TOEFL ITP 500+ Tips: Test Tricks & Study Habits

Been studying for weeks and still stuck in the 400s on the TOEFL®? Often the problem isn’t your English. It’s that you don’t yet know how the test plays.

The TOEFL ITP reuses the same question patterns. Test writers know what candidates tend to do: fall for words that sound alike, misidentify the subject of a long sentence, or run out of time in Reading. Once you recognize the patterns, you can save a lot of points.

This article splits the tips into two parts: 5 tricks to use during the test and the study habits that make those tricks work. A 500+ score isn’t guaranteed, but it’s a realistic target if you stay consistent. (The slides below are in Indonesian.)

Know the TOEFL ITP Format First

No trick helps if you don’t know the terrain. Here is the TOEFL ITP Level 1 format:

Section	Questions	Time
Listening Comprehension (Part A 30, Part B 8, Part C 12)	50	about 35 minutes
Structure & Written Expression (Structure 15, Written Expression 25)	40	25 minutes
Reading Comprehension	50	55 minutes
Total	140	about 115 minutes

The total score ranges from 310 to 677, and there is no penalty for wrong answers. One more thing: the Listening section is paced by the audio. You can’t speed it up or replay it, so time strategy really applies only to Structure and Reading.

For a full overview of each section, start with the TOEFL Guide.

Trick 1: Listening Part A, Focus on the Second Speaker

In Part A (Short Conversations), two people talk briefly, then you hear a question like “What does the woman mean?”. The key information is usually in the second speaker’s line.

M: Are you coming to the seminar tonight? W: I’d love to, but I have to finish my assignment.

→ Correct answer: She is unable to attend because she must study.

Notice two things:

The correct answer is a paraphrase (same meaning, different words).
Options that use a word that sounds like something in the audio, such as appointment for assignment, are suspicious. This is called a sound trap.

This is a frequent pattern, not an absolute rule. Sometimes the answer comes from the first speaker, so listen to the whole exchange. Idioms also show up here a lot; learn the common ones in 10 Listening Part A Idioms.

Trick 2: Structure, Find the Core Sentence

Every English clause needs a subject and a main verb. Test writers like to insert prepositional phrases (of, in, at, with) or phrases between commas to hide the real subject.

“The discovery of new vaccines _____ thousands of lives every year.”

Cross out of new vaccines first. The real subject is The discovery (singular), so the verb is saves, not save. The plural vaccines is only a distractor.

If singular and plural subjects still trip you up, read Singular vs Plural and Parts of Speech 101.

Trick 3: Written Expression, Check the Word Pairs

As soon as you see a correlative conjunction, check its partner:

both … and
either … or
neither … nor
not only … but (also)

An incorrect sentence:

“The applicant was not only talented in research and a great leader.”

The word and should be but also: The applicant was not only talented in research but also a great leader.

People often forget the second half of the rule: what follows each word must be parallel. Here, not only is followed by an adjective phrase (talented in research), so but also should be followed by a comparable phrase, not a full clause like he was also a great leader.

Trick 4: Reading, Read the Questions First

Reading gives you 50 questions in 55 minutes across several passages. Reading every passage slowly from start to finish usually eats all your time. Try this flow instead:

Read the question → spot the keyword or line number → scan the passage → answer.

Main idea / topic: read the first (and sometimes last) sentence of each paragraph.
Detail: look for keywords that are easy to spot, such as numbers, names, or technical terms.
Vocabulary / reference: jump straight to the line the question names, then read a sentence or two around it.

A quick one-minute skim at the start to learn the topic is fine, as long as it doesn’t turn into detailed reading.

Trick 5: Never Leave an Answer Blank

With no penalty for wrong answers, a blank answer is a wasted chance.

Don’t get stuck. If you’ve spent more than 30 to 40 seconds on a Structure question, pick the most reasonable option and move on.
Eliminate first. Removing 2 clearly wrong options raises your odds from 25% to 50%.
In the final minutes: fill in every remaining blank. Using the same letter for all of them is a quick, practical way to do it.

Study Habits That Make These Tricks Work

Tricks help, but they need a foundation. These three habits matter most:

Listen every day. Spend about 30 minutes on English podcasts or videos, rely less on subtitles, and train with real Listening-style questions.
Grow your vocabulary steadily. Aim for 10 to 15 academic words a day, review them with flashcards, and use new words in your own sentences.
Take regular simulations. Do full practice tests under exam-like conditions: timer on, phone away. Afterwards, log every mistake and why you made it, and track your score over time.

Not sure how to schedule it? Use the 30-Day TOEFL Study Roadmap. And avoid the 5 Fatal TOEFL Test Mistakes.

Tips at a Glance

No	Section	Trick	Trap to avoid
1	Listening Part A	Focus on the second speaker, look for the paraphrase	Sound-alike words (sound traps)
2	Structure	Cross out prepositional phrases, find the real subject	Plural noun inside an of phrase
3	Written Expression	Check both/either/neither/not only pairs	not only … and
4	Reading	Read the question first, then scan	Slowly reading the whole passage
5	All sections	Eliminate, guess, never leave blanks	Spending too long on one question

Practice Until It’s Automatic

Tricks pay off once you’ve used them on hundreds of questions. Kawan EPT (formerly Kawan TOEFL) has more than 7,400 questions with an explanation for every answer option, Grammar lessons across 33 topics (Learn, Drill, Master), 11 Reading Strategies topics, and 7 Listening Strategies topics.

Want to measure your progress? There’s a diagnostic test, a full 140-question simulation with a score estimate from 310 to 677, and Weakness Drill to target the areas you miss most. Add 1,800 vocabulary flashcards, 3-in-1 quick practice, plus a daily streak and study reminders to keep you consistent. It’s free on Google Play.