How to Prepare for TOEFL Reading Section?

• Skills - Reading
• Score Range - 0 - 30
• Level -
  • Advanced (24 - 30)
  • High-Intermediate (18 - 23)
  • Low-Intermediate (4 - 17)
  • Below Low-Intermediate (0 - 3)
     

The section is first scored in raw points (i.e., the total of the number of points you receive per question). The raw score is then converted to a scaled score of 30. A good reading score varies depending on where you are applying, but something above 22 (the 50th percentile) is generally considered good.

• Increase your vocabulary by creating a journal of new words: organize word lists by academic subject areas such as biology, psychology, and geology and build flashcards to periodically revisit the terms.
• Understand the meanings of common roots of words, suffixes, and prefixes.
• Look for the main ideas and pay attention to their relationship. Notice how one sentence's end is related to the start of the next sentence.
• Note the important points in a passage and write a summary depicting the trends present in the passage, for example, a comparison or argument between two opinions. 
• Read any academic text. Think about each paragraph's main idea and then write for each paragraph a short "headline" to capture the paragraph's main idea. Then write a description of the whole passage from 5-to6-sentence.
• TOEFL reading practice can be best done by pacing yourself when you read to increase your reading speed. Read a short text (article or short passage from a newspaper or text) once and record the time you need to read it. Then read it again and try to improve the pace of your reading.
• Learn how to read to find information. Scan for the key facts (dates, numbers, and terms) and information to find and highlight passages.
• Pick up words from a passage with similar meanings and notice how the words have been used by the writer in the passage.  
• Practice skimming a paragraph quickly to get a general impression of the main idea rather than reading each word and sentence carefully. Develop the ability to quickly scan and recognize key points. 
• For general vocabulary, try solving different puzzles or crosswords.
• Pick up unfamiliar words from the passage, and try to guess their meanings from the context. 
• Identify the type of the passage while reading (description, narration, cause/effect, classification, compare/ contrast problem/solution).

ETS Resources (Free Resources)

• TOEFL Practice Sets
• Full-Length Official TOEFL Practice Test
• TOEFL Go!® Official App
• TOEFL Planner
• The Official TOEFL online course from EdX
• TOEFL Talks
• TOEFL TV

Good Books for TOEFL Preparation

• Kaplan’s TOEFL iBT Premier
• Princeton Review Cracking the TOEFL iBT
• Cambridge Preparation for TOEFL
• Barron’s TOEFL iBT

Sample Questions for TOEFL Reading Section Practice - Given below are links that contain sample questions for the TOEFL reading section given by the official body of ETS.

• TOEFL Reading Section Practice Questions 
• TOEFL Reading Section Practice Questions - Test Planner

• Start off with the preparations in advance. It is advised that you start preparing for the TOEFL around the time you start looking for universities. 
• Make a time-table and study according to it. Create your time-table in such a way that you are able to devote more time to your weaker areas or sections which are tough. 
• Practice daily using TOEFL practice questions and exercise. Always review your mistakes and clarify your doubts to extract the maximum benefit out of your practice. 
• Focus on conceptual clarity. Strengthen your basics in such a way that you are able to solve any question, irrespective of the difficulty level. 
• Make your own time-management strategies to finish the syllabus on time. Decide how much time you need to spend on each section on the basis of your level of preparation and aptitude. Make similar strategies for the exam day also, so that you are able to attempt the test in a systematic and orderly fashion. 
• Practice tons of mock tests to form a stronger grip on the exam pattern and difficulty level. Also, do a SWOT analysis of your performance in all the mock tests and find out the areas where you need to work on more. 

• Network with students who took the exam to learn from their success and mistakes.
• Join online chat rooms, forums, or websites for social networking.
• Spend more time on strengthening your weak areas in the section.
• Take as many mock tests as you can. For the reading section, in particular, you can practice section tests. But it is advised that you practice a full-length test so that you learn how to ace the specific section along with other sections as well. 
• Ask a mentor/teacher to give you feedback on your performance. 
• Keep all your documents ready well in advance.