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Ten Awesome Tips for the Reading Section of the TOEFL® Test

Author

Josh MacPherson
Head Instructor at TST Prep

Published on: August 4, 2023

Updated on: December 30, 2025

Reading time: 20 minutes

The TOEFL test is undergoing MAJOR changes. 

The good news is that we have the 10 best tips for the new TOEFL Reading so you know how to score high on test day.  

So, what’s changing? 

On January 21, 2026 the TOEFL Reading section will be completely redesigned with three new task types: 

  1. Complete the Words – Fill in missing words using context clues
  2. Read in Daily Life – Read and answer questions about emails, ads, and social media posts 
  3. Read an Academic Passage – Read an academic passage and answer questions about it (like the old TOEFL, just a bit shorter) 

The time it takes to complete the TOEFL Reading has changed as well. 

Old Test: 36 minutes 

New Test: 20-30 minutes

The structure of the test has changed as well. 

Old Test: 2 Reading passages, 10 questions about each. 

New Test: It varies from test to test, but here is an example. 1 Complete the Words passage, 2 Daily Life passages, and 1 Academic passage in part 1. Followed by 1 Complete the Words passage and 1 Academic passage. 

If you would like to know more about these question types, try some of our free practice for each type here. 

I have carefully analyzed all of the new question types and have updated our top ten TOEFL Reading tips. 

Let’s start with the basics: 

Here is a quick rundown of our top ten TOEFL Reading tips:

By the end of this TOEFL article, you will not only know what to do on test day, but how to prepare in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Let’s jump right in!

Tip #1: Memorize the passages

The last thing you want to feel on test day is lost. 

It’s crucial you gain some exposure to these new passages before your test day. 

There are three new TOEFL Reading task types: 

  1. Complete the Words 
  2. Read in Daily Life 
  3. Read an Academic Passage 

Check out the examples below for more details.

Complete the Words (from TST Prep Test #2) 

The water cycle describes how water constantly moves through Earth’s air, land, and oceans. Wh _ _  the s _ _  warms the sur _ _ _ _ , some wa _ _ _  changes in _ _  vapor and ri _ _ _ . That va _ _ _  cools i _  the s _ _ and fo _ _ _  clouds that eventually release rain or snow. The water then returns to rivers and lakes before starting the cycle again. This natural process keeps fresh water available and helps control the planet’s temperature. Scientists study it to understand and make predictions about the weather and climate.

Complete the Words passage types are about 90 words long and consist of 10 incomplete words. Your job is to fill in the blanks and spell the words correctly. 

This will be the first question type you see on test day. It measures your vocabulary, spelling, and ability to recognize patterns in English through context clues. 

Read in Daily Life (from TST Prep Test #2, Text Chain from TST Prep test #1. ) 

Read an email

Read an announcement

Read a text chain

Hey, why are there three different examples of Read in Daily Life?

Good question. 

It’s because there is a short Read in Daily Life, like the first email above, a longer Read in Daily Life like the announcement, and a text chain passage, which was the last one listed. 

The text chain is rare and shows up in about 10-20% of ETS’ TOEFL Practice tests (TPO). 

You will definitely see at least one short daily life task and at least one long daily life task on test day. 

These short texts are designed to see if you can read quickly and understand common grammar and vocabulary that you would encounter in everyday life.

Arctic Sea Ice and Global Climate

Arctic sea ice forms when ocean water freezes during winter and partially melts each summer. Over the past few decades, satellite observations have revealed a consistent decline in both the area and thickness of this ice. Scientists consider these measurements an important indicator of global climate change.

When sea ice melts, the darker ocean surface beneath it absorbs more sunlight, leading to additional warming—a process known as the ice-albedo feedback. This effect not only accelerates melting but also influences weather patterns far beyond the Arctic. Researchers have linked declining ice cover to shifts in jet streams and more extreme weather in temperate regions.

Melting sea ice also affects marine life. Species such as polar bears and seals depend on stable ice platforms for hunting and breeding. As these platforms disappear, animals must travel farther to find food, and survival rates drop. Indigenous communities that rely on sea ice for travel and hunting face similar challenges as their traditional routes become unsafe.

Scientists are monitoring seasonal cycles to understand how long-term warming might alter global ocean currents. Small changes in these currents can disrupt ecosystems and even affect rainfall patterns worldwide. 

The academic texts are similar to the old version of the TOEFL iBT but MUCH shorter. In the past, the passages were around 700 words long. The new test passages will be about 200 words long, followed by five questions. 

This measures your ability to read texts you would encounter in a freshman-level university classroom in North America. You will have to make inferences, understand academic vocabulary, and identify the main idea of each passage. 

Another key change to the TOEFL Reading in 2026: 

Fewer academic questions. 

The old 10 question types (vocabulary, detail, negative detail, inference, etc.) are now mostly in Task 3: Academic Passage. 

Tasks 1 and 2 are completely new formats that test practical, everyday reading skills. You still have to answer questions about the passages, but they are not as complicated as previous questions about academic passages. 

Understanding Adaptive Testing (New in 2026)

One more thing you should know is that the new test includes two modules. 

What’s a module?

It’s basically a fancy way of saying “part”. 

A typical Module 1 (part 1) would look something like this: 

  • 1 Complete the Words passage
  • 2 Daily Life passages
  • 1 Academic Passage

This first module is designed to assess how well you are doing on the test. In other words, Module 2 will change based on your performance. 

From the research I have done on the TPOs at ETS’s official website, there seem to be two types of second modules: 

If you are doing well, Module 2: 

  • 1 Complete the Words passage
  • 1 Academic passage

If you are struggling, Module 2: 

  • 1 Complete the Words passage
  • 1 Daily Life passage (short)
  • 1 Daily Life passage (long)

ETS has implemented this change to help improve the TOEFL experience for test-takers. No one wants to keep answering hard questions when they are struggling. 

No matter what, focus on doing well in Module 1. It’s better to slow down and get Module 1 right than to rush and lock yourself into easier (lower-scoring) Module 2 questions.

If you get an easier Module 2, it lowers your score ceiling, and you want to avoid that if possible. 

That is why tip #1 is for you to know the new passage types before test day. 

Once you have become familiar with them, tip #2 will become much more useful. 

Tip #2: Memorize the question types

One tricky aspect of the TOEFL Reading is the question types. There are multiple question types you will have to know before test day. 

For the Daily Life tasks, there are four:

The Reading Section – Daily Life Passages

Question Type Frequency per Test Question Wording Question Example
Gist Purpose 1–3 What is the purpose of… What is the main purpose of this notice?
Factual Information 2–5 • What should XX do…
• What will happen if…
• According to the announcement… 		What should Mr. Lee do before the tour begins?
Negative Factual Information 0–2 • Which of the following is NOT…
• All of the following… EXCEPT 		Which of the following is NOT true according to the message?
Inference 1–3 What can be inferred about… What can be inferred about the museum’s policy?

Why is it important to know these question types? 

Because if you don’t understand the question, you will arrive at the wrong answer. 

For example, many test-takers get Negative Factual Information questions wrong. 

Why? 

Take this example from TST Prep Test #1: 

Which of the following actions is NOT mentioned in the messages?

  1. Contacting wholesale clients by email
  2. Posting an update on social media
  3. Adjusting the inventory page
  4. Calling the supplier by phone

I had one student argue with me that the correct answer is option a because in the text chain, Luis Fernandez states, “ I’ll email all wholesale clients explaining the new delivery date.”

Do you see why the student is wrong? 

It’s because this is a NEGATIVE factual information question. You have to find what is NOT mentioned in the passage, in this case option d is correct because it is never mentioned. 

Unfortunately, the Academic Text passages include even MORE question types.

The Reading Section – Academic Text Passages

Question Type Frequency per Test Question Wording Question Example
Gist Content 1–2 What is the main idea… What is the main idea of the passage?
Factual Information 2–4 • According to the passage…
• What… 		According to the passage, what happens when the ocean surface is exposed?
Negative Factual Information 0–1 • All of the following… EXCEPT All of the following are true about the impact of printing EXCEPT
Author’s Purpose 1–2 Why does the author mention… Why does the author mention the Phoenician alphabet?
Insert Text 0–1 There are four locations… There are four locations in the passage marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Where would the following sentence best fit?
Vocabulary 1–2 The word XX in the passage… The word “fragile” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Inference 0–2 What can be inferred about… What can be inferred about the museum’s policy?
Organization 0–2 What is the relationship between… What is the relationship between paragraphs 2 and 3?
Click the Sentence 0–1 Click on the sentence that… Click on the sentence in paragraph 4 that explains how changes in ocean currents could have worldwide consequences.

I know this can feel a bit overwhelming, which is why we have over 100 free TOEFL Reading practice questions here so you can know exactly what to expect on test day. 

Now that you know the passages and you know the question types, you can start thinking about how to manage your time.

Tip #3: Keep track of time

On test day, you will answer 35-48 questions across both modules. Depending on the number of questions you receive, you will have between 21-30 minutes to complete the entire section. 

Here is a rough estimate of how long you should spend on each passage type: 

  • Complete the Words: 1-2 minutes per passage (complete 10 blank words)   seconds per passage
  • Read in Daily Life (short): 1-2 minutes (read and answer 2 multiple-choice questions)  seconds per passage (×multiple passages)
  • Read in Daily Life (long): 2-3 minutes (read and answer 3 multiple-choice questions)
  • Text Chain: 2-3 minutes (read and answer 3 multiple-choice questions)
  • Read an Academic Passage: 4-5 minutes (read and answer 5 multiple choice questions)

One of the best ways to see if you are answering the questions fast enough is to time yourself. 

So let’s do that right now. 

Set a timer for two minutes and try this Complete the Words passage from TST Prep test #2.

The water cycle describes how water constantly moves through Earth’s air, land, and oceans. Wh _ _  the s _ _  warms the sur _ _ _ _ , some wa _ _ _  changes in _ _  vapor and ri _ _ _ . That va _ _ _  cools i _  the s _ _ and fo _ _ _  clouds that eventually release rain or snow. The water then returns to rivers and lakes before starting the cycle again. This natural process keeps fresh water available and helps control the planet’s temperature. Scientists study it to understand and make predictions about the weather and climate.

And here are the answers:

The water cycle describes how water constantly moves through Earth’s air, land, and oceans. Wh{en} the s{un} warms the sur{face), some wa{ter} changes in{to} vapor and ri{ses}. That va{por} cools i{n} the s{ky} and fo{rms} clouds that eventually release rain or snow. The water then returns to rivers and lakes before starting the cycle again. This natural process keeps fresh water available and helps control the planet’s temperature. Scientists study it to understand and make predictions about the weather and climate.

Were you able to answer all of the questions correctly in two minutes? 

 

If not, that’s okay, it takes time to get used to. Either way, be sure to set a timer when you practice for the TOEFL Reading section. Many test-takers struggle to answer all of the questions in time. 

Tip #4: Beware of modifiers in answer choices

One way to eliminate wrong choices and select the correct one is to pay close attention to modifiers.

First of all, what’s a modifier?

A modifier is a word, usually an adjective or noun that changes the meaning of the head noun. The wrong modifier can change the significance of a statement. 

The best way to understand is to look at a few examples: 

  • This event has had a tremendous impact
  • This event has had some impact
  • This event has had almost no impact

As you can see, modifiers are an easy way to make a possible choice incorrect. All you have to do is change a single word and it changes the entire meaning of the sentence. This is one of the more infamous trap answers on the TOEFL, so be sure not to fall for the modifier trap. There is a huge difference between “tremendous impact” and “almost no impact“.

Tip #5: Expand your academic vocabulary

SENTENCE SIMPLIFICATION QUESTION

Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 3? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

a. Discoveries of ceratopsian remains suggest that they lived in groups

b. Fossils of individual herds of ceratopsians have been discovered in bone beds

c. The evidence shows ceratopsians of all ages and genders lived, ate, and slept in groups

d. Numerous fossils support the idea that individual ceratopsians differed from each other

Since the passages on the TOEFL Reading are all academic texts, the vocabulary is also at the academic level.

So, why does this matter?

You probably already know that you should study academic vocabulary, but did you know that there is an actual Academic Word List? It was created by linguist Averil Coxhead in 2001 and it contains 570 of the most common academic words used in scholarly journals and texts.

You can get yourself a copy of the Ultimate TOEFL Vocabulary List.

Here’s a quick example of one of the academic vocabulary words and all of its variations:

  • Verb form(s) – acquire
  • Noun form(s) – acquisition, acquirement, acquirer
  • Adjective form(s) – acquisitive, acquirable 
  • Adverb form(s) – acquisitively 

Let me make something clear…

You do NOT have to know all the forms of a single word. The point is that if you know the simple verb form, (i.e. acquire), then you can probably figure out the meaning of the other forms of the same word. Don’t memorize every word in each word family, just focus on familiarizing yourself with the headword.

Understanding these words won’t guarantee that you will know every word you encounter in the TOEFL Reading but this is the most concise vocabulary list you can find.

There are other sites that promote TOEFL Vocabulary Lists of thousands of words, but all you need for the TOEFL Reading section is to focus on these 570 words.

Tip #6: Learn word parts and apply to unknown vocabulary

In addition to learning academic vocabulary, it’s beneficial to learn the parts of words, i.e., the prefixes, suffixes, and roots of words.

Knowing that “ex-” means “out of or not“, or that “pro-” means “before or forward” will you give you the advantage of being able to dissect words that you do not completely understand.

Whether you like it or not, there will be words in the TOEFL Reading section that you simply do not know. This TOEFL Reading tip will not only help you with vocabulary questions but for any part of the text you do not fully comprehend.

The problem is that there are literally thousands of word parts and some are more useful than others. Here is a link to our Essential Word Parts List, which includes all 219 word parts that can help you discern the meaning of a word, even if you are unfamiliar with it.

Below is a list of our 54 most common prefixes. You can find the rest in our Essential Word Parts List.

Group 1 – Location and Movement
  1. ab – away from, down – abandon, abstain, abnormal, absurd, abominable
  2. ad – at, towards – admire, adapt, adjacent, admonish, adversary
  3. circum – to go around, circle – circumvent, circumstance, circumstantial, circumference, circumcise
  4. con-/co-/com-/col – together – collect, company, concentrate, converge, coexist
  5. dia – through, across – dialogue, diachronic, diameter, diatribe, diagram
  6. equi – equal – equidistant, equity, equilibrium, equinox, equivalent.
  7. ex – out of, not – exposure, exaggerate, exonerate, exude, exclusion
  8. fore – front, in advance – foreground, forearm, forecast, foreclose, foreshadow
  9. in – in, on, not – inception, intone, insinuate, incorrect, inaccurate
  10. inter – among, between – interaction, intercept, intermediate, interject, international
  11. para – besides, irregular, beyond – paramedic, paranormal, paragraph, paraphrase, paranoid
  12. per – thoroughly, through – perceive, persist, peruse, persevere
  13. peri – about, around, near – periodical, periscope, perimeter, peripheral
  14. pro – before, forward – procession, proficiency, prominent, prologue, prognosis
  15. sub – under, below, slightly imperfect – subatomic, subconscious, subdivide, subjugate, submission
  16. syn-/sym – with, together – sympathetic, synergy, synonym, symbiotic, symmetrical
  17. tele – afar, at a distance – telecast, telecommunication, telephone, telescope, television
  18. trans – through, across, beyond – transcript, transfer, transcendence, transport, transaction
Group 2 – Numbers
  1. bi-/du – two – duplicate, dual, bisexual, biweekly, bipolar
  2. cent – 100 – centenarian, century, centigrade, centimeter, centipede
  3. mill – 1000 – millennium, milliliter, milligram, millennial, millipede
  4. mono – one – monochrome, monotone, monogamy, monopolize, monotheism
  5. multi – more than one – multicellular, multicultural, multimillionaire, multitask, multifaceted
  6. poly – many – polyglot, polygamy, polyphonic, polytheism, polygon
  7. quad – four – quad, quadriplegic, quadrangle, quadruplet, quadriceps
  8. tri – three – tricycle, tripod, trio, trimester, triad
  9. uni – one, together – unicorn, unicycle, unify, uniform, universal
Group 3 – Negatives
  1. anti – against, opposite of – antidepressant, antitrust, antiwar, antidote, antisocial
  2. contra– against, in opposition of – contraband, contraceptive, contrast, contrarian, contradiction
  3. dis – away from, the reverse effect – disable, disadvantage, disarm, displace, disrupt
  4. il-/im-/in-/ir – not, opposite of – illegal, imbecile, irregular, inability, inconsistent, illogical
  5. mal – wrong, badly – malefic, malcontent, malpractice, malnourished, malevolent
  6. mis – wrong, incorrect – misjudge, mislead, misprint, mistreat, misfortune
  7. non – not – nonchalant, noncompliant, nonexistent, nonrenewable, nonfiction
  8. un – negative, opposite force – unacceptable, uneasy, unhinged, unrealistic, unspeakable
Group 4 – Academics
  1. astro – the stars, outer space – asteroid, astrology, astrolabe, astronaut, astrophysicist
  2. geo – earth – geometry, geothermal, geography, geolocation, geometric
  3. hydro – water – hydroelectric, hydrometer, hydrophobia, hydropathic, hydrodynamic
  4. neur – nerves, nervous system – neuron, neurological, neuropathy, neurosis, neurosurgeon
  5. psych – mind, spirit, that which breathes – psychedelic, psychic, psycho, psychosis, psychotic
  6. socio – social, society – sociocultural, socioeconomic, sociolinguistic, sociopolitical, sociopath
Group 5 – More Prefixes
  1. ana – back, again, upwards – anagram, analogy, anatomy, anachronism, analyze
  2. auto – by oneself, itself – autobiography, autocracy, autograph, automatize, autonomy
  3. em, en – to cause to be in, to confine – embark, embezzle, entourage, enjoin, encroach
  4. hyper – over, exaggeration – hyperactive, hyperbolic, hyperlink, hypertension
  5. meta – after, change, beyond – metamorphosis, metaphysical, metadata, metabolism, metaphor
  6. neo – new – neologism, neolithic, neofascist, neon, neonate
  7. over – more than usual, too much – overcooked, overachiever, overeducated, overdose, overslept
  8. pan – all – pandemic, panorama, Pangea, pan, panacea
  9. post – after – postmortem, postmodernism, posterity, postscript, postseason
  10. pre – before – precaution, preconditioned, predestination preordain, preview
  11. re – back, again – rebuild, recall, recede, reflect, reconsider
  12. super – above, beyond – superimpose, superlative supernova, superstar, superrich
  13. ult – last, beyond – ultraconservative, ultrasound, ultimatum, ultimate, ulterior
Remember, using word parts will not always work. The prefix “ab” may mean “away from or down” but the abs around your stomach have nothing to do with this prefix. These word parts are tools to help you on your TOEFL journey. And don’t forget, this TOEFL Reading tip is incomplete. You can download the entire Essential Word Parts List exclusively from TST Prep right here.

Tip #7: Be an active reader

Let’s face it, TOEFL Reading passages are pretty dull.

Some people may be interested in the phases of the moon or the geopolitics of Ancient Rome, but most tend to nod off after the first paragraph.

Focus is an enormous part of your grade for the TOEFL Reading. If you can read the words, but don’t understand what they mean or how they connect with each other, you will not be able to answer the questions.

You can NOT read TOEFL passages the same way you read the newspaper or a novel, you have to read with certain goals in mind.

You must read actively.

Passive reading is when you read a newspaper and then pretty much forget everything you read besides some vague main idea. You might remember that you read about the war in Syria, but you will not be able to recall the first line of the third paragraph in that article.

Active reading will help you remember a lot more of what you read.

While most exams in college test your memory, the TOEFL tests your comprehension. They don’t want to see if you can remember the material, but if you can understand it. So, your goal is to understand what you read.

STEP 1 – Before you start reading any TOEFL paragraph, not TOEFL passage, just a paragraph within the Reading passage, imagine you are a teacher and ask yourself, “How am I going to explain this paragraph to a six-year-old?”

And that’s it.

That’s how we are going to read actively. That’s your goal when you read any TOEFL paragraph.

“I need to explain this to a 6-year-old”

So when you see a paragraph before you start to answer the question, imagine you are going to have to teach about this stuff to a bunch of children. Focus on understanding the main idea of the paragraph in a clear and simple way before you start to answer the question. 

Let me show you a quick example from a paragraph from a reading text.

“The ceratopsians, also known as ceratopsia or ceratopia, are among the most well-known and distinctive of all dinosaur species. The majority of ceratopsians were four-legged dinosaurs that ranged in length from one meter (three feet) to nine meters and in weight from 23 kilograms (50 pounds) to 5,400 kilograms. The earliest ceratopsians lived around 161 million years ago, and the last ones died out approximately 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The first fossil remains of ceratopsians were discovered in the mid to late nineteenth century, and they were first classified as separate from other dinosaur species in 1890 by Othniel Charles Marsh, one of the preeminent paleontologists of the period.”

My own simple summary of this paragraph would be something like, “This paragraph acts as a general introduction to ceratopsian dinosaurs with details about how they lived and when their bones were later discovered.”

I think a six-year-old would get that. 

Now you try. Download TST Prep’s Complete Test #13 and try to summarize each paragraph in the reading section in a way that even a six-year-old would understand (after you finish reading this article of course). 

You will be shocked by how this small mental shift can totally change your reading comprehension. 

Tip #8: Study the same test more than once

The title sums this tip up fairly well, but it is a crucial aspect of studying that most students neglect.

I have seen countless TOEFL takers fall into the practice trap. They feel that the best way to improve their score is to keep doing TOEFL practice, but they never reflect n what they have learned.

This is why all of our private TOEFL students are taught a specific four-step-system for studying the TOEFL, called The PARA Framework.

P – Plan 

A – Act 

R – Reflect 

A – Adjust 

In this system, taking a practice step is just one step in the four-step process (act). They must also spend a significant amount of time planning, reflecting and adjusting.

It’s crucial for you to reflect on what you have done and adjust based on what you have learned through reflection. After you reflect and adjust, it’s time to plan. Plan on taking the same test 1-2 weeks after the first time you did it. Anticipate that you remember most of the answers visually, not necessarily through comprehension. However, your goal is not to comprehend more, but to remember what you have already learned and ensure you do not make the same mistake twice.

Tip #9: Explain why you were correct or incorrect

Reflecting on your answers and explaining why you were correct or incorrect is step 3 in the 4-step PARA Framework you just learned about: Plan, Act, Reflect, Adjust.

Each part of this 4-step-system is important, but you will experience the most growth through reflection. Reflection is where you will act as your own teacher. Of course, it is always better to work with a teacher and we have a team of TOEFL Teachers ready and waiting to help, but if you have to do it on your own, know that there are only three reasons why you might get a question wrong on the TOEFL Reading.

That’s right, only three.

  1. Misread the passage
  2. Misread the question
  3. Did not understand the vocabulary

It is hard to imagine, but the reason why you might get a question wrong in the TOEFL reading boils down to just these three possible reasons.

Now that you know how to identify what the problem was when you answered correctly, the next step is to adjust. When you adjust, you decide what you are going to differently next time to avoid making the same mistake again. Let me give you an example of each for an incorrect TOEFL Reading question so you can see it in action:

  1. Misread the passage – “I have to pay better attention to keywords in the question next time. I was looking at the wrong place in the passage for the answer.” 
  2. Misread the question – “I always make the same mistake with negative detail questions, I choose a correct answer rather than an incorrect one. From now on, I will pay special attention to each question and keep a sharp eye out for the words “not” or “except”.
  3. Did not understand the vocabulary – “I didn’t understand the word ‘acquire’. I am going to look up some examples with the word and then practice writing a few sentences on my own. If I have a teacher, I will ask her to correct my grammatical mistakes.” 

This is a tough habit to start because it takes time and thought, two of our most precious resources.

If you are serious about improving your TOEFL Reading abilities, I suggest starting a journal, reflecting on your answers and making plans on how you intend to adjust your approach based on your scores.

Tip #10: Practice with short passages

You are still here?

Amazing.

You have made it to the end, and since you have invested your time into reading an article about TOEFL Reading tips, I know you are serious about your TOEFL score.

Here is a link to our free PDF of 100 TOEFL Reading short questions. The average TOEFL Reading passage is 700 words, followed by 10 questions, but these short passages are between 100-250 words and are followed by just one or two questions. Why? So you can focus on understanding what you read and mastering each question type. Not only will practicing short passages help you understand why you got a certain question wrong but it will also allow you to narrow your focus on your reading strengths and weaknesses.

Conclusions

But that is it, your top ten TOEFL Reading tips.

I know it was a lot to digest, but if you want to know more, check out our TOEFL Emergency Course that covers the essentials on not just the reading section, but every aspect of the TOEFL.

Did we miss anything? (or just want to say thanks!) 

Let us know in the comments section below. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know if you have any questions at contact@tstprep.com 

Happy studies!

Josh MacPherson

Founder and Head Instructor

Josh MacPherson is the head instructor, presenter, and curriculum developer at TST Prep. As of August 2024, his TST Prep Youtube channel has amassed over 500,000 subscribers. His Emergency Course for the TOEFL® on Udemy has enrolled over 77,000 students from over 100 countries and, at the time of writing, has earned a 4.5/5 star rating.

After earning a Bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a Master’s in ESL Curriculum and Instruction, he served as academic coordinator of the Intensive English Program at ASA College in midtown Manhattan and as the coordinator of the Corporate Sales Division for Shane Schools in Kansai, Japan. He now devotes much of his time to creating content, studying Japanese, and spending time with his wife and their three children.

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  • TST Prep offers an extremely practical and effective preparation for the TOEFL iBT. The Emergency Course for the TOEFL test and their YouTube videos are clear, well-structured, and results-driven. As a non-native English speaker, I found their strategies easy to apply and highly useful, helping me achieve a strong score in a short time. I highly recommend TST Prep to anyone looking for efficient and reliable TOEFL preparation. EG
    E

    Erick Godoy

    22 December 2025

  • I really liked how the instructor takes his time to explain everything in such great detail and with such ease. Also, the I did follow the tips given in the youtube videos and have got myself a score of 111/120. I am really grateful for all the help I got from this platform.
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    Arunabh Sinha

    02 December 2025

  • I worked with TST Prep for my TOEFL exam, and I needed to score at least 80 points, but I only had two weeks to prepare. I found the TST Prep Emergency Course and completed it in just 10 days. During the course, I learned a lot about the exam structure, and by the end of it, I felt fully prepared to achieve my best score. In the end, I scored exactly 80 points in just two weeks. Thanks to TST Prep!
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    Mert Siyami Yavuz

    25 December 2025

Educational Content Disclaimer

This article provides educational guidance for TOEFL test preparation. While our strategies have helped 10,000+ students achieve their target scores, individual results may vary based on English proficiency level, study time commitment, and test-taking experience.

Official TOEFL Resources: This content supplements (but does not replace) official ETS TOEFL preparation materials. We recommend combining our strategies with official ETS resources for comprehensive preparation.

Accuracy Commitment: All information is current as of January 2026 and reflects the latest TOEFL iBT test format. We update our content regularly to maintain accuracy with ETS guidelines.

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