My TOEFL iBT experience and tips

Many of us might teach TOEFL class before, but how many of you have ever taken TOEFL before?
I took my first TOEFL iBT last weekend and with my first hand experience, here are the suggestions and tips I will pass onto my students.

1. Time:
Since not all the testing centers here in Taiwan are run by ETS. Most of them are run by other authorized institutes such as Global Village. It is very important to be punctual but don't be there too early. They will NOT let you take the test first. ( ETS testing center in the states are first come first test based, hence you can choose take the test as soon as you arrived.)
Other than managing your time during the test, you also need to pay closer attention on your break time. In ETS regulation, it does not allow any test takers to have watch on them, and the test center I was at does not have a clock on the wall. Therefore I almost missed my test...I went in when there was only 20 seconds left which was cutting really close.

2. Noise
ETS testing centers in the states will provide noise canceling headphones or ear plugs, not in Taiwan. It might be really noisy and distract your attention. There was a microphone testing section before the test starts. When I took the test, there were two people who couldn't nail the sound check. They just kept testing and testing while I was on my reading section. For 5 minutes, I couldn't focus because their sounds just kept coming and I couldn't block it. So make sure you bring a pair of ear plugs with you.
As for the speaking section, it is kind of ridiculous to be honest. I took my sweet time reading through the instructions, so I started my section a bit later. When I was still reading the instructions, I could hear the question/answer of the guy who sat next to me. And guess what, two minutes later, computer gave me the same question. And another two minutes later, I heard someone else was answering the same question. So for those students who might need a bit more time to prepare. I will suggest them to take their time reading through the instructions and try to listen to others. In that way, you would have a better idea of what you might encounter and can be prepared. You might be getting the same questions as they did.