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TOEIC Preparation

TOEIC Preparation

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native speakers. It is intentionally designed to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.

There are different forms of the exam: The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test consists of two equally graded tests of comprehension assessment activities totaling a possible 990 score; There are also the TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests. The TOEIC speaking test is composed of tasks that assess pronunciation, intonation and stress, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, relevance of content and completeness of content. The TOEIC Writing test is composed of tasks that assess grammar, relevance of sentences to the pictures, quality and variety of sentences, vocabulary, organization, and whether the opinion is supported with reason and/or examples. Both assessments use a score scale of 0 – 200.

TOEIC Listening & Reading Test

The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test lasts two hours [45 minutes for Listening, and 75 minutes for Reading]. It consists of 200 multiple-choice items evenly divided between the listening and reading comprehension section. Each candidate receives independent scores for listening and reading comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colors, corresponding to achieved results:

·            orange (10–219)

·            brown (220–469)

·            green (470–729)

·            blue (730–859)

·            gold (860–990)

TOEIC test certificates are optional, unofficial documents that are meant for display only.

TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test

The TOEIC Speaking & Writing Tests were introduced in 2006. Test takers receive separate scores for each of the two tests, or they can take the Speaking test without taking the Writing test and vice versa. The Speaking test assesses pronunciation, intonation and stress, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, relevance of content and completeness of content, while the Writing test assess grammar, relevance of sentences to the pictures, quality and variety of sentences, vocabulary, organization, and whether the opinion is supported with reason and/or examples. The tests are designed to reflect actual English usage in the workplace, though they do not require any knowledge of specialized business terms. The TOEIC Speaking Test takes approximately 20 minutes to complete; the TOEIC writing test lasts approximately 60 minutes. Each test has a score range between 0-200, with test takers grouped into eight proficiency levels for Speaking and nine proficiency levels for Writing. 

What is the DifferenceBetween the TOEIC Test and the TOEFL Test?

 

The TOEIC^® tests measure proficiency in English relevant to the global workplace whereas the TOEFL^® tests measure the academic communication skills in English. Both tests aim to measure the level of English proficiency for non-native English speakers.

SAT Preparation

SAT Preparation

SAT

The Scholastic Aptitude Test, also known as the SAT, is taken by high school juniors and seniors applying to colleges and universities. This exam can be taken internationally six times during the year. Find out when to take it, how to take it, and why as we discuss the SAT in more detail.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, is a global recognized test admitting students into colleges and universities all over the United States.

About the SAT

The SAT test is taken by high school students to demonstrate to colleges what the prospective student knows and how well they can apply their knowledge. There are three aspects of the test: reading, writing, and math. SAT scores are sent out to your desired colleges and universities as part of the admissions package.

Colleges and universities look at the combination of high school grades and SAT scores. This combination serves as a prediction of a student’s future academic success. A student’s scores on the reading, math, and writing sections will project the student’s ability to handle college courses in critical reading, mathematics, and writing. The content of these courses is more complex in college than it is in high school, but the skills and their practical application are the same.

The skills assessed on the SAT are skills that you have been learning since you started grade school. The skills that will be assessed are critical reading, grammar and usage, identifying errors in a written passage, arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability. You will show your knowledge of these skills through the process of answering multiple choice questions. There will also be a written essay portion of the exam. The SAT is meant to show your scholastic ability. Logic and abstract thinking are not tested during the taking of the SAT.

Format

The SAT is the more reliable and validated standardized test in the United States and around the world. The three sections are all assessed during the same day. The SAT is a timed test. The test, if a student uses all the time available to them, takes three hours and 45 minutes. Within these three skill sets—reading, mathematics, and writing—there are 10 separately timed sections. Three sections of the test focus on reading, three on mathematics, and three on writing.

The tenth section is a variable section that could be any one of the three subjects. This last section is not scored. Possible SAT questions are being tested on students every year. This final section is made up of questions that a board of educators has already approved for the SAT question bank, but need to be tested on current high school students. SAT questions are constantly being changed and updated. Questions are tested on current high school students to determine whether they are learning these topics in school or not. The SAT is a test that assesses the reading, writing, and mathematical skills that students have been taught from grades K-12 (with perhaps the exception of English if that is your second language).

How To Prepare

In order to prepare for the SAT, you must know what type of questions to study for. Questions on the SAT are multiple choice, student-produced responses (in the math section) and there is an essay format as well.

The critical reading section of the SAT includes reading passages and sentence completions. Passages are provided and students will be asked to answer questions about the passages. Students will also be given a sentence, and asked to choose the word that best completes the sentence. Students preparing for the SAT should prepare for these questions by studying common vocabulary words.

The multiple choice questions and student produced questions in the math sections are divided into three sections and focus on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability. By the time this test is taken, junior or senior year in high school, a student should have taken courses covering all of these mathematical topics. A test taker is allowed to bring an approved calculator, and a reference sheet of conversions will be provided.

The writing section has multiple choice questions as well as a hand written essay portion. The multiple choice questions ask students to identify errors in sentences and passages and improve grammar and usage. The short essay is an opinion piece. A prompt is given to the test takers on the day of the test. After being given the prompt, the student has a set amount of time to write a complete short essay with a beginning, middle, and end.

 

Once you know the type of questions and format for each skill set assessed, you can then start to review the content. There is a SAT prep soft cover book that can be purchased at a nationally known bookstore or borrowed from your public library. This SAT prep book will give you sample tests with SAT questions used in the past. It is not the exact test that you will be taking, but a simulation of the number of questions and types of questions to expect, and will give you an accurate score of how well you did on the sample test.

SAT Registration

Registration for the SAT exam can be done online. The cost is typically $51 USD for the standard SAT exam and can be paid for at the time of registration. The SAT exam is offered seven times a year in the US and six times a year internationally. The months in which the test is offered are October, November, December, January, March (U.S.A only), May, and June. The registration deadline for the SAT exam is a month prior to the date in which you plan to take it. For most, the SAT exam needs to be taken two times. In order to figure out when you need to take the test, determine the application deadlines of all the schools to which you plan to apply.

Night Before the SAT

The night before the SAT exam is crucial for student’s success. It’s never a good idea to try to cram a last-minute study session the night before the exam. You need to make sure that you can get a good night’s sleep—at least eight hours.

Preparing for Test Day

On the day of your SAT exam, there are some things you will need and some things that should be left at home. First of all, you will need a form of identification and your SAT admission ticket that you received when you registered for the SAT exam. Remember to take water and a snack for break times. You will not be allowed to leave the room if you finish a section early. With this being said, bring a book to read. Keep an eye on the time so you know how much time you can spend on a particular section. Bring a couple (at least two) sharpened number 2 pencils with good erasers.

For the math section, you are allowed to bring a calculator. There are strict policies regarding calculators. You are allowed to bring a graphing calculator, scientific calculator, or a four-function calculator, although the last one is not recommended. You are not permitted to bring a laptop, iPad, cell phone calculator, calculator that is a TI-92 plus or Voyage 200, or calculators that use an electrical outlet or have a paper tape.

Bringing certain items into the exam room could result in you being kicked out of the exam. Leave cell phones at home or in your car. You are also going to want to leave any music device at home, such as MP3 players or iPods.

SAT Scoring

What is the SAT scoring system? Each of the three subjects tested on the SAT is scored separately, giving you three separate scores for the SAT exam. The scores are combined to form the overall SAT score. Colleges and universities look at each skill’s score separately as well as the overall SAT score.

The SAT exam gives the test taker points for getting the answer correct. One point is awarded for each question answered correctly. For wrong multiple choice answers, ¼ of a point is subtracted. For wrong student produced answers, zero points are given or subtracted. For omitted questions, a test taker does not get positive points or subtracted points, just zero points for each of the omitted questions. This being the case, students should not guess on the SAT, but rather skip questions they do not know how to answer.

Your raw score which could be between 20-80 points per each math and reading section is then converted to a scaled score (reported on a 200-800 scale) by a statistical process called equating. The writing essay portion is based on a 0-6 scale, 6 being the highest score. This score is equated to the 200-800 scale as well. Equating allows comparisons among test takers who take different editions of the test.

Why take the SAT exam

Although the SAT is the commonly used formative assessment and is accepted by virtually all colleges and universities in the United States and around the world, there are other reasons a student should take the SAT. The SAT shows how you apply the thinking, writing and study skills required for college course work, and provides an opportunity for scholarship money. Colleges and universities grant scholarships to high academic students coming into the freshman class. SAT scores play a role in who is awarded these scholarships.

When a colleges look at your admission’s package, they look at a wide range of areas to get to better know you. Colleges and universities look at extracurricular activities, personal recommendations, high school courses taken, high school grades as well as a formative assessment, like the SAT.

GRE Preparation

GRE Preparation

What is the GRE?

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) measures your ability to succeed at graduate-school level studies, exactly like the SAT and ACT measure your ability to succeed at undergraduate schooling. Your score on the GRE is one of the primary factors used by university admissions officers for determining whether or not to accept you into their programs. As such, it is important to prepare for the GRE and score as highly as you can.

GRE Format

Developed by Educational Testing Services (ETS), the GRE exam has many similarities to the SAT. Both are now computer adaptive tests (CAT); no need to bring a pencil, pen or paper to the test site. In a CAT, you answer one question at a time; your answer to each question determines the difficulty level of the next question. As you answer questions correctly, the computer program increases the difficulty of your questions; when you answer a question incorrectly, the computer program provides another of the same difficulty or a slightly reduced difficulty. Eventually, the computer program determines your score based on the correct level of your skill in that area.

The GRE exam measures three skill areas:

Analytical Writing     (2 tasks for a total of 60 minutes)

Verbal Reasoning   (2 sections for a total of 60 minutes)

Quantitative Analysis   (2 sections for a total of 70 minutes)

The analytical writing section uses a free-response (or essay) format to measure your ability to write complex thoughts in clear, precise English prose. The skills you need to demonstrate in this section include:

• Evaluate claims and evidence
• Develop a complex, coherent argument/discussion
• Support ideas with reasons and example
• Write using standard punctuation and grammar

For this section of the test, you will need to write an essay or argument for each of the two tasks. You should be able to type and use a basic word processing program (no, the word processor does not have grammar or spell check – you have to supply those skills on your own).

For most international students, this section is moderately difficulty. Although the GRE exam requires you to demonstrate a sophisticated command of written English, the free response format allows you to craft your answer in whatever ways highlight your strengths.

The verbal reasoning section uses a multiple choice format to measure your command of English vocabulary and reading comprehension. It is very similar to the SAT and ACT reading comprehension tests, although the questions are generally more evaluative and require a finer command of the subtleties of the English language.

The skills measured in the verbal reasoning sections of the GRE exam include:

• Analyze multiple layers of meaning (both literal and figurative)
• Distinguish between significant and irrelevant information
• Identify and accommodate for authorial bias / perspective
• Identify and analyze the structure of a text (chronological, spatial, process)
• Understand the meanings of words and phrases

For most international students, the verbal reasoning section will be the most challenging, especially for those students for whom English is not their primary language. This section demands a very sophisticated level of English comprehension; however, don't despair. As with any test, preparation is the key to success. If you have concerns about the GRE exam and your English, that just means you invest more time in preparing before you sit for the exam.

The quantitative reasoning sections also use a multiple choice format to measure your ability to perform basic and complex mathematical calculations. This section is the most similar to the SAT and ACT tests, in both style and question difficulty.

The skills measured in the quantitative reasoning sections of the GRE exam include:

• Understanding quantitative data (both as tables and graphs
• Analyzing data (statistics, probability)
• Applying basic mathematical skills (arithmetic, algebra, geometry)

For most international students, the quantitative reasoning section will be the easiest to master and require the least preparation. However, that does not mean you should take it lightly. You should invest some time in reviewing basic mathematical formulas, with special emphasis on statistical and probability analysis.

What are the GRE Subject Tests?  

Along with the general revised Graduate Record Exam (GRE), there are subject-specific exams you can take. The GRE has specific tests on the following subject areas:

• Biochemistry, cell and molecular biology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Literature in English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology

These tests are optional. Please check with the university to which you are applying to determine if they want you to take a subject area test. But, even if your program does not require a subject-area GRE test, you might choose to take it and submit the scores – with the hope that your excellent score will help distinguish you from the other applicants.

GRE Registration

You can register to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in a variety of ways. The easiest method for most is to register on-line by creating a GRE account. However, you may also register for the GRE exam by mail or by phone.

The cost to take the general GRE is currently $185; each subject tests costs $150. There are also a variety of additional services (such as test preparation services) that are available to you for additional fees.

GRE Testing Around the World

You do not have to wait until you are in the USA to take the GRE exam. There are about 700 ETS-authorized testing centers in more than 160 countries. In most countries, you can take a computer-based GRE at any time throughout the year. And in those regions where computer access is more limited, you may still be able to take the GRE in a pencil-paper format. Regardless of location or format, your GRE exam scores will be transmitted to the universities you designate, so they may evaluate your scores with the rest of your application.

What about GRE Scoring?

Your performance on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) will earn a numeric evaluation for each of the three testing subsets:

Analytical Reasoning

0 – 6 in half point increments

Verbal Reasoning

130 – 170 in single point increments

Quantitative Reasoning

130 – 170 in single point increments

It is nearly impossible to advise you what score you should aim for (beyond stating “as high a score as you can”). Each university has its own expectations for GRE scores. The best way to set a GRE goal is to research the programs to which you are applying.

GRE exam scores are valid for five years after the test administration. Within that timeframe, you can request (for a fee) ETS to transmit your scores to any universities you'd like.

GRE Preparation

Preparation is the key to success in the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), as it is in nearly every area of life. There are a host of resources available for you to help improve your scores (arranged in ascending order of cost):

• Free test questions on the internet (including ETS.org, the company that designed the GRE)
• GRE exam preparation books
• GRE exam preparation software
• GRE exam preparation courses (often very expensive, but often these courses include a score improvement guarantee)

Before you invest in a course (or even a book), keep in mind that the first step to GRE success is self-awareness. You need to accurately judge your own academic and intellectual strengths and weaknesses, so you may make wise decisions about how to improve your GRE scores.

GRE Practice

1.      The candidate announced, to the _______ of her devoted campaigners, that unless her performance in the polls improved she would _______ the race.

1.      consternation .. withdraw from

2.    bewilderment .. abstain from

3.    mortification .. continue

4.    delight .. constrain

5.     awe .. renounce

2.    A large aquarium contains 20 more guppies than angelfish. If the ratio of angelfish to guppies is 4 : 5, what is the total number of guppies and angelfish in the aquarium?

1.      200

2.    180

3.    100

4.    54

5.     36

3.    Company regulations prohibit employees from smoking in the company cafeteria. Susan is an employee of the company. Thus, Susan does not smoke in the cafeteria. Which of the following is an unstated premise of the argument above that is necessary to make the conclusion valid?

1.      Susan has never smoked in the cafeteria.

2.    Company regulations prohibit Susan from smoking in the cafeteria.

3.    Susan obeys her company's regulations.

4.    Company employees usually do not do what they are prohibited from doing.

5.     Company employees have never been allowed to smoke in the cafeteria.

Answers and Explanations

1.      The correct answer is (A). Sentence completions are meant to test your intuitive grasp of the structure and logic of sentences. Keywords usually indicate either opposition or similarity. That is, the keyword will indicate that the missing word is either opposite or like another word in the sentence. In this example, the keyword unless indicates opposition: in this case, opposition to continuing in the race. The unless tells us that unless something good happens to her performance, she'll go in the opposite direction. That is, she'll withdraw from the race. Because we know her campaigners are devoted, we can imagine that they would feel consternation at her withdrawing. Therefore, the answer is (A). You might have been tempted by (B), but "abstain from" isn't quite right, as it would indicate that she isn't in the race already.

2.    The correct answer is (B). This is an example of a problem-solving question. For every 4 guppies there are 5 angelfish: it's a ratio. Since there can't be a fraction of a fish, the total number of angelfish and guppies must be an integer multiple of 9. For every 9 fish, there is 1 more guppies than angelfish. Since you are given that there are 20 more guppies than angelfish in the

3.    The correct answer is (C). This is an example of a logical reasoning question. Questions that ask you to find an unstated premise, or assumption, are testing your ability to fill in missing steps in an argument. If you get stuck on a question like this, use the denial test: Negate each answer choice as you read it. The correct answer, when it's been negated, will turn the argument into gibberish. The negation of the correct answer must be inconsistent with the argument. Here, the answer is (C). Let's try negating (C). Let's pretend that Susan DOESN'T obey her company's regulations. Then the company's regulations would have no effect on her, and we'd have no reason to believe that she doesn't smoke in the cafeteria. That is, the author's evidence about the company's regulations wouldn't add up to the conclusion that "Susan does not smoke in the cafeteria."

GRE Test Day

It is critical that you bring your registration information and photo identification with you on the day of your test administration. Because your GRE exam score can determine whether or not you get a Masters’ degree or PhD, test security is absolutely essential. For that reason, you may not bring your cellphone, PDA or any other electronic device into the testing center.