Please note, meeting the minimum English proficiency requirements does not guarantee admission. Programs may set additional requirements to these minimum standards.
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Thursday, July 25, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
How to improve your Reading Skill - Identify weakness
I wasn't expecting at all. After talking to bunch of TOEFL test takers with poor score, I have realized one thing, "READING Section is one of the pit fall for low score."
So, I had to go to the root of the problem. Why do test takers are not getting good scores in reading section. Read it carefully, few of them might be yours.
More exercises are coming to improve Reading skills!
So, I had to go to the root of the problem. Why do test takers are not getting good scores in reading section. Read it carefully, few of them might be yours.
Symptoms:
{I ran out of time. I understand most of the passages but I don't get enough time to finish}
(Slow reader)
{I finish way before the clock stops but my score is low}
(Fast reader)
{I don't understand the questions even though I understand the passage
(Blind reader)
{I don't understand the passages- they are ready hard to understand}
(Lost reader)
Now if you know your problem lets cure it!
Read carefully -
For the Reading section you will have 3 – 4 passages from academic texts; and there will be 12 -- 14 questions per passage
You will get 60 – 80 min.
and score will be between 0 – 30
You will get 60 – 80 min.
and score will be between 0 – 30
So it is clear that you will get approx. 20 minutes for each passage (what ever their length is)
Remedy-
Slow reader - GET A WATCH!
Read this Passage in 10 minutes. If you can't finish is it by 10 minute, don't worry, count how many minutes do you take. Then try another passage and always target 10 minutes.
Slow reader - GET A WATCH!
Read this Passage in 10 minutes. If you can't finish is it by 10 minute, don't worry, count how many minutes do you take. Then try another passage and always target 10 minutes.
Fast reader - GET A WATCH!
Read this Passage TWICE in 10 minutes. If you can't finish is it by 10 minute, don't worry, count how many minutes do you take. Then try another passage and always target 10 minutes.
Read this Passage TWICE in 10 minutes. If you can't finish is it by 10 minute, don't worry, count how many minutes do you take. Then try another passage and always target 10 minutes.
Blind Reader - Get this book and Go through the READING section of this book. There are 10 Types of Questions you need to understand.
Lost reader - Work on your vocabulary and try easier passages from Here!
More exercises are coming to improve Reading skills!
Friday, June 14, 2013
TOEFL Listening Practice Test - American Colonies!
Click the PLAY Button (The conversation starts after few seconds) and Listen to this conversation once. During the conversation try to take as many notes as possible using you scratch paper. Then answer to the questions below.
12: What is the talk mainly about?
A) The three main areas colonists settled in the New World
B) The importance of the Lost Colony
C) The impact of the London company
D) The significance of the settlement of Jamestown
13: Why does the professor mention sir Walter Raleigh?
A) To Explain that he organized the new settlement in a colony
B) To explain that he was fearless
C) To provide information about the first child born in the New World belonging to English parents
D) To give an example of how he convinced the Queen to grant him the land in the New World
14: What does the professor say about Jamestown
A) it was the first successful colony in Virginia.
B) It had strong leadership to survive
C) Its settlers had to cooperate with the Native Americans to maintain their existence.
D) All of the above
15: According to the professor, what is the significance of tobacco being grown in Kamestown?
A) It developed into a cash crop that South depended on.
B) The crop was profitable to the London Company
c) it helped Jamestown prosper
D) The professor does not say
16: Why does the professor discuss the archaeological digs that have taken place in Jamestown?
A) To explain how historians learned that tobacco was grown in Jamestown
B) It demonstrates the importance of the artifacts which have been uncovered
c) It is not clear from the paragraph why the digs were discussed
D) To explain why a company on site is producing Jamestown glass
17: Why does the professor say this?
A) To make sure the students read the material
B) to have the students analyze the significance of the two types of colonies
C) To explain that the New England colonies will be different from the Virginia colonies
D) To encourage students to think creatively
More exercises:
TOEFL listening speed writing exercise
Answers:
12: d
13: a
14: d
15: c
16: b
17: b
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
TOEFL Listening - Archaeology !
Click the PLAY Button (The conversation starts after few seconds) and Listen to this conversation once. During the conversation try to take as many notes as possible using you scratch paper. Then answer to the questions below.
1: What is the talk mainly about?
a) Leptis Magna
b) Ptolemais
c) Libya's archaeological sites
d) Roman and Phoenician settlements
2: In the lecture, the professor describes the findings at leptis Magna. Indicate whether each of the following is one which was mentioned
a) Cisterns
b) amphitheater
c) Mosaic tiles
d) School
e) Basilica
3: Why does the professor mention the Phoenicians?
a) To explain who founded Ptolemais
b) To explain who founded Leptis Magna
c) To explain why traders were important to North africa
d) To give a short history of North Africa
4: According to the professor, what is the importance of the cisterns?
a) They stored water for the people of Ptolemies
b) They carried water for the people of Ptolemies
c) They were used in the heating of houses
d) They were used in the baths
5: What does the professor mean when he says this...
a) To tell students that the class will mainly deal with these sites
b) To show how the discoveries wil shed new light on ancient lives
c) To point out new opportunities for employment may result for archaeologists
d) All of the above
6: Why does the professor say this...
a) To explain the cost of excavating
b) To explain there are not enough people to excavate
c) To explain how long it takes to unearth an entire site
d) To explain the extent of finished excavation
Answers are at the bottom of this page
More exercises:
TOEFL listening speed writing exercise
Answers
1: c
2: YES=b, e NO=a, c, d
3: b
4: a
5: a
6: d
Monday, June 3, 2013
TOEFL Resourses - All the Books at a Glance!
Lately, People are asking me about which is the best book to get high score on TOEFL.
Trust me there is no straight answer. One book worked for me doesn't mean that one will work for you. We have our own way to learn and practice.
And The good news is that the books and practice materials availble in the markets have different ways to tackle this test.
So, its better you have a look at each of them and decide which one will be better for you.
You can do one other thing, Choose a book and ask me! May be I will be able tell you its quality and maybe provide you with a sample.
Here they are! Click on the images for detail -
Sunday, June 2, 2013
A Must have Book for TOEFL!
If you don't own this book, then your preparation for TOEFL is incomplete.
This book is amazing. Reasons -
{The author has tried to group words with their relative use and meaning.}
{The exercises are awesome.}
{Only 400 high frequency TOEFL words}
{After reading this book you will know what type of words you are going to have on TOEFL}
{You can use this books strategy for Other exams too like GRE, GMAT. IELTS}
There are other books. I will let you alter.
P.S - I have the Sample soft copy. please give me your email address in the comment section to avail one. But try to but the book.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
TOEFL IELTS Vocabulary fun - Y
These words are frequently found on TOEFL tests. I have provided useful meaning and Memory tricks to memorizing them. Learn them, Above all practice!
Vocabulary Fun!
Yen
- (noun) strong desire; longing; urge; ex. Yen for
travel
Mnemonics
- (tag: ) Yen is also the currency of Japan,
so you are having the strong desire of going to Japan and get some Yens
from there.
Yen |
Yeoman
Mnemonics
- (tag: ) relate with Yo-man . A self satisfied middle class farmer always says yo man.
Yield
- (noun) amount produced; crop; income on
investment; profit obtained from an investment; v: produce; give in;
surrender
Mnemonics
- (tag: ) yield sounds similar to field,
and field is a area where crop is produced, and the amount(of crop usually
) produced is much higher than the
initial seeds.
Yoke
- (noun) join together; unite; n: crossbar used to
joining two draft animals
Mnemonics
- yoke: Replace y with j joke,
you know a joke and a laugh brings, joins people together.
Yokel
- (noun) a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
Monemonics
- sound like LOCAL..a local person who visits foreign countries is a rustic
Yore
- (noun) time long past; ex. In the days of yore
Mnemonics
- Yore sounds like bore....and
we get bored when we see an old movie..or of time long past..
Friday, May 31, 2013
TOEFL Reading Diagnostics Test from ETS!
Meteorite Impact and Dinosaur Extinction
There is increasing evidence that the impacts of meteorites have had important effects on Earth, particularly in the field of biological evolution. Such impacts continue to pose a natural hazard to life on Earth. Twice in the twentieth century, large meteorite objects are known to have collided with Earth.
5 If an impact is large enough, it can disturb the environment of the entire Earth and cause an ecological catastrophe. The best-documented such impact took place 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period of geological history. This break in Earth’s history is marked by a mass extinction, when as many as half the species on the planet
10 became extinct. While there are a dozen or more mass extinctions in the geological record, the Cretaceous mass extinction has always intrigued paleontologists because it marks the end of the age of the dinosaurs. For tens of millions of years, those great creatures had flourished. Then, suddenly, they disappeared.
15 The body that impacted Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period was a meteorite with a mass of more than a trillion tons and a diameter of at least 10 kilometers. Scientists first identified this impact in 1980 from the worldwide layer of sediment deposited from the dust cloud that enveloped the planet after the impact. This sediment layer is enriched in the rare metal iridium and other elements that are relatively abundant in a meteorite but
20 very rare in the crust of Earth. Even diluted by the terrestrial material excavated from the crater, this component of meteorites is easily identified. By 1990 geologists had located the impact site itself in the Yucatán region of Mexico. The crater, now deeply buried in sediment, was originally about 200 kilometers in diameter.
25 This impact released an enormous amount of energy, excavating a crater about twice as large as the lunar crater Tycho. The explosion lifted about 100 trillion tons of dust into the atmosphere, as can be determined by measuring the thickness of the sediment layer formed when this dust settled to the surface. Such a quantity of material would have blocked the sunlight completely from reaching the surface, plunging Earth into a period
30 of cold and darkness that lasted at least several months. The explosion is also calculated to have produced vast quantities of nitric acid and melted rock that sprayed out over much of Earth, starting widespread fires that must have consumed most terrestrial forests and grassland. Presumably, those environmental disasters could have been responsible for the mass extinction, including the death of the dinosaurs.
35 Several other mass extinctions in the geological record have been tentatively identified with large impacts, but none is so dramatic as the Cretaceous event. But even without such specific documentation, it is clear that impacts of this size do occur and that their results can be catastrophic. What is a catastrophe for one group of living things, however,
40 may create opportunities for another group. Following each mass extinction, there is a sudden evolutionary burst as new species develop to fill the ecological niches opened by the event.
Impacts by meteorites represent one mechanism that could cause global catastrophes and
45 seriously influence the evolution of life all over the planet. According to some estimates, the majority of all extinctions of species may be due to such impacts. Such a perspective fundamentally changes our view of biological evolution. The standard criterion for the survival of a species is its success in competing with other species and adapting to slowly changing environments. Yet an equally important criterion is the ability of a species to
50 survive random global ecological catastrophes due to impacts.
Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to random violent events that were unsuspected a few decades ago. In 1991 the United States Congress asked NASA to investigate the hazard posed today by large impacts on Earth. The group conducting the
55 study concluded from a detailed analysis that impacts from meteorites can indeed be hazardous. Although there is always some risk that a large impact could occur, careful study shows that this risk is quite small.
Reading Comprehension questions:
Question 2: In paragraph 2, why does the author include the information that dinosaurs had flourished for tens of millions of years and then suddenly disappeared?
Thursday, May 30, 2013
How many publications should I have to avail funding for higher studies in Canada?
I am a member of a group called Prospective Bangladeshi Students for Canadian universities. Few days ago they have, published a list of around 20+ students who got funding. I have gone through their profile and extract some valuable information. Hope this will give you a better idea about getting funding in Canada.
Publication, Is it a must?
Well....to be honest there are a bunch of them without any publication but still they managed good funding.
Average Journal - 1.33
and Conference - 1.6
So if you have 1 Journal and 2 conference you are good to go.
But around 25% of the students DID not have any publications.
Publication, Is it a must?
Well....to be honest there are a bunch of them without any publication but still they managed good funding.
Average Journal - 1.33
and Conference - 1.6
So if you have 1 Journal and 2 conference you are good to go.
But around 25% of the students DID not have any publications.
Ranking you need to know!
What should be my CGPA to avail funding for higher studies in Canada?
I am a member of a group called Prospective Bangladeshi Students for Canadian universities. Few days ago they have, published a list of around 20+ students who got funding. I have gone through their profile and extract some valuable information. Hope this will give you a better idea about getting funding in Canada.
The average CGPA was 3.75 and the median was 3.79.
So if your CGPA is above 3.70 you are way ahead of the race.
Do you want to know the number of publication you should have to avail funding?
See this post!
CGPA :
This will break a lot of peoples heart but there are few exceptions too.The average CGPA was 3.75 and the median was 3.79.
So if your CGPA is above 3.70 you are way ahead of the race.
See this post!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Most Reliable Australian university ranking 2012-2013
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2012-2013 powered by Thomson Reuters are the only global university performance tables to judge world class universities across all of their core missions - teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. The top universities rankings employ 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available, which are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.
Rank Institution
28 University of Melbourne
37 Australian National University
62 University of Sydney
65 University of Queensland Australia
85 University of New South Wales
99 Monash University
176 University of Adelaide
190 University of Western Australia
251-275 Macquarie University
251-275 Queensland University of Technology
276-300 The University of Newcastle
301-350 Murdoch University
301-350 University of South Australia
WHANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD SCORE FOR CANADA?
400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL (A to D)
Do you know them all?
A
|
Abandon Abduction Abstract Accumulate
Accuracy
Accuse
Acquire
Acquisition
Adapt
Addictive
Adjacent
Adjust
Adolescent
Advent
Adversely
Advocate
Affection
Affluence
Aggravate
Aggregate
Agnostic
Allegedly
Allegiance
Allocate
Amateurish
Ambiguous
Amend
Analyze
Ancestral
Anesthesia
Animism
Annex
Anomaly
Anticipate
Antipathy
Apex
Apprehend
Arbitrary
Arrogantly
Artillery
Ascertain
Assail
Assess
Asset
Assimilate
Associate
Astrological
Atheist
Augment
Authority
|
B
|
Battle, Be inclined to, Berate
Biased
Bitterly
Bond
Bribery
Bulk
Burden
Bureaucratic
|
C
|
Candidate
Capricious
Cartel
Cast
Catastrophic
Cause
Cease
Certifiably
Charismatic
Chronologically
Circulate
Civil
Clique
Coalition
Coerce
Cohesion
Coincide
Collapse
Collide
Combustion
Commodity
Compensate
Complex
Complication
Component
Compress
Concentrated
Condemn
Confide
Conflict
Connotation
Conquest
Consciously
Consequence
Constraint
Contamination
Contemplate
Contemptuous
Contest
Context
Contrary
Convey
Convict
Core
Corrode
Counter
Cremation
Cultivation
Cumbersome
Cure
Curriculum
Cynically
|
D
|
De facto, Decipher
Decline
Decrepit
Degrade
Deify
Delinquency
Denominator
Denote
Deny
Depict
Deplete
Derive
Descendant
Despise
Despondent
Detain
Detection
Deviant
Devise
Devotion
Dilemma
Dimension
Diminish
Discretely
Discriminate
Disease
Dispose of
Distill
Distinctly
Distort
Diverse
Divination
Domesticate
Dynamic
|
More vocabulary practice with memory tricks
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
TOEFL IELTS Score Requirement for Canadian Universities - Ontario
"All of these data are collected from the university's website as on 28th May 2013. This requirement may varies according to program. These data can be used as MINIMUM REQUIREMENT."
University of Waterloo
Undergrad studies
Choose ONE of the following test options | |||||
Internet-based TOEFL(iBT) | IELTS | MELAB | CAEL | New TestPTE(Academic) | EFAS |
90; writing 25; speaking 25 | 7.0 | 85; 80 per section; for co-op programs: speaking 3 | 70; 60 per band; writing 70; speaking 70 | 63; writing 65; speaking 65 | 80% overall in level 400 (Revised - effective fall 2013 entry: 75% overall in 400 level with 75% in each of academic, oral, and writing) |
Graduate studies
Accepted ELPC examinations | Required scores |
---|---|
TOEFL (PBT)
Paper based test
| 580 overall |
TOEFL (iBT)
Internet based test
|
90 overall; 25 writing; 25 speaking
|
IELTS (academic) | 7.0 overall |
MELAB | 85 overall; 80 per section |
CAEL |
70 overall; 60 per band; 70 writing; 70 speaking
|
PTE (academic) | 63 overall; 65 writing; 65 speaking |
EFAS | 80% overall in level 400 |
University of Toronto
Undergrad & Graduate
TOEFL
Test of English as a Foreign Language
The minimum scores required for the different TOEFL tests are:
Internet-based Test:
Minimum Requirement
total score of 100 + 22 on Writing
Discretionary Range
total score 89-99 +19 - 21 on Writing
Paper-based Test:
Minimum Requirement
total score of 600 + 5.0 on TWE
Discretionary Range
total score 573-597 + 4.5 on TWE
If you score in the discretionary ranges shown above, and you are otherwise well qualified for admission, we will automatically consider other academic evidence of English proficiency (for example, results of English courses) and we will advise you whether our English language requirements have been satisfied. It is not necessary to request this special consideration. Letters of reference will NOT be used for this purpose. As we cannot guarantee that these scores will be accepted, we recommend that you take another test if the final official results can be submitted to us by the appropriate document deadline.
IELTS
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Module
The minimum requirement is an overall band of 6.5, with no band below 6.0.
BROCK University
Undergrad studies
TOEFL IBT (Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language), MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery), IELTS (International Language Testing System), PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English), or ITELP (International Test of English Language Proficiency) scores. Normally, only those with TOEFL IBT scores of 88 or greater, with a minimum of 21 on Speaking and 21 on Writing; MELAB scores of 85 or greater, with no other part under 80; IELTS scores of 6.5 or greater, with no band below 6.0; PTE Academic scores of 58; or ITELP scores of 565 or greater with a minimum composition score of 240 will be considered for admission.
Graduate studies
A minimum TOEFL PBT (Paper Based Test) score of 550 plus 4.0 minimum for the TWE (Test of Written English), or TOEFL iBT (Internet based) minimum overall score of 80 with no sub-test score under 19;
or
A minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System - Academic (IELTS), with no section under 5.5;
Undergrad & Graduate studies
Paper-based TOEFL 580
Internet-based TOEFL 86 (22 in writing and speaking, 20 in reading and listening)
IELTS 6.5 IELTS (min 6.0 each band)
Undergrad studies
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum overall score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) :
Paper-based: minimum score of 600; and Test of Written English (TWE) of 5
Computer-based: minimum score of 250; and TWE of 5
Internet-based: minimum total score of 89 with no individual scaled score less than 21
Graduate
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)6.5
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL - Paper based test (PBT)
550
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL Internet-based test (IBT))
Note: A minimum score of 21 must be achieved in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading, writing).
89
Undergrad and Grad
A minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS);
A minimum score of 220 with a T.W.E. 4.5 on the Computer-based Test, 83 with an essay score of 20 on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (T.O.E.F.L.)
Undergrad
Minimum English Proficiency Results
(subject to change - use as a guideline only)
(subject to change - use as a guideline only)
Program
|
TOEFL - 0886
|
MELAB
|
IELTS
|
CAEL
|
- Creative Industries
- Journalism
-Professional Communication
- Radio and Television
|
-580 Paper-based
-92-93 Internet-based |
90
|
6.5
|
70
|
All Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science programs except Architectural Science
All Faculty of Science programs except Computer Science
|
-560 Paper-based
-83-87 Internet-based |
85
|
6.5
|
60
|
All other Ryerson programs |
-580 Paper-based
-92-93 Internet-based |
85
|
6.5
|
70
|
Graduate
Academic Program | TOEFL (IBT) | IELTS | MELAB |
General Requirement | 93 | 7.0 | 85 |
Computer Networks | 80 | 6.5 | 80 |
Communication and Culture | 100 | 7.5 | 90 |
Journalism | 105 | 7.5 | 90 |
Psychology | 100 | 7.5 | 90 |
*Other English proficiency scores may be considered on an individual basis
Undergrad & Grad
TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language) www.toefl.com IBT:
86
overall with a minimum score of 20 on each of the four components (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening)
Valid for 2 years
IELTS(International English Language Testing System)
6.5 Overall with a minimum score of 5.0 in each of the four components (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening)
TOEFL
Paper based: 580 written : 4.5
iBT: 92 Writen : 24
IELTS
Total : 7
Written :6.5
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