Bagi sebagian orang, mendengar kata TOEFL atau IELTS saja sudah merinding. Sudah terbayang sulitnya tes kecakapan berbahasa Inggris ini. Terlebih, kemampuan bahasa Inggris yang diuji adalah kemampuan bahasa Inggris akademis yang baik dan benar, bukan bahasa Inggris ala Awkarin. Jadi apa rahasianya agar hasil TOEFL dan IELTS cemerlang?Apa sih bedanya TOEFL dan IELTS?

TOEFL dan IELTS berbeda dalam hal penyelenggaraan dan sistem penilaiannya. TOEFL biasanya dilakukan oleh mereka yang berencana melanjutkan sekolah atau kuliah ke jenjang lebih tinggi di luar negeri, kandidat beasiswa ke luar negeri dan peserta sertifikasi internasional. Sedangkan IELTS atau International English Language Testing System merupakan standarisasi tes keahlian bahasa Inggris  di seluruh dunia. IELTS merupakan tes bahasa Inggris paling populer di dunia untuk studi, bekerja dan migrasi ke luar negeri.

Ah, jadi ingat masa-masa saya mau ambil IELTS dulu…. duluuuu banget pas mau kuliah lagi di London. Ketika itu seluruh penerima beasiswa Chevening wajib setor nilai IELTS. Untungnya kami diberikan pembekalan yang durasinya beda-beda, ada yang 2 minggu, 4 minggu dan 8 minggu. Kita ikut tes tertulis, hasil tes menentukan kita ikut kelas pembekalan yang mana. Untunglah saya akhirnya ikut yang cuma 2 minggu!

Hari gini sih enak… Kalau butuh pembekalan buat TOEFL atau IELTS sudah bisa dilakukan di tempat-tempat les bahasa Inggris yang kredibel, salah satunya EF, English First. Malah EF menyediakan test online. Nah, ini beberapa tips buat yang mau TOEFL dan IELTS:

Tips for higher scores (TOEFL iBT)

• Practice online
• Improve your computer typing skill (very important for the writing section of the exam)
• Practice explaining simple academic lectures
• Watch Youtube videos about the speaking section of the exam
• To practice listening, only listen 1 time and then answer the questions
• Always time your practice sessions.

Tips for higher scores (IELTS)

• In the speaking interview, do not answer with only ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Practice explaining your answers.
• Practice using the answer form you will use in the exam (available online for free)
• Practice summarizing simple diagram and charts.
• Always time your practice sessions

But first, you should decide which exam do you want/need to take. Use the EF free English Test to find out your level of English. Recommended to be B2 level to begin TOEFL iBT and IELTS preparation.

Looking back at my personal experience during my preparation for IELTS, this is what I did back then:

• Practice everyday for the whole two weeks.
• Focus on writing, because I heard that many participants performed poorly especially on writing test. This means academic writing, because my purpose was to continue post graduate education.
• I wrote one (semi) academic article every other day. Then I asked a friend to read and give comments. Her/his English may not be better than mine, but how she/he responded show her/his understanding on my article.
• I practice my speaking ability in front of a mirror, talking to an imaginary person. Yeah, this may sound crazy but it’s crazy fun! There was no camera phone back then. But today if you have a mobile phone that can record video, I highly recommend that you record yourself talking in English (for speaking test purpose). Later on you can watch your video and evaluate your speaking ability.

On the D-day, don’t forget to eat enough breakfast before the test. Not too full, but don’t get hungry as it will be difficult for you to think 🙂 Oh, and it is advisable to avoid coffee and coke before the test. They’re known as diuretic! You don’t want to get distracted during the test, do you?

So, are you ready to take the test?