TOEFL Exam Preparation
Innovative, creative and successful private and semi-private tutoring for the TOEFL
Score At The Top provides students with the most innovative, creative, and successful private and semi-private tutoring for the TOEFL. Our cutting-edge TOEFL strategies achieve results that speak for themselves. There is no one better than Score At The Top for preparing students for the TOEFL and other standardized tests! Our curriculum was designed by Score At The Top founder, Judi Robinovitz, who spent 23 years working for Educational Testing Service, the creator of the TOEFL.
Do more than just practice... Learn TOEFL test-taking strategies from the experts! We’ll prepare you for all four sections of the Internet-based TOEFL, working on the academic English-language skills needed to succeed at a North American university:
Improve your listening comprehension, vocabulary, and speech
Learn to write clear, concise, and correct English
Strengthen your reading comprehension skills
Private TOEFL Tutoring
If you want the most efficient and effective TOEFL prep for your child, then our private and semi-private TOEFL tutoring program is the right choice!
Flourish with 1-on-1 attention
Focus on your specific needs with our flexible curriculum
Turn weaknesses into strengths
Build confidence
Maximize TOEFL scores
Our TOEFL tutoring sessions are designed to make test-takers more comfortable with the test-taking experience, increase their scores and self-confidence, and teach skills that are as important in school and life as they are on the TOEFL. Our interactive sessions focus on test familiarity, content, and the test-taking strategies students will need to score at the top of their potential on the TOEFL. We move along at a comfortable but lively pace with significant opportunity for questions and answers. We begin with an overview of the TOEFL and proceed to introduce the most effective strategies for each of the test’s question types. As each question type is examined, students use their newfound strategies to solve and then discuss actual TOEFL questions. Students do homework in preparation for each session; that homework typically consists of a full-length actual TOEFL or selected test sections, vocabulary-building, and/or outside reading. With confidence-building incorporated into every session, Score At The Top students truly become TOEFL test smart!
Because we firmly believe in collaboration and close contact with parents, our tutors email them a session summary report after every TOEFL tutoring session.
Finding the Best Tutor
Matching your learning style and personality to a great tutor is our top priority. Our tutors take standardized tests every year and score in the top 5% – so they truly understand the test-taking process!
Finding a Partner for Semi-Private Sessions
Some students like to prepare for the TOEFL with a compatible student whose needs are similar. In addition to creating “friendly competition” with a peer, semi-private students receive virtually the same individualized attention as private students, but at a reduced cost. Sign up for TOEFL prep with a friend or let us match you to a great partner.
Student Materials
Actual TOEFLs with detailed scoring analysis
Focused drills with hundreds of real TOEFL questions
CD with TOEFL listening passages and spoken answers
LOW-COST TOEFL SIMULATIONS CAN BE ARRANGED!
FAQs
What is the TOEFL?
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is the most widely accepted English-language test in the world. No matter where you want to study, the TOEFL can help get you there. It is used by colleges, government agencies, and international organizations to evaluate the English language skills of non-native speakers.
The TOEFL is not for beginner ESL students; rather, it is designed for students who are ready to prove that they have the ability to live and study in an English-speaking environment. The competitiveness of college admissions dictates a good TOEFL score to even be considered by most universities. Score At The Top’s TOEFL preparation program is designed to help you get the score you need.
The TOEFL covers these four English-language areas:
Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
How is the TOEFL organized and scored?
Although there are three versions of the TOEFL, the majority of test centers use the Internet Based TOEFL (iBT).
The TOEFL iBT is administered via computer from a secure Internet-based testing network:
Instructions for answering questions are given within each section. There is no computer tutorial as in the CBT version.
TOEFL iBT presents questions that cover the full range of test-takers’ ability.
Test takers can take notes during the test. To ensure test security, notes are collected and destroyed at the end of the test.
For the Speaking section, test-takers wear noise-canceling headphones and speak into a microphone. Responses are digitally recorded and sent to ETS for scoring.
For the Writing section, test-takers type their responses which are transmitted to ETS for scoring.
For comparison, all three TOEFL formats are presented below:
Internet Based (iBT)
Reading
60-100 minutes
3-5 passages (12-14 questions each)
Listening
60-90 minutes
4-6 lectures & academic discussions (6 questions each)
2-3 conversations (5 questions each)
Speaking
20 minutes
6 tasks (2 independent, 4 integrated)
Writing
50 minutes
1 integrated task
1 independent task
Computer Based
Adaptive Listening
60 minutes
Part A: Short dialogues
Part B: Conversations, Academic discussions, Mini-lectures
Adaptive Structure
15-20 minutes
Sentence completion (approx 10 questions)
Error recognition (approx 15 questions)
Reading Comprehension
70-90 minutes
Approx 6 passages with a total of 60+ questions
Writing
30 minutes
1 essay topic
Paper Based
Listening Comprehension
30 minutes
Part A: Short dialogues
Part B: Long conversations
Part C: Mini-lectures
Structure & Written Expression
25 minutes
Sentence completion (15 questions)
Error recognition (25 questions)
Reading Comprehension
55 minutes
Approx 5 passages with a total of 50 questions
Because the TOEFL iBT is significantly different than the previous versions of the test, the score scale is also different. Here is the scoring range for the 4 skill areas and the total:
Listening 0-30
Reading 0-30
Speaking 0-30
Writing 0-30
Total 0-120
TOEFL scores are posted online, usually within 2 weeks after the test date. They are also mailed to test-takers and the universities or institutions they selected.
What are the TOEFL Test Dates?
There are three ways to schedule an appointment to take the TOEFL—online, by mail, or via phone.
The TOEFL is offered as a computer-based test in the USA. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Register early to get your preferred test date.
There are three ways to schedule an appointment to take the TOEFL:
Make an appointment online, via the TOEFL website.
By mail: Download and fill out a Registration Form (PDF).
Call a central registration number: 1-800-468-6335 or 1-443-751-4862 (in the USA, US Territories, or Canada)
Should my child prepare for the TOEFL?
YES! Your child needs to take the TOEFL seriously as colleges consider it to be an important factor in determining the admissibility of students for whom English is a second language. A good TOEFL score can provide more valuable information to college admissions officers than SAT or ACT reading and writing scores. Although the TOEFL score doesn’t replace an SAT or ACT score, a good score will show a college that a non-native English speaker has the ability to do well in an American college.
Just because a student can read, write, and speak English enough to get along in an American high school doesn’t mean he or she is automatically prepared for the TOEFL. While it is an easier test than the SAT or ACT, students still need to prepare for it.
Score at the Top offers the best in private and semi-private TOEFL preparation.
How will Score At The Top work with my child to get a "good" score?
Baseline testing provides us with excellent information about your child's needs; tutor experience brings intuitive understanding of how to help your child obtain the best test results. We carefully select the right tutor, and after measuring your child's baseline test scores, we design a test-preparation program based on a student's goals and our four-pronged approach:
Test familiarity
Test content
Test-taking strategies
Confidence-building
Your child will do an in-depth content review with one of our seasoned test-prep tutors, learn how to avoid making careless errors, capitalize on strengths and reduce weaknesses, master timing and other test-taking strategies, and develop enhanced self-confidence. You'll receive email updates about your child's progress after each tutoring session.
With more than 30 years of experience, we can tell you that test preparation can be tremendously worthwhile. At Score At The Top, we deliver your child to the door of the exam room ready to achieve a personal best, and feeling positive about facing this rite of passage. To us, and to the thousands of parents who have sought us out, this is the essence of scoring at the top!