Idiot's Guide to TOEFL tests

i've done a few TOEFL tests in my day, both the -like and the ITP version, so i'd like to share some useful insights on doing the tests. As usual, i gather this from experience, observation, and my opinion.

- Most important; before doing your TOEFL test, check and make sure you understand correctly the time and date of your test. This sounds stupid but i learned the hard way, and both separately; there was 1 time when i got the time wrong (came 3 hours early o.O) and one time i got the day wrong (a day after the actual tests --"). Do not do this, coming to TOEFL tests is the first key to ACTUALLY getting a score, da..

- Book your tests at latest 24 hours before. There was i time when i became foolish and decided to do a "go show" registering for the test 30 minutes before and i was rejected T.T inefficiency of time, petroleum, and intelligence..

- Choice of seats is like what Donald Trump always says in his Apprentice show ("Location, Location, Location!").. this has multiple uses actually, especially if you go in with a jockey to help you.. make sure you do not sit in one view line from the supervisor's desk, do a diagonal position, but don't choose the very back, about row 6 out of a 10 row map should be perfect :) i do this so that i can still use my phone to chat with people once i get bored waiting for the rest of the time after i actually do my tests hahaha..

- Section 1 is listening. My advise is have a read thru the answers, so you get an imagination of what the question should be like, so its all the easier when you listen to the conversation. Of course you have to understand that the answers is in the book that you receive, a frined of mine (initial "H") once did a test without realizing that the answers you meant to tick is in the book they gave you, he spent 10 minutes wondering how people could choose among A, B, C, or D.. bakkaaaaaaa!!!! ^^

- In section 2, just do what you can and you're sure of, usually this section allocates the least time, and better than wasting your time trying to think it out, leave it, we can finish them later. Do you ever face questions where you gotta pick which underlined word should be fixed and you find that the problematic word is none of the underlined, but the one NEXT to an underlined words?? there's at least one of these everytime i do the test.. touche!

- Section 3 i usually read thoroughly the text, then answer. It's so much easier to look for the answer if you have an idea what the text says. I usually finish all 50 question fast, giving me 30 minutes to spare. This is where i can go back to section 2 and finish off the ones i'm not sure of. Other than that try drawing on the book, or chat with your friends, it helps kill time. I never want to submit ahead of the others as i fear that they will see me as a schmuck.. In these tests you dont really wanna be looking like a smart ass :)

- Concentrate. There was a time when there was this very cute girl sitting in the seat in front of me and i lost 15 minutes of section 2. And no i didnt even get her number so believe its a lost cause, not a worthwhile investment.

- Make sure you have good looking ID cards. I always give out my driver's license (which half of the top part is broken, so i got the same gooky look from the supervisor that i get from policemen in their road searches.. not nice ==;)

Do all that, and you should be fine. Don't sleep to late the night before, you really wanna be fresh. Practice a lot, the patterns of the tests are very similar, so familiarizing is not too bad of an idea. I've managed to keep a stable average of above 630, so my guide above should not be too devastating for ye :)

Good Luck! :D