TOEFL iBT Reading study plan

TOEFL iBT Reading · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 6 hours per week

Week 1

Complete the Words

Decode 120 unfamiliar words by splitting each into prefix, root, and suffix
Complete 60 gapped sentences using only surrounding context, without a dictionary
Group 100 logged words into academic word families by shared root
Self-test on 40 high-frequency affixes and record accuracy by affix type

A 100-entry word log plus a scored 30-item word-completion set at 80% accuracy or better.

Week 2

Apply four context-clue types (definition, contrast, example, cause-effect) to 50 academic sentences
Annotate 3 academic paragraphs to mark topic sentence, supporting evidence, and closing claim
Paraphrase 20 academic sentences in your own words without reusing source phrasing
Complete a 10-question mini passage set within 12 minutes

Annotated 3-paragraph passage set answered at 10/10 plus a 20-sentence paraphrase bank.

Week 3

Scan 8 short everyday texts (notice, email, schedule, ad, receipt) for one target detail in under 45 seconds each
Separate main purpose from supporting detail in 15 short messages
Answer 30 inference questions on everyday texts and justify each choice in one written line
Sort 20 question stems into detail, purpose, inference, and vocabulary categories

A timing log of 8 texts with scan times plus a 30-question score of 85% or higher.

Week 4

Contrast answer strategies for short everyday texts against long academic passages
Read 2 full academic passages and write a 3-sentence summary of each
Answer 20 vocabulary-in-context items lifted from academic passages
Complete one timed mixed set of 20 questions in 25 minutes

Two passage summaries plus a timed 20-question mixed set scored and logged with error causes.

Week 5

Map the structure of 4 academic passages into a paragraph-by-paragraph function outline
Identify the rhetorical purpose of 25 sentences inside passages
Answer 15 negative-fact and exception questions with written justification
Complete 2 academic passage sets in under 20 minutes each

Structure outlines for 4 passages plus 2 timed sets with every error labeled by question type.

Week 6

A revised error log with recurring error types closed plus a 25-question academic set at 85% accuracy.

Week 7

Complete 3 timed word-completion sets of 10 items in 8 minutes each
Process 10 everyday texts in one 20-minute sitting
Cut average per-question time on short texts by at least 20% against your week 3 log
Drill the 40 vocabulary items you previously missed

A timing sheet comparing per-question averages for 3 word-completion sets and 10 short texts against week 3.

Week 8

Take 2 full-length reading sections under official timing with no pauses
Re-solve every missed mock question and label the cause in one line
Rehearse 30 word-completion items and 2 academic passages the day before the test
Condense notes into a one-page strategy sheet, one block per question type

Two scored full mock sections, a completed one-page strategy sheet, and a fully closed error log.

Week 2: Finish a 30-item word-completion set at 80% accuracy and paraphrase 20 academic sentences without copying source wording.

Week 4: Score 80% or higher on a 40-question mixed set spanning Domains 1-3 and finish inside the time limit.

Week 6: Score 85% on a 25-question academic set and show that no error type recurs from your week 4 log.

Week 8: Reach your target score on two full-length timed sections with per-question averages at or below the limits you set in week 7.