One strategy TOEFL texts do not teach is typing. Typing? Bor-ing, I know. But experience tells me that many test-takers are not proficient typists, especially when typing English. Poor typing means you waste time thinking about which key to hit and less time developing ideas for your essays. Also, I bet you practice typing essays on a laptop, right? Right. On test day, however, you will not use a laptop. You will use a standard keyboard like the one below. Standard keyboards are not touch sensitive like laptops. Standard keys are bigger and spaced more. That means it takes more effort to type.
I suggest you buy a standard keyboard. You can get one for $10.00 (or less) on the web. Make sure it is USB compatible so you can plug it into your laptop.
Remember: Proficient typing = greater coherence = higher essay scores = a higher writing section score = a higher final TOEFL iBT score.
So how fast can you type? Take the test.
Directions: You have one minute to type the 60-word passage below. Include all punctuation and capital letters.
Topical unity means you focus on one topic from start to finish. If you suddenly introduce a new and unrelated topic, you are changing topics. For example, you are writing about pizza when you suddenly change to TOEFL. This obvious change in topic direction is called a topic digression. This will result in a lack of topical unity and coherence.
When you are finished, add up your mistakes. If you made one mistake, you can type 59 words per minute (60 – 1 = 59 wpm), two mistakes, 58 wpm, etc. Note: A letter not capitalized is a mistake. A comma in the wrong place is a mistake. A missing comma is a mistake.
WARNING: If you type less than 40 wpm, you need typing practice.
For typing practice, check out my TOEFL text.
© Bruce Stirling 2010-2011
