My TOEFL adventures

Last week I sat for my TOEFL. It was a really trying experience. Those who intend to continue their studies in the US has to sit for the test, and the worry is not exactly passing the test, but to meet the high score set by the Ministry and certain universities. Imagine for getting a scholarship, you have to score 90++ out of 120? Phew....

The first time around I registered for it, I did not realize that the organization carrying out the test would be so strict. I registered via phone, but they did not tell me that the registered name had to be exactly as stated in my IC and passport. Previously, my IC did not include my father's name so I unthinkingly just gave my name minus my dad's name. Unfortunately, when I called back again to confirm my appointment, it turned out that it was not valid because my name was not exactly as in the IC. I had to reschedule my appointment again and I began to feel frustrated because the test was notoriously difficult to register, you have to book a place two months in advance (because everyone who wanted to study in US has to sit for it, regardless of whether you were undergraduate or postgraduate). Not only that, to reschedule, I only got half of the refund. So altogether, I had to pay USD225 instead of USD150. That was not the worse part. When I called to complain, the officer was throughly unsympathetic.

Naturally, come exam day, I was already frustrated and wanted to get it over and done with. Again, I made another mistake. I forgot to ask them the exact venue where the exam was held. They didn't tell me exactly where it was in the slip. I thought the polytechnic would be small, but it was huge!! Luckily, I managed to find the place in time with the help of a few kindly students and officials who were walking around in the campus.

I think I did OK in the end. I was the first one out. It was a totally Internet-based test, so they had trouble with the server initially, and with the technical glitches we started the test nearly one hour after the scheduled time. You can imagine how frazzled you can get! I was relieved that I read the guide book before the test and managed to familiarize myself with the system! Just to be safe, I took the practice test and lucky I did! I found the listening and writing quite OK, but I think I fobbed off a few lines in the speaking test. Also, in one speaking test, I was given 60 seconds to read the passage and I was so busy taking notes, I almost forgot to read the passage. That gave me only about 45-secs to read the passage! Ha ha ha, so sometimes lecturing like a bullet train comes in handy! The reading section was quite tricky due to the nature of the articles given, it was complicated and technical! (i.e. botany, biology, chemistry, astronomy!). For a social scientist like me, it took every ounce of my concentration to focus on the boring articles and to make some sense out of it!!

Hopefully, I will manage to score. Results would be out in another week. To Joey, thanks so much for generously giving out tips and advice before my test, I did so much better with your help. To my other half, thank you for your moral support. Without you I am lost. :-)