A six-week TOEFL study plan

Sit one timed section of each skill under realistic conditions — no pausing, no dictionary. The point is not the score but the profile: which section drops furthest below your target, and whether the loss comes from language, pacing or unfamiliarity with the task.

Spend the rest of the week learning the task types themselves. Time lost to 'what is this question asking' is the cheapest time to recover.

Give roughly two thirds of your study time to your two weakest sections and keep the others alive with short maintenance work.

Speaking and Writing are where preparation most often stops short, because they need production rather than recognition. Work with a timer from the start: 45 seconds of planning is a skill in itself, and candidates who practise untimed rarely fit their answer into the window on test day.

Record every speaking response and listen once. Reviewing everything at the end of the week is less effective than reviewing one response immediately.

Do at least one complete test in a single sitting at the same time of day as your real appointment. Stamina is a measurable factor: accuracy typically drops in the final section for candidates who have only practised in short blocks.

Review the mock in two passes — first for content errors, then for pacing. They usually need different fixes.

Stop adding new material. Repeat your own error log, revisit the task templates you have built, and do short sessions rather than long ones. Keep the day before the test almost free — a light listening session and an early night beat a final full mock.