TOEFL’s perfect score of 120 is a goal many try to achieve. I’d like to introduce you to Seia, a 12-year-old who scored 113 on the TOEFL.
Here’s the coolest part: he’s also got a perfect score on the speaking section, one of the hardest sections on the TOEFL!
Meet today’s TOEFL graduate, Seia:
- A 12-year-old student applying for a private middle school program in Japan
- Lived abroad in the United States and needed proof of his English proficiency
- Total TestGlider study time: 12 days
- First TestGlider Full Test Score: 102
- TOEFL score after TestGilder: 113
Getting Stuck on Worksheets
Although Seia is already fluent in English, he needed proof of his English proficiency in order to apply to competitive middle school programs.
At first, his mother Naoko provided him with practice material including TOEFL practice textbooks. She would scan and print 10 pages at a time in hopes that Seia would improve his score with a paper-and-pencil grading method.
Plus, Seia wasn’t too interested in practicing with a textbook.
In his previous experience studying for a proficiency test, Seia had taken the EIKEN test, an English proficiency exam given in Japan.
For the EIKEN, he’d found a study app that grades him in real-time, similar to TestGlider’s grading system.
Naoko says he’s definitely a person who prefers studying on an app and seeing his improvements in real time motivated him to study on his own.
She says, “Like every time I gave him practice sheets, he started to complain, saying ‘Do I have to do this all today?’ But by practicing on the app or using the computer, I could let him study by himself. So that’s why we really needed to find something for the TOEFL. Then we finally found TestGlider. Yeah, it works.”
Finding the Perfect Practice Environment at TestGlider
Seia says that before he and his parents found TestGlider, it wasn’t as easy to access other TOEFL practice platforms.
He says, “It seemed like a lot of people from India and China take the TOEFL, so there were lots of websites and apps made for people in India and China.” However, he soon ran into transaction issues with limited payment options.
After wasting $15 in the process and giving up on other platforms, Seia and his parents found TestGlider.
In addition to providing an easy transaction experience, having TestGlider’s real-time graded feedback was their favorite part.
The Importance of Fast-Graded Feedback
Naoko says, “When you study with paper-based resources, it’s not like you’re going to be able to determine your score. TestGlider also provided suggestions [on score improvement] and that was pretty nice to know what Seia needs to practice next. It was easy for me to find his weak points. ”
She mentions that for families in similar situations where their child’s English skills exceed their parent’s, a service like TestGlider comes in handy since the parents often struggle to provide challenging studying resources.
How Seia Studied on TestGlider
Since Seia’s TOEFL exam was scheduled for May 21st, he needed to reach specific markers on his practice score results.
His parents would encourage him to reach a specific point in each section or challenge him to reach a total score overall.
His original goal was 105. However, he received a 113 with a perfect score on the speaking section on the real exam.
His first TestGlider Full Test score was 102. After studying for 12 days on TestGlider, he reached 113 on the actual TOEFL exam and increased his score by 11 points.
After TestGlider: Seia’s TOEFL Exam Experience
As for Seia, he could easily navigate his TOEFL exam interface once he got to his testing center after practicing with TestGlider’s practice tests.
He was surprised by how old the real TOEFL testing interface looked and commented that TestGlider practice tests should add a 10-minute break between the listening and speaking sections for the ultimate realistic testing experience.
(If you’d like to practice with the 10-minute break in our test sets, let us know in the comments below!)
Make Study Planning Easier with TestGlider
As impressive as Seia’s high score on the TOEFL is, what impressed me was his parent’s consistent ability to encourage and cheer him on.
The most efficient way to study for the TOEFL is to start planning your study weeks and if you don’t know where to begin, or what your score range is, it can be very tiring from the start.
Naoko first struggled to find study material, grade all practice questions, and provide motivation for Seia to study with traditional resources, and not all TOEFL test-takers are fortunate enough to have someone to do all this for us.
So, let TestGlider help you get a head start on your study planning!
With over 900 questions and fast, graded feedback, you’ll be able to progress in no time 🙂
Here are Naoko’s advice on how parents can use TestGlider to help improve TOEFL scores for their children, and Seia’s advice on how you can score high on your TOEFL:
Naoko’s Advice to Parents Helping Their Children with the TOEFL
“TestGlider is really easy to start to use because it lets me have my own time.”
For Naoko, TestGlider was practical because it allowed her to have her own time.
Seia could check the answers [by himself] and receive immediate feedback, which Naoko could relax and leave his studying unsupervised.
She says, “I don’t need to do anything. I just check how he’s used TestGlider for that day and what time he finished practice. Then I would check his score.”
Naoko suggests these 3 steps to help keep track of TOEFL studying for children:
- Let them get used to the TOEFL layout first
- Check their weak points and strong points
- Make a time schedule to help them improve
Seia’s Advice to Kids Taking the TOEFL
“Don’t be discouraged if you have a bad score on the practice test, just try your best on the actual test
like I did and you’ll get a pretty good score!”
Although many could take Seia’s high score for granted because of his experience living in the US for 4 years and speaking English every day,
Don’t forget that the TOEFL is an English test designed for adults, not 12-year-old students.
If Seia could study hard and reach his goals, we believe anyone can do it too.
After the TOEFL
Seia is currently set to attend a competitive middle school in Japan that allows its students to focus on studying abroad as well as expanding their Japanese skills.
Thank you to Naoko and Seia for sharing their special TOEFL journey together with TestGlider.
We hope his amazing achievement at the age of 12 can inspire you to pass your TOEFL goals as well!
Good luck with your studies,
The TestGlider Team