Hi all,
Yesterday I took CBT in Kaoshiung and the result came out as 28-28-28 (evenly distributed!).
Frankly speaking I didn't take much time preparing TOEFL as I work full-time and have many overseas assignments. I'd just want to share with you my plan for TOEFL without 橘寶.
For those who want to take TOEFL seriously, don't attempt the quickest path. Build your language proficiency on solid foundation rather than fast-track.
1. Listening: read books and watch TV drama (DVD) - have fun killing two birds in one shot; often you'll find many conversations involve American idioms and coloquials, download TUV player to watch online TV for free.
2. Reading: use wikipedia / google to explore areas of interest (astronomy, geology, etc.); don't rely on 橘寶 only.
3. Structure: review grammar books (verb, article, adverbs, etc.) and perform in-depth analysis of PP1 and PP2. Look at types of grammar errors that appear from time to time. There is no unusual trick on grammar.
4. Writing: can't say much as I don't know score yet. Just be yourself and be original. Don't overuse (misuse?) template from others. Evaluators must be familiar to the templates anyway.
Wish you all succeed in the test.
P.S. I indeed enjoy the exercise of TOEFL because it provides lots of background knowledge in diverse areas, particularly science and history.