how to prepare

Academic English at speed is the challenge. Lectures and passages use field-specific vocabulary, and the writing tasks require you to organise ideas and use evidence from a source in a limited time. The best preparation is lots of academic reading and listening, timed writing on prompts, and feedback on your writing.

Learn vocabulary from the sort of text the test uses, in context. Take official practice tests so that the interface is familiar. Typing at a comfortable speed matters because you want time left to plan and revise.

A plan using Type to Study

Upload academic articles or a textbook chapter in a field you are interested in, and let Type to Study build a lesson with key terms highlighted. Read it, retype passages in Type mode to absorb academic phrasing, and use flashcards to hold the vocabulary. The same method gets you used to summarising a text, which is a skill the Writing tasks draw on.

Check your typing at /typing-test. Then practise timed responses to official prompts outside the app. We cover keyboard fluency in /features/typing-for-computer-based-exams. For Listening and Speaking, use ETS practice materials and real audio, since Type to Study has no audio features.