When preparing for exams....don't do these things!

One of the reasons why I love The Guardian newspaper is that it's a fabulous source of how-to information on a variety of topics. Today's edition is no different - there's a very good article on what not to do when you're taking an exam -- and I think that a LOT of this information is valid for TOEFL iBT and the writing part of the GMAT exam.

Writing for Exams: Three things NOT to do

Starting from this month, I'm going to be contributing blog posts to the ClubMBA website (and if I haven't said it before, I'm saying it now - those of you who are doing the TOEFL exam should definitely check out their TOEFL forum - not because I'm contributing to it, but because there are a number of good testimonials from people who have done the exam and what their experiences were like.)

Anyway, one of the topics that I wanted to write about for that blog was how NOT to do the writing part of an exam. I get a lot of students asking for help with writing (especially for TOEFL and FCE), and there are three common mistakes that many students make when doing this part of the exams. Here are the three most common:

a) You don't answer the question that you're asked on the exam. It seems crazy, but, yes, apparently there are still some students who try to memorize an answer and write it down on the exam. This only works if the question they ask you is exactly the same as the question you memorized. (Don't laugh - I've had students who have tried this. The results are exactly as you would expect.)

b) You don't organize your ideas inside your writing exercise. When we talk, we're thinking and producing language in the moment. Since we have direct contact with the person we're speaking to, we can fix and adjust the language we use, and the way we present ideas. However, when we write, we don't have that luxury. We have to remember that we can't clarify AFTER ideas are on the page (or on the computer screen). Therefore, it's important to make sure that your ideas and arguments are easy to understand - because if they aren't, that makes it harder for the person marking your exam to understand what you're talking about. An essay that is hard to understand is an essay that won't get a good mark - it's the marker's job to figure out what you're trying to say.

c) You use a lot of the same tired, uninteresting words to express ideas. As I explain in this video about verbs, using "boring" verbs like say, tell, do and get are fine when you first start learning English. As your English gets better, however, your vocabulary should expand so that you're using more precise verbs (and more precise adjectives, adverbs that modify adjectives, etc.).  Obviously, you shouldn't use complicated words if you can't use them properly, or you don't know what they mean. You should also aim for maximum clarity in your writing. Your writing needs to have a certain amount of sophistication; if you're doing the TOEFL, you cannot get a good mark if you sound like you have the vocabulary of a ten-year-old child.

If you'd like more information on writing classes and coaching to improve your writing, click here.

Okay, THIS is seriously cool.

I love the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! Not only are they one of the best schools in the States...a lot of their past courses are now available free, gratis and open...online!

Check this one out:

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/foreign-languages-and-literatures/21f-223-listening-speaking-and-pronunciation-fall-2004/#description

This is a great course for those of you who want to practice your listening and speaking skills for TOEFL...

MBA Candidates: Looking for a TOEFL intensive?

For those of you who are interested in doing an intensive TOEFL course so that you can do your MBA in the States, Candy from mbaSpain has sent on this information:

TOEFL para MBA:

Estás pensando en un MBA…no olvides el TOEFL.

Los top MBA piden una nota de TOEFL muy alto:

· Harvard Business School pide 109

· Chicago Booth 104

· Columbia 100

· Wharton 100

· Stanford 100

· IESE 100

· Kellogg, no hay mínimo pero la media es 110

Y las becas también

· La Caixa pide 110

· Fulbright 100

Preguntas frecuentes:

¿Por qué los solicitantes de MBA necesitan un curso especial de TOEFL?

Los aspirantes a un top MBA tienen un nivel de inglés bastante alto. No necesitan un curso tradicional de TOEFL de 30 horas. Por eso, mbaSpain ha diseñado el curso de TOEFL para MBA para maximizar tu tiempo y tus fortalezas, centrándote en las claves principales para triunfar en el TOEFL, sobre todo el Speaking y Listening.

Ya he hecho un curso de GMAT, ¿por qué necesito un curso de TOEFL?

Porque las secciones del TOEFL son diferentes a las del GMAT, especialmente en el Speaking, Listening and Writing.

¿Puede un curso de 12 horas ayudarme a mejorar mi puntuación de TOEFL?

Por supuesto! TOEFL para MBA aprovecha tu experiencia de GMAT para centrarse exclusivamente en las habilidades que necesitará para maximizar su TOEFL. El tiempo no se pierde en repetir cuestiones tratadas en el GMAT. Además, tu tienes un nivel alto de Inglés, por lo tanto el curso va más rápido, completamente centrado en tus necesidades, sobre todo el Speaking y Listening. Pero, también es imprescindible que practiques y que hagas los deberes.

El próximo curso de TOEFL para MBA:

noviembre: 1) lunes 8 1930-2230; 2) miércoles 10 1930-2230;

3) sábado 13 1030-1330; y 4) lunes 15 1930-2230

noviembre: 1) miércoles 17 1930-2230; 2) sábado 20 1030-1330;

3) lunes 22 1930-2230; 4) miércoles 24 1930-2230

Precio:375€ (incluido el IVA, los materiales de la clase, y un CD Rom de practice exams)

For more information, contact mbaSpain at info@mbaspain.com.

Note-Taking for TOEFL: 9 November 2010

It's a fact: Students who learn how to take effective, comprehensive notes have a better chance of scoring higher on the TOEFL iBT exam. But how do you manage all that information that comes at you? How do you practice and use the transition vocabulary that shows you how the information is organized? What are the best ways of keeping track of the most important points, so that you can use them on the tasks?

If the TOEFL iBT has got you worried, we have the solution. On Tuesday, November 9th, STOP SPANGLISH will be holding its Introduction to Note-Taking for TOEFL workshop.

In five hours, you'll learn the techniques which will get you through the exam and teach you how to deal with what you'll read and hear:
º Mental warm-ups: How to anticipate what's coming at you
º Ten efficient ways to practice your listening skills
º How to listen for important information - and eliminate what doesn't matter
º The five most effective ways of organizing notes
º Refine your notes to score high on the speaking and writing papers

Cost: €129 (€99 for current STOP SPANGLISH students)
Time: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
REGISTER BEFORE 1 NOVEMBER AND RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF "THE ENGLISH LEARNER NOTEBOOK"!

Remember: Failing to prepare is the same as preparing to fail. Don't let it happen to you!

TOEFL Folks: Another gem about paraphrasing...

I don't think the folks at Purdue University's English department will mind me sharing this:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/

...clear, concise to the point.

Exam writing tasks: Don't Do This

One thing I've noticed over the last couple of weeks....If you're doing an English exam this fall, be it IELTS, TOEFL or FCE, make sure you understand the task before you start it.

That seems obvious, right? It should be. But one common mistake that students make is that they don't think about what kind of information they're expect to write down. Writing tasks always test your ability to manipulate different kinds of information for different audiences. That means that when you do an exam, you need to understand the following information:

How do they want me to present the information? Is this a personal essay, a letter, an article or a short story?
What kind of language do I need to do this? How formal does the text have to be? What specialized vocabulary do I need to describe people, equipment, ideas?
Who's going to read this? Is the task designed so that I give information to people who I do know? Or will I be creating something more formal - closer to tone to usted - because I don't know who the end reader will be?
How can I filter my mistakes so that I don't repeat them? When I did these tasks in practice, what were the problems (spelling, grammar, syntax) that I had before? How do I stop them from happening again?

The fastest way to fail a writing task is to adapt the task to your needs...and totally ignore what the examiners want to do. If you don't do the task as it's described, you take an enormous risk of failing. Examiners cannot tell the difference between someone who didn't like the task and decided to adapt it, and someone who didn't understand what the question was.

I'm not trying to scare you, but you need to understand the risks you take when you don't do what they ask you to do!

How do you stop this from happening?

a) As you practice (and you should practice as much as you can), anticipate the kinds of tasks you will be asked to do.
b) Review the language (words, verb tenses and collocations) you need to do this task.
c) Analyze your previous mistakes. Make a list of the kinds of mistakes you tend to make and if you're not sure why you're having problems, talk to your teacher about what kind of practice you can do to eliminate those mistakes.
d) Remember that a BIG part of writing exams is knowing what isn't important, not just what you need.

And if you have any questions, please feel free to comment here!
b

Ladies and Gentlemen...presenting...The Grammar Grater!

Years ago, Penguin Books (I think it was) published an extremely useful book called "Right Word, Wrong Word" that analyzed words that were similar, but used in different ways or had completely different meanings.

Unfortunately, that book is no longer in print, but the lovely people at Minnesota Public Radio, in the United States, have something that's just as good, if not better: The Grammar Grater...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/grammar_grater/

Seriously, guys.... bookmark this link. You can download the podcasts onto your personal stereos and listen to them when you've got some quiet time; and be sure to check back regularly to give yourself as much practice as possible.

Another FREE TOEFL resource

Here's one for you students who will be doing the TOEFL this year - a free online practice page, courtesy of The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper:

http://toefl.testprep.globecampus.ca/

Q&A: Candy Lee Laballe on TOEFL and MBAs

No doubt about it: if you want to study in the US, the TOEFL exam is THE exam that schools ask for. As more students think about applying for graduate business school programs, demand for TOEFL exam prep has shot up... something Candy Lee Laballe, head of MBASpain, knows very well. We spoke with Candy today about what kind of language skills business schools are looking for.

==================================================

Most of your work is with students who want to study MBAs in the States. What level of English do MBA students need?

An MBA student needs to be nearly fluent, both to follow the fast pace of discussion in the classroom and to participate actively in study groups which are a required aspect of most programs.

If students can't communicate at that level, what are the things they do that prevent them from getting better?

It all comes down to fluency: the ability to integrate the four parts of communication (reading, listening, writing and speaking), which are the four parts of the TOEFL exam). Practice. At this level (MBA,TOEFL) it really is no longer about grammar, but about usage.

How closely do MBA programs look at TOEFL scores? If a school has two ideal candidates but only one place, does the candidate with the higher TOEFL score get in?

The TOEFL score in terms of MBA admissions is a benchmark, nothing more. If a school asks for 100, then you need 100 - 105 will not give you an edge. But don't think scoring close to the benchmark is enough. Dee Leopold, director of admissions and financial aid at Harvard Business School, which requires a 109 TOEFL, has said don't bother applying with a 108. With TOEFL, you need to meet the minimum required by the school--that is all.

If you could offer one piece of advice to students who want to improve their English to study in the States, what would it be?

Get daily immersion in the language. If you don't work in an environment where English is used regularly, then fill your MP3 player with American English podcasts such as This American Life or Harvard Business IdeaCast. Try to read for an hour a day on a wide variety of topics in websites such as http://www.nationalgeographic.com/, http://www.sciencedaily.com/, http://www.historynet.com/, http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/. You also need to build up your communication skills in writing and speaking. Consider hiring a private English teacher for in-person or phone classes to work on these areas.

For more information, be sure to visit MBASpain's website, at http://www.mbaspain.com.

TOEFL Students: Why paraphrasing is important

One of the most serious mistakes that students make on the TOEFL Writing exam is not paraphrasing properly. It may seem ridiculous (why say it in your own words if it's already been said?), but it's important to remember that students in American and Canadian universities do a LOT more writing than in Spanish universities. The ability to write clear, accurate prose is fundamental, and part of that ability is to be able to say someone else's words in a different way - which allows you to compare and contrast ideas, thoughts and possibilities.

Problem is, a lot of students now think that it's acceptable to avoid this and to copy information directly from the Internet. This story from The New York Times explains how widespread (=common) the problem is, and why it's such a serious problem for universities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html?_r=1&hp

(Of course, TOEFL students who are well-prepared won't have this problem!)