THE TEST OF ORAL ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
YOUR GUIDE TO PREPARING FOR THE TOEP
November 13, 2015
Dawn Takaoglu
TOEP or SPEAK?
Is the TOEP the right test for you?
The TOEP is ideal for those students who have scored 40-45 on the SPEAK or who have a
recent TOEFL iBt Speaking score of 22-25.
The SPEAK is ideal for those who do not have a current TOEFL or IELTS score because they
have earned a degree from an English-speaking country and believe they have achieved a
higher level of English proficiency.
Neither test is appropriate for students who know they are struggling with listening and
speaking in English.
More things to consider http://iae.ucdavis.edu/graduate/speakortoep.html
Start preparing early!
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Understand what is required.
Understand how your performance is rated.
Practice all key classroom terms.
Practice all key presentation terms.
Practice handling questions.
Practice with a native English speaker who is
not an expert in your field.
• Do not underestimate the time needed to
prepare.
Understanding what is required:
The three tasks of TOEP
Task 1 - Your introduction – practice introducing yourself
as you would to students on the first day of class.
• Include your name, educational background, home country, and
possibly a topic that would connect you to an undergraduate
audience.
• The TOEP student audience will engage in “small talk” with the test
taker, asking general questions similar to those that are common in
office hours. Be prepared to say some things about your home
town, how you chose your major or field of research, why you
decided to study at UCD.
• Practice pronouncing the spelling of your name using correct
intonation.
• Practice stating your field of study slowly, clearly and with emphasis.
Additional recommendations - Read Chapter 3 of Teaching American
Students: A Guide for International Faculty and Teaching Assistants in
Colleges and Universities, by Ellen Sarkisian.
Understanding what is required:
The three tasks of TOEP
Task 2 – Present assigned class materials – Read the
prompt and consider how to clearly communicate the
information you think is most important.
• Highlight the information that you think is most important in a
manner that indicates that you are prepared and organized. Do
not read the prompt to your audience.
• Learn the common classroom terminology found in the prompt
and be able to explain these terms using other words.
• Prepare for questions. The TOEP audience will have the prompt
during the exam and they will ask clarifying questions that are
common of typical classroom interactions.
• Make up answers when appropriate and remember you are not
responsible for having any course content knowledge in Task 2.
Understanding what is required:
The three tasks of TOEP
Task 3 – Present a short lesson on terminology or a
process from your field. 8-10 minutes
• Choose your topic and level carefully! You are presenting to an
audience that is not expert in your field and has only recently
finished high school.
• Organize your lesson and make that organization transparent to
your audience.
• Consider the supporting vocabulary you are using in your lesson
and be prepared to teach those terms as well.
• Be prepared to take questions during and after your lesson.
These questions will focus on the nature of what you are
teaching and will seek to improve understanding.
Understand how TOEP is rated– 6 Criteria
Phonological Competence
• Learn common classroom terminology – know how it is
pronounced so that you recognize these words with
ease and say them accurately.
• Learn the appropriate pronunciation of all key terms in
your lesson.
• Strategize to make yourself better understood.
• Avoid words that you can’t pronounce and use alternatives, for
example:
• Instead of the “world wide web,” use “the internet”
• Instead of “carbon dioxide,” say “CO2”
• If you think certain terms may be misunderstood, write them on
the board
Grammatical Competence
• Use a variety of sentence lengths – some short, some
long.
• Don’t worry about self-correcting during your
presentation.
• If you need time to compose – hedge.
Vocabulary
• Learn classroom terminology and synonyms both
formal and informal. You may choose to deliver your
presentation in either manner, but you must understand
questions in both.
• Learn the most common words in your field and how
to define them for someone who is not in your field.
• If you can’t think of the exact word, explain the
concept using phrases.
Fluency and Speech Flow
• Vary the speed of your delivery.
• When you are providing new information to students, speak
more slowly and emphasize new, key terms.
• When you are reviewing ideas students should already know, you
can speak a little faster.
• Practice using stress and intonation at sentence level,
especially in introductory and concluding sentences.
• “Today, I am going to talk to you about . . . . . .”
• “So, as you can see . . . . .
Rhetorical Organization
1. Organize your presentation of Task 2 and Task 3 in a
clear and thoughtful manner.
2. Use signal phrases, transitions, and repetition of key
concepts to tell your audience what you are going to
cover, where you are in the presentation, and when
you have finished.
• Without these cues, listeners are easily confused and presenters
sound disorganized and poorly prepared.
3. Rehearse with a non-expert audience to see if they
understand the relationships between main ideas and
supporting details in your presentation.
Question Handling
• Prepare for questions.
Imagine all the possible questions a
student could have about the syllabus or the material you will provide in
your lesson. If possible, have someone else brainstorm questions for
you.
• Practice your answers.
• Practice techniques for handling questions you don’t
understand.
• Ask the student to repeat the question
• Indicate where the misunderstanding occurred
• Redirect the question back to the other student in the room
• Consider using the following Q&A format:
• Confirm the question with the student by restating it.
• Answer the question and, when needed, provide an example or
illustration to clarify.
• Confirm that the student is satisfied with the answer.
Things to remember
• Avoid Talking with your back to the students
• If you have doubts, ask if you are speaking loudly
enough.
• Use the board.
• Don’t bring notes or PowerPoints. They are not
allowed.
• Other things to note:
• Your audience in the TOEP will be undergraduates, but they will
not always be native speakers of English.
To do your best on the TOEP
• Start preparing NOW!!!