Time Management Tips for IELTS and TOEFL: Section-Wise Strategies for Better Scores

Time management in IELTS and TOEFL is an important aspect for ensuring the best performance in these English-proficiency exams. You must develop the appropriate strategies for the reading, writing, listening, and speaking sections of these exams for studying various courses abroad. The IELTS exam and the TOEFL exam have similar structures, and you can follow similar strategies for time management in both of them. Let us look at some important IELTS/TOEFL time management strategies across different sections of the exams in this blog. 

What are the IELTS and TOEFL Exam Structures?

Both IELTS and TOEFL have similar structures consisting of 4 sections – listening, speaking, writing, and reading. Check the table below for the exam structures for the IELTS and TOEFL exams. 

How Do You Manage Time in the IELTS and TOEFL Exams?

The time management in IELTS must be implemented based on the section of the exam. Here are some of the effective ways to manage time in each of the various sections in IELTS:

Reading

The reading section in IELTS and TOEFL is based on your ability to read and understand text in English. The following steps for IELTS and TOEFL time management will be helpful in this section:

• Give a specific time to each question: Make sure not to spend too much time on a single question. Divide your time between the questions accordingly and move on to the next question in case a question takes too much time.
• Implement speed reading: Practicing speed reading will help you process the information in the questions within the reading section quickly. 

Writing 

The writing section tests your ability to present your ideas in English in written form. Accordingly, you must take the following steps for time management  in the IELTS and TOEFL writing sections:

• Do not write too much: In order to achieve the best possible score, you must keep your writing concise and avoid writing extra. This will also help you manage your time effectively in the writing section. 
• Prepare the key points of the essays: In both IELTS and TOEFL, you will be required to write an essay. Planning the key points within your essay will help you complete it within the shortest possible time. 
• Develop an appropriate writing style: Creating an appropriate writing style will be crucial for managing your time as part of your IELTS and TOEFL time management strategies.

Listening 

The listening section in IELTS and TOEFL can be quite challenging for Indian students not used to foreign accents. You can manage your time in this section with the following strategies:

• Practice active listening: In active listening, you listen to understand rather than to respond. This will require you to concentrate on what is being said and reflect on it to understand the speaker fully.  
• Familiarise yourself with various English accents: To grasp what is being spoken effectively and quickly, you must become familiar with different foreign accents in which English is spoken. 
• Make notes of the key points: The audio clips are played only once, and you must consider taking notes of the key points. This will help you understand the audio and complete the listening section as quickly as possible. 
• Focus on the overall information instead of each word: For effective time management in IELTS and TOEFL, you must focus on understanding the overall information being discussed in the listening section. Focusing on each word can often cause you to miss many of the words in the overall information.  

Speaking

The speaking section in IELTS requires a face-to-face interview, while that in TOEFL requires recorded answers. Depending on the specific requirement, you must try the following IELTS and TOEFL time management tips for the speaking section:

• Practice English speaking: Practicing English speaking is a crucial strategy for ensuring success in the speaking section of IELTS and TOEFL exams. It can also save you a lot of time in the speaking section. 
• Record yourself to identify weak spots: Record yourself speaking English to identify all areas of strength and weakness. Accordingly, you must improve the weak spots to enhance your time management for IELTS and TOEFL. 
• Create a proper structure for your responses: The structure for your responses in the speaking section must include reasons, opinions, examples, etc. Using structured responses will allow you to have more control over time management. 

Conclusion

Both the IELTS and TOEFL exams have reading, writing, listening, and speaking sections. The section-wise IELTS/TOEFL time management tips given above will help you respond to all the questions effectively and in time. Try them out to ensure a good performance in each of the sections in the IELTS/TOEFL exam. 

IELTS and TOEFL Time Management Tips: FAQs

Ques: What is the 7 8 9 rule in time management?

Ans: The 7 8 9 rule refers to 7 hours of sleep, 8 hours of study, and 9 hours of personal activities. This can be a useful strategy during the preparation for IELTS/TOEFL. 

Ques: How to do well in TOEFL reading?

Ans: Active listening, making notes of the key points, and using the speed reading technique are some of the ways to do well in the TOEFL reading section. 

Ques: How to reduce reading time in the IELTS/TOEFL exam?

Ans: Skimming and scanning techniques to identify the key points of the text quickly are an effective way to reduce reading time in the IELTS/TOEFL exam. 

Ques: Is TOEFL harder than IELTS?

Ans: The specific difficulty level comparison between IELTS and TOEFL depends on the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. TOEFL has multiple-choice questions and an automated speaking section. IELTS has paper-based and computer-based options and a face-to-face interview in the speaking section. 

Ques: How can I get 8.5 in IELTS Reading?

Ans: Using strategies like speed reading, skimming, and scanning to identify key points in the questions can contribute to a score of 8.5 in Reading in the IELTS exam. 

Ques: Is 72 a good score in the TOEFL exam?

Ans: A score of 72 is considered average or mid-range in the TOEFL exam. You can get into universities with comparatively lower IELTS/TOEFL score requirements with a score of 72. 

Ques: Should I prepare for IELTS or TOEFL?

Ans: You must consider the key differences between IELTS and TOEFL to choose between the two exams. Go through the previous question papers to understand the key differences in the structures and question types of these exams. IELTS is paper-based with a computer-based option, while TOEFL is completely computer-based. Moreover, IELTS has a face-to-face interview for the speaking section, while TOEFL has an automated speaking section.