Hi, Am from India, presently residing in the United States

English as a Second Language New ESL Forum Member?
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Hi everyone,

Hope i am in the right place…Am from India, presently residing in the United States. I am a graduate in Computer Science and want to do MS here. So, i am starting to prepare for TOEFL and GRE. I am planning to take TOEFL first as it is mandatory in almost all the universities. I need help regarding how to start the preparations for the exam…I am not sure about my level in English language…Today, i went through the TOEFL iBT bulletin and get to know the test pattern…

Can anyone tell me how to proceed with my preparations step by step ? and also list some free online resources.

Thanks

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What’s important is achieving proficiency in English. If you prepare for an exam, you’ll still need English help later on. If you improve your basic English skills, you’ll be prepared for life in a English-speaking academic environment.

Personally, I aced both the IELTS and TOEFL without any test-specific preparation whatsoever. I’m not suggesting you ignore test preparation material, but it’s important that you realise the only thing those English examiners have over you is fluency in a language not your own. Most of the questions are patterned on common grammatical errors made by people for whom English is a second language.

The topics and ideas presented can be handled by intelligent/educated people from anywhere in the world. There’s no need to know specific exam topics or learn complicated strategies. All you need is to be comfortable communicating in English.

My advice is simply this: immerse yourself in the English language by doing fun things like watching movies, reading books, listening to audiobooks or chatting with friends who are fluent in the language. That’s how you learned your mother tongue and that’s how you’ll achieve a level of English that will last beyond TOEFL.

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Hello to everyone!
your advice"… it’s important that you realise the only thing those English examiners have over you is fluency in a language not your own…" is amazing, i’ll try to take advanteges of it in my learning process, this sentence kind of granted me a self esteem in speaking I sense that from now on I can speak with more confidence, that will help me to sound more fluent and elloquent.
many thanks. Ali