▲ TOP TOEFL / Director Leo Han

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service) in the U.S., is a practical assessment of overall English language proficiency that includes listening, speaking, writing, and reading.

Unlike TOEIC, it has a speaking and writing test, which can be challenging for beginners. The TOEFL is mostly taken by people who are preparing to study abroad or immigrate, and it also costs $220 for a test.

Monthly PowerKorea sat down with Leo Han, Director of TOP TOEFL, in Gangnam, Seoul, and heard his years of teaching experience and differentiated curriculum to help students improve their TOEFL scores.

 

Customized one on one teaching

TOP TOEFL helps people who are preparing to study abroad or immigrate to the United States improve their performance on the TOEFL tests in a short period of time through customized one on one and well structured programs.

“I’ve seen a lot of TOEFL instructors who are diaspora or international students rely on their own English skills instead of being able to relate to Korean students’ English skills. As a Korean student myself, I started with below-average scores and skills but ended up with a perfect score after 7 years of studying by myself. So I know what Korean students actually struggle with. That’s why I customized my curriculum for each student. I’ve been teaching TOEFL every day for well over a decade, so my knowledge of the test is second to none.” confidently says TOP TOEFL Director Leo Han.

Han has been studying the TOEFL exclusively for over 18 years, has taken the test over 90 times since 2005, and has a perfect score of 120, making him a star tutor recommended by many study-abroad consultancies. Daeheok Jeong, Co-Director of TOP TOEFL, also has the perfect score of the TOEFL and he completed the ETS official TOEFL training course.

 

Personalized curriculum and thoughtful feedback

Unlike large schools with large numbers of students on top-down curriculum, TOP TOEFL offers small, private classes for VIP students, where instructors customize lessons and homework based on students’ strengths and weaknesses, focusing on areas where they can improve quickly.

“We provide customized homework and curriculum based on individual skills, characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. After class, we also offer 24/7 email and KakaoTalk support for specific corrections and explanations.” says Han.

TOP TOEFL identifies students’ reading, grammar, listening, writing, and speaking skills and then teaches them the skills they need most in a four-week sequence, with different weights for each lesson.

The academy provides the “TOEFL Speaking Scoring Program” that is used in the actual TOEFL test, which gives you a detailed diagnosis of where you are scoring points in 10 different categories and gives you tips on how to improve. It also uses a world-class AI pronunciation correction program to systematically practice your pronunciation.

Thanks to both on/offline classes, students can take a class anytime anywhere in the world. TOP TOEFL also uses Google’s program to share the screen and blackboard between instructor and student, giving the class a realistic feel of being in a real classroom.

 

The revised TOEFL requires thorough preparation

On July 26, the TOEFL test was revised. The main change is that the test time has been reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours. In terms of sections, the stand-alone essay section has been removed from the Writing section, and the number of Reading and Listening questions has been also reduced.

Han still takes the test every year to keep up with the revisions and study the latest question trends. For the new “Academic discussion” writing, he plans to publish a book with detailed strategies.

“A quick way to score high on the Speaking and Writing sections is to make sure you only take notes on the most important things from the listening questions. Sophisticated note-taking skills that make it easy for you to speak and easy for you to write are the most sought-after skills on the TOEFL tests.” says Han.

He adds “South Koreans take the TOEFL tests the most in the world, but their average TOEFL scores rank 81st in the world, similar to North Korea. Therefore, it is our goal to help more students achieve high scores.”

백정준 기자  googies@naver.com