Test Center Experience + score
I wanted to share my TOEFL experience and preparation here.
Honestly, this is my score. Am I happy with it? Yes, because it is enough for my goals. But at the same time, not completely, because in almost every mock test I took, I scored higher. Because of that, I decided to hide my section scores, since they felt very different from what I had been getting during practice.
I believe part of the reason was nervousness, combined with an unpleasant experience at the test center. However, I do not really have anything serious to report, because I think I had simply become too used to high-quality practice tools and a more comfortable environment.
Starting with the test center: the monitor I used had an extremely low resolution, and the screen looked stretched. The headphones were not noise-canceling, so I could hear not only my own Listening questions but also another candidate’s audio. While reading the questions, an inspector walked behind the candidates about every 10 minutes to check the room’s security, which was a bit distracting.
That being said, the staff was very kind, careful, and professional throughout the whole process. They treated everyone with a lot of respect, and I also found the keyboard comfortable.
Regarding my preparation, I studied for the TOEFL for a little over a month. I know it may sound a bit embarrassing to say that considering my score, especially when many people online claim they only needed two days to reach C2. However, I usually scored around C1 in my practice tests.
Most of my preparation for Reading and Listening came from Tutor Tatiana on YouTube, which helped me a lot. But the website that helped me the most overall was FluentPrep: https://www.fluentprep.online/
I would say this website was my number one lifesaver, especially for Speaking. It has a huge number of questions, and it really helped me practice consistently. The Writing section also helped me a lot, especially because of the instant AI feedback, which showed me what I could improve and helped me write better responses.
Overall, even though my final score was lower than what I expected based on my mock tests, I am still grateful because it is enough for my goals. I hope my experience helps other students who are preparing for the TOEFL.