I finished a 6-hour long TOEFL test (home edition), and here are my sincere tips and advice

Honestly, I have never thought that my TOEFL test would last more than 6 hours. But this happened yesterday in my exam, due to frequent internet disconnection. This was a frustrating and tiring process. I felt like riding a roller coaster, with my mood changing from anxious to clueless and eventually ending with relief. Afterward, I feel an urge to share some things I learned out of the obstacles and frustrations I encountered.

The TOEFL test I took is the home edition because test centers in my city are shut down due to the pandemic (yes, the place I am in is still fighting Omicron). I prepared everything I need that ETS official sites and some online blogs told me. My reserved test time began at 13:00 pm, and I entered the test session in time to make sure I would not miss the check-in due. But I encountered an obstacle even before I started my exam — I could not connect to the exam proctor! In a panic, I kept login into the ProctorU application several times but failed. Eventually, I changed my internet by turning on my VPN and finally connected to one proctor, and then started the exam.

During the exam, the exam app shut down 6 to 7 times also due to internet disconnection. I had to quit and relaunch the app and each time when doing this I had to show the proctor my table and room using the camera. Repeatedly quitting and launching was trivial and effortless, just need a few clicks of my mouse. But exam being interrupted is really distracting and annoying. I remember during a listening lecture the app suddenly shut down and I became clueless. I worried that my time was still running when the app quits. Certainly, this is detrimental for a test taker if you could not fully focus on the exam and worry about something else, especially for listening sections where you have only one chance to capture the listening content. If I forget what I’d listened to just now, my chance was gone.

But fortunately, at the end of the exam, the screen showed the unofficial scores of my reading and listening sections and I got 29 and 28, respectively. I was pretty content with the scores, thanks to the effort I’ve put in on the practice, as well as a little luck. Anyway, whatever scores I’ve got, I think I have a lot to share about the dramatic process. In the following, I would like to first introduce the procedure of the TOEFL home edition exam from a first-time test taker’s view. Then, I would like to talk about some of my sincere tips and advice on how to tackle unpredicted accidents and keep a stable mood during the exam.

The procedure of the TOEFL home edition

Before the test day, I would assume that you have successfully made an appointment. This involves creating an ETS account and registering for a test. The procedures later are:

1. On the day before the test day you select, you will receive an email that contains the link for your test.
2. On the test day, click the link in that email, and then you will be directed to an official site that shows how much time is left until the reserved exam. Upon your reserved time, you can see a button that enables you to start your exam session. Make sure you click that button within 20 minutes after the beginning time, otherwise, your exam will be canceled without any refund.
3. After entering the session, a few steps need to be done under the guidance of your proctor. You will first be taken a photo and show your identification (via passport, etc.), then you will connect to a proctor using an app called ProctorU. After connecting to a proctor, the proctor will ask you to show the environment using the prepared camera (such as a built-in camera of your PC) and ask permission to record you during the whole exam. If everything is ok, the proctor will assist you to start your exam by entering your exam ID and password.
4. Once start your exam, the exam goes very similar to the mock tests you have done. To keep the exam continue, you need to make sure that you are recorded all the time by your camera. If your internet connection is stable, your exam will go smoothly without pause and interruption. But if your camera recording is disconnected from the proctor, your exam will be paused.
5. After you finish the last section of your exam — writing, the screen will show the unofficial scores of your reading and listening sections. Usually, these scores do not vary much from your final official scores that be revealed several days later. You can choose to report the two scores (a.k.a. accept the scores) or cancel the scores.
6. Before you leave the test, you should erase all the notes you take during the exam.

Tips and Advice

Actually, you can easily find lots of online articles about tips people should note before and during the exam. But here I would like to introduce some things that most articles do not cover.

1. Check your internet condition in advance. Preparing a VPN if possible just in case. My proctors are not from the same country as mine, so the connection sometimes can be very weak and unstable during the exam. Having a VPN may help make the connection more stable.
2. Check in your test session as early as possible. If your check-in is overdue (20 minutes after your reserved time), your whole exam will be canceled!
3. Ensure the room is quiet and nobody walks in during the exam. Mute your cellphone is necessary. And please remind possible intruders to not interrupt your exam.
4. Eat enough food beforehand to sustain your energy. Coffee is helpful! I had a cup of coffee before the exam and also during the break. For me, coffee sustains my sanity.
5. If you use a PC for the exam, highly recommend using an external microphone. The sound quality is vital for your speaking performance. Using an external microphone (better with a muffle) can reduce the noise of your environment, and also make your voice clearer. My microphone looks like this.
6. If your exam quits suddenly, don’t panic! Ask the proctor for help. If such an accident happens, the proctor will control your computer and help you reconnect. Don’t worry, the time counting is paused if your exam quits. You will resume the time after you relaunch the exam app.
7. Make sure to erase all notes before leaving the test. After your exam ends, the proctor will leave a message to remind you to erase all your notes. Sometimes you may not notice the message because you lose all your burden after finishing a long exam.

Other Concerns

1. Should I prepare an external camera if I use a PC? — Not necessary. Having a built-in camera on your PC is adequate. When showing your environment, you can carry your PC around.
2. Should I turn off my cellphone during the exam? From my experience, just muting your phone and putting it on somewhere behind you is ok.

I hope my tips and advice can be helpful!