Beginning Again

At the beginning, Lizbet’s first TOEFL scores were R19, L13, S18, and W20. She explained to us that initially, when she first got those scores, she didn’t think that passing the TOEFL would be too hard because she had been able to communicate comfortably and smoothly in her daily life. However, after taking the test again and then repeatedly, without significant improvement, she realized that she had to dedicate more time to prepare for the TOEFL and focus on all sections diligently.

Finding Help

Lizbet’s Study Plan:

So, in 2011, Lizbet registered for the 12-step Speaking + Tutoring + Review system from NoteFull. In addition, she registered for the Complete TOEFL Mastery upgrade. With these two systems, she began studying approximately 35 to 40 hours per week, including weekends. She stated that, “there was no way to take time off during the weekends because then I was losing track.”

How she improved her reading score: In the reading section she focused on a mastery of NoteFull’s activities to improve her reading speed, the strategies for each question type, and a strict focus on time management. In addition, she worked on her comprehension by reading National Geographic articles every day for about 45 minutes.

How Lizbet shot up her listening score: Here, Lizbet had difficulties with note-taking. She was able to improve this skill by applying the Subject-Verb-Object strategy that is explained in detail in Complete TOEFL Mastery. She worked on this relentlessly–overall she worked for 1-2 hours on this skill per day. In addition, she worked on her comprehension by watching TV in English for about 2 hours each week.

How she finally overcame the speaking section: In the Speaking section, Lizbet had to work very hard on a number of skills. To keep track of everything, she made a checklist for each question where she wrote every single detail, tip, and strategy to take into consideration when answering each of them. She practiced speaking every day for several hours. In addition to strategy practice and mastery, Lizbet stated that tutoring sessions and reviews were a great help because they were a great way to find out about her precise strengths and weaknesses. She also views the tutoring session as a source of motivation.

She said, “…they encouraged me every time to continue on this hard mission of studying for the TOEFL. Sometimes I was very frustrated without energy to study, but talking with my teachers from Notefull (Lauren and Joseph) gave me back the power and recovery to keep strong and to smile because the success was right at the corner.”

She also told us that the four reviews she received from Megan were very helpful for her because they were “almost like a tutoring session” and they “described every single detail” of her speech.

How Lizbet succeed in writing: She was unable to reach the 400 words in the independent task, but she stated that thanks to NoteFull’s structure strategies for each paragraph, she finally got used to it and at the end it was a lot easier. Her reviews from Megan also helped her keep her content detailed and on-topic. She worked on writing strategy and practice every other day.

On Their Way

Lizbet’s Success:

She worked on all of these strategies until she succeeded. In July we received a message from Lizbet stating that her hard work had paid off. Her final scores were reading: 23, listening: 23, speaking: 26, and writing: 27!

When she finally passed the TOEFL she told us that she almost couldn’t believe it. But, because of her success with the TOEFL, she now feels stronger and more capable to continue studying for her licensure test (NAPLEX). Lizbet’s final words that she’d like to share with students who are still struggling:

“I strongly recommend to other students to don’t give up because even if the mountain looks very hard to climb, don’t worry because NoteFull is there for you, to give you the most exact way of how to do it, and you will feel as successful as I am now.”

Here For You

Sometimes it’s not just one or two sections that you need to work on. Sometimes you need to devote time and effort to all four sections of the TOEFL. With so much to learn it can often be overwhelming for students…

That’s why we offer multiple different types of TOEFL prep resources. From vocabulary strengthening programs to small group tutoring, our material will fully prepare you for success no matter what your TOEFL journey looks like! And all along the way you’ll receive the motivation and support you need to push through the hard times.

So, if you’re struggling with just a single section of the TOEFL or all four, we can help!

As you may know, we launched our new site just a couple months ago in February. But we’ve improved a whole lot more than that…

In addition to the site update, we’ve also launched updated versions of our TOEFL prep material!

We are always updating our TOEFL resources to make them as effective as possible. We are able to refine and improve our programs because of all the wonderful feedback we get from students just like YOU!

Because of this, the names of our programs have changed over time. So, the names of the resources you’ll find below are the new-and-improved versions of what Lizbet used to succeed on the TOEFL:

Diamond Training for ALL TOEFL sections – This is the new version of the Complete TOEFL Mastery program. Click to see how we’ve made it even more effective and start studying with confidence!

TOEFL Speaking Small Group Tutoring – This is the updated and improved version of the direct email reviews Lizbet received, which we no longer offer. During these small group tutoring sessions, you will receive personal help, feedback, and guidance to transform your skills. This is our most powerful form of feedback available. Click on the link to learn about how it works, the schedule, and why almost EVERY recent NoteFull success story has improved through small group tutoring.

Share your story

Your success IS coming too!

Review these success stories often to keep you inspired. Study the advice each success story gives for specific guidance. Register for the NoteFull courses you need to get your dream TOEFL score. And, stay in touch with us every step of the way.

We’re here to help and will support you UNTIL you pass. We want to be one of the FIRST to congratulate you when you earn your dream TOEFL score. And, when that happens, we can’t wait to invite you to be our next success story so YOU can inspire 100s of others just like Lizbet.

To learn how NoteFull can help you: click here for our getting started with NoteFull guide.

To reach out to us for more personal guidance: click here to email us through our contact us page.