TOEFL is
considered to be quite a challenging and tough exam. It requires candidates to
be very analytical and they need to study in a very detailed and focused manner. It is not very easy to clear the TOEFL. There
are several reasons due to which students find TOEFL tough and find it
difficult to pass.
There are certain important factors due to which TOEFL seems tough.
Let us discuss a few points
1.
Over
Confidence: It is good to be confident, however over confidence can be
very bad and can have a negative impact. Lot of students feel they are very
intelligent and can easily clear it, however it is this over confidence that leads
to failure. So with full dedication and confidence students should prepare but
not over confidence.
2.
Lack
of Enthusiasm and zeal: To succeed in anything in life it is important
to have a strong will power and lots of enthusiasm towards that goal. So lots
of students sometimes do not have that enthusiasm that is required for the
exam. There are several reasons for that like health issues, financial problems,
family problems, excessive stress and tension, or may be some personal problem
due to which they are not very enthusiastic about the exam. And this also affects
the result.
3.
Inability
to deal with past exam experiences or past failures: Every person goes
through failure in their life. We all fail some exams in life. However
sometimes some students take their failure in a particular exam very seriously
and they take it to heart. It demotivates them to give any future exam. They
feel they are not capable to give any other exam in life. So this negativity
and demotivation affects them very badly.
4.
Lack
of proper coaching classes/ or Training: TOEFL is a very professional exam with
a lot of technicalities and complexities. Students should not try and do it
completely on their own. It is very essential to take some assistance and
guidance from professional coaching centers and trainers. Some students think studying
on their own is enough, however actually it is not. When they take help from professionals
they can get good tips and techniques on how to score more. So it is a good
idea to take help from a coaching or training center.
5.
Poor Planning
or Preparation: One of the biggest reasons why people fail this test is
due to poor planning. Planning is very important for successfully clearing
TOEFL. It is important to plan your entire study and course of action. Make
proper timetables and give yourself proper time and set deadlines for the study
of TOEFL. This is where students go wrong, they feel they can easily manage
without any planning but it turns out to be a big disaster.
6.
Incoherent
English language communication: One big issue in TOEFL for foreign students
who are not native English speakers is lack of fluency and confidence in
English Language. So a lot of students are
unable to express themselves clearly and convey their opinions and views. They
find it very difficult and are very uncomfortable in speaking English. They get
very conscious and as a result they land up speaking very unclearly and score
less.
7.
Issues
with Punctuation Marks: This is another problem with a lot of students.
This problem affects the writing section. A lot of students are not aware of
appropriate punctuation marks and where you should use them so they use them incorrectly
and in places where they are not required. So however well you have written, if
your punctuation marks are wrong you will not be given a good score. So all
punctuation marks like full stop, comma, question marks etc. should be used
very carefully and only when required.
8.
Unnecessary
apprehensions: A lot of students are born and bought up in a very traditional
and simple environment. They are not used to having technology around them and are
not even very familiar with computers and laptops. Since the TOEFL exam is a computerized
exam, such students often get very uncomfortable and have a difficult time
during the test. They also get very nervous and anxious with the thought of giving
this computerized exam.
9.
Phobias
of examinations and Bad experiences of friends and past exam takers: A lot of students listen to their friends and
other exam takers who have either found TOEFL tough or have failed in their
previous attempts of TOEFL. So students become very demotivated and lose their confidence
while giving the exam. They get influenced by negative stories and this affects
their performance.
10.
Lack
of Proper Research: Another major issue with TOEFL is that it requires
a lot of extensive research and lot of information gathering. There is a lot of
information, study and preparation material that is available online and even
in the market for preparing for TOEFL. So a lot of students make this mistake of
not doing enough research about the exam and its material. Nowadays there is also much material available
and students must take advantage of this easy availability and they must use
it.
11.
Careless
Attitude of students: It is extremely important to take this exam
seriously and also to plan this exam properly. There should be no confusions
with respect to this exam. Extra care should be taken to reach the exam center
on time. It is very important to reach early and be on time for the exam. Also Keep
yourself free on the exam day, do not plan anything else with this exam. It is
important to take this exam seriously and it should be your first priority.
12.
Technical
Issues that sometimes arise at the Test Center: Since TOEFL is a computerized exam
sometimes there have been cases of technical problems or malfunctioning of equipment
like headphones, microphones, there may be a sudden power breakdown or internet
server breakdown. So like these there may be some technical issues that may
arise in a TOEFL exam. So such problems often lower the confidence of students
as due to no fault of theirs they have to suffer. They lose their enthusiasm when
such problems occur.
13.
Inability
to Familiarize with the QWERTY key board and lack of proper understanding of
its layout and structure: As we
are aware that TOEFL is a computerized test and in this test an important
hardware device called QWERTY key board is used. So students who are not aware of
this keyboard may find it very hard to locate the alphabets on this keyboard
and they may lose out on time in this process. In TOEFL time is very important
and losing out on time can be very risky.
14.
Bad
Exam time management: The biggest
issue that TOEFL takers experience is that they find time very less. So
managing time in this exam is extremely important. Since there is a time
constraint students have to finish within the given time limit. Hence managing
time smartly is a big requirement if one wants to score high in TOEFL.
15.
Faulty/
Weak Background in Classroom English Language Learning: The most
important skill required to score really high in TOEFL is good command in
English language. For most of the foreign students English is not the first
language so their confidence and fluency is not high. This affects their
performance in the exam also. In speaking and writing students face a lot of
problems as their base and foundation in English Language is not very strong.
So all the above mentioned points are very important and
students must keep these in mind if they really want to achieve high scores in
TOEFL.