PeekWire covered Test Practice Lab twice recently: once in a roundup of free TOEFL and Duolingo resources, and once in a full interview about how the site is built. I'm grateful for both, so here's a recap of what came up.
The first feature: "completely free, no paywall"
In PeekWire's write-up, they described Test Practice Lab this way:
"Test Practice Lab stands out because it offers completely free TOEFL and Duolingo practice tests with no sign-up or paywall. Every test is written by a teacher and includes native audio, answer keys, and full scripts for listening and speaking sections. You get listening, reading, writing, and speaking practice sets that feel like the real exam. It's a no-frills, teacher-crafted resource that puts quality first. If you want to jump straight into practice without any barriers, this is your go-to."
Getting singled out for quality over flashy features, without any of the usual sign-up friction, was honestly the part I'm proudest of.
The interview: why build your own practice tests?
The second piece is a deep-dive interview about Test Practice Lab. We went back and forth over email, and reading the finished version, a few things I usually explain out loud came out clearer in writing.
The first question was why bother making custom practice tests at all. Most commercial TOEFL material is written with adult test-takers in mind. For middle and high schoolers, the real gap is subject matter, not reading level. "It's not just the reading level that's the problem, it's the subject matter," I said. "A lot of the content assumes a level of real-world knowledge and experience that younger students simply don't have yet." So I started writing my own passages, keeping TOEFL's actual formats and writing style intact: "I still keep the same question formats and writing style TOEFL requires. I'm just building passages around academic topics that are also genuinely interesting for that age group."
Leveling came up next. A lot of free TOEFL material only covers advanced difficulty, which leaves beginners with almost nothing to start on. For the easy tier, the test is simple: could a middle schooler realistically read and follow this passage? "I don't compromise on the structural patterns TOEFL passages typically follow, those stay intact," I explained. "Where I have more freedom is in subject matter, so I pull from a wide range of academic fields students tend to find genuinely curious": animal behavior, psychology, neuroscience, military history, criminology. The point is to make studying something students actually want to do, not something they just grind through.
Duolingo practice tests are coming later this year. The Duolingo English Test doesn't have as long a track record as TOEFL, and a lot of students get frustrated by vague scoring criteria and a lack of material to practice with. Since it's an AI-adaptive test, I'm not just porting over static reading passages. I'm building it more like an interactive, program-based practice format instead.
On the most common mistake students make in Speaking and Writing, the answer surprised me in how simple it was. "Most students come in asking how to sound 'impressive,' reaching for fancier vocabulary," I said. But that's backwards. If your content is specific, your structure holds together, and your logic doesn't have gaps, the impressive-sounding language shows up on its own. Vocabulary and phrasing come after the foundation, not before it.
I also got asked why the site stays free. There are plans for paid features eventually, but the current priority is simple: whether it's my own students or someone who just found the site through search, I want them studying with better, age-appropriate material without a paywall in the way.
Practical takeaways for students
The interview closed with a few pieces of advice for students:
- Look for age-appropriate material. Match your reading level and interests, not just your target score.
- Structure first, vocabulary second. Get your ideas organized and your logic clear before worrying about fancy words.
- Explore a range of academic topics. It makes studying more enjoyable, not just more effective.
- Start with free resources. There's enough quality material out there that you don't need to hit a paywall on day one.
You can read the full interview on PeekWire. More on the upcoming Duolingo practice tests will be posted here and on the YouTube channel as it's ready.