From Brasília to MIT.
4 TOEFLs Later, I Built the System I Wish
I'd Had.
I grew up in Brasília, Brazil. When I decided to study in the United States, I thought the TOEFL was just another test I'd figure out. I was wrong.
I took the TOEFL four times. The first attempt was a reality check — I studied hard but studied randomly. Practiced everything equally. Panicked about everything equally. Had no way to know if I was actually improving.
"I studied for my first TOEFL without knowing my target. I just knew I needed 'a good score.' That vagueness destroyed my efficiency."
— Gabriel Manso, before he built the systemAfter three frustrating attempts, I did what any engineer would do: I reverse-engineered the test. I stopped studying and started building a system. I mapped every task type. I tracked every mistake with a trigger. I measured everything — accuracy, floor scores, response times.
When I finally sat down and wrote "I need a 5.0 overall by July 15 for PhD application — Speaking minimum 4.5" — everything clicked. I stopped wasting hours and started making measurable progress every single week.
That system got me into MIT.
Now I've rebuilt it from scratch for the brand-new TOEFL 2026 format — the one that launched in January 2026 with new task types, adaptive testing, and a completely new 1–6 scoring scale. This book is that system.