Improving your chances of passing the TOEFL is quite simple and doesn’t require complex work. It requires 3 things: a) reading in English, b) studying the context of the exam, and c) having conversations in the language as there are listening and speaking sections. Here's my advice after taking it.
A Brief Introduction to the TOEFL
When you are a foreigner or a non-English speaker and you want to go to an American higher education institution, one of the requirements you will need to fulfil before being accepted is to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language, which is also known as the TOEFL. Maybe you will feel some confusion because you think you know how to speak the English language and how to write it, but if you want to access to a higher education in America, that test is a requirement.
Don't think that it is something difficult. In many Hispanic countries, there are similar tests to the TOEFL that are used to evaluate the national student body of the country when they finish their high school education. Many tests are similar, and they also focus on oral, grammar, and writing skills, three core aspects that are fundamental to the admission office to know if their future students know and understand the national language.
Tips to Improve Your Grammar
In theory, grammar shouldn't be that difficult because if you study this section well, you can pass the test completely. One way you can improve your grammar skills is by taking classes at a government-sponsored school. There are many sponsored schools that offer free classes at nights or in the mornings. These classes are the best idea if you want to improve your grammar because you will be placed in a class that fits your needs.
You can use is to buy or borrow from your local library one of the TOEFL study guides to study in the comfort of your own home. These study guides can give you details about the grammatical structure of English on the test and other sources you can use to improve your grammatical skills.
Another idea you can put in practice is to read books written in the English language. Through reading, you will learn more about the composition of the English grammatical structure, and, at the same time, you will improve your vocabulary because you will be learning new words in the process. Reading can be an essential tool for passing the exam because you will be reinforcing both vocabulary and grammar.
Tips to Improve Your Writing
As with many languages exams, writing can be the most complex part, and the TOEFL written section is not an exception. However, it is not that hard either: the key to improving your writing is by preparation. To many Spanish speakers, writing in English can be a complex task because the syntax and grammar of English are different from the Spanish structures, and you can easily make a mistake without even noticing. The improvement of your writing is related to improvement of your grammar skills, but there is something you need to know. In the TOEFL, there is a section that requires you to write an essay. It is not a big essay, but it can be a problem if you don't know the structure of an essay. If you visit the How to Prepare TOEFL Essay Page from the TOEFL IBT Course website, you can learn the basic concepts of an essay and prepare yourself for the essay part of the test.