Customer Reviews

TOEFL iBT: The Official ETS Study Guide (McGraw-Hill's TOEFL iBT)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the nice book for practicing,
but it doesn't really do much on the speaking
or the writing section. It just have the whole list
of writing questions and samples so I didn't know
how to prepare. For reading and listening section,
it has CD and gives you some practice tests, which I liked.
It has all the answers and explanations, but the explanation
part was kind of repeating the answer, so it didn't help me
that much.

I think this is just good book for
another book to prepare for Toefl, though.

Amazon.com lists at least a half dozen books on preparing to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language - Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT). Probably any of them, adequately studied will give a person the basics of what he needs to know in order to pass the test. So why should you pick this particular book?

1. It's the official book put out by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the people who put out the test.

2. This book includes an audio CD that has authentic TOEFL listening passages to make it possible to practice those parts of the test.

3. Better background information about how the test came about, how it is used by colleges and universities and how the Internet based version differs.

4. It's less expensive than the others.

The TOEFL test is not difficult, but it is very important to being accepted into the school of your choice. Time spent in preparation will help. This book is direct, to the point and knowledgable about the test.

This book was my only source to practice before taking Toefel IBT. I will say the real test is 95% similar with what was presented in the book. I got good scores but reading was terrible because I did not have enough timing practice. If you want to have an idea of how the test is going to be, you should read the whole book. But if you want to practice, use another source and time yourself as much as possible. Good luck!

I bought this book. It shows only outline. It is really guide book.
I bought other book and compared.
If you, who are using english as a second language, want to take the test, I'll recomend that you'll have to buy other books.

Well, are you going to take the TOEFL or are you just thinking about it? What you surely (and probably only) need is this book. Just do all the exercises proposed and you won't have any problem in passing the exam. Seriuosly talking, if you can manage to solve this at a quite good level then you're done. So, my advice is to buy it, do it and then decide whether to take the test or not.
Good luck to all the applicants!!

The book offers the same samples as the iBT internet paid exercises. It's a good material for non native speakers.

an upper intermediate level. Say you took the TOEFL CBT and got 240-260, then this book is good for you: it'll help you get familiar with all 4 sections, and the different question items in the test. Make sure you get it with the CDROM, you'll have 4 full tests that you can use to practice either in "test mode" (no pauses, no feedback until the very end) or in "tutor mode" (you get the benefit of stopping, resuming the test, etc)

I liked the model answers, they are good if you are self preparing as well. You'll get a hint of what TOEFL expects for their different scoring criteria.

BUT! Warning!!! The book is just that: getting familiar with the test.
It's poorly designed, example: the answer key follows immediately after the exercises, have a piece of paper or you hand! to cover them while taking the mock-up exercises. There's no hint as to our to BUILD skills necessary for the test. Lots of blah blah blah ("tips") but NO scaffolded exercising!!!!! So, yes, it is by ETS, the owners of the test! but well, it's clear that their business is test and not text design.

So, if your level of English is not the greatest get the DELTA book, WAY MUCH BETTER, WAY MORE EXCERCISES, and you'll get it for just 4 or 5 dollars extra.

Well, hope this helps.
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I use this book as pre-test material, my iBT score is very much similiar with my pre-test using this book.
However, this book has no computer based soft so i get a lower score than i expected cauz the real test is much different (paper vs computer). you'd better to buy one book with a test soft together.

Good work in easy to follow language. . Carefully takes you through the work, explaining in very clear simple, yet meticulous way to understand materials presented. A must read for ALL test takers.

Its very good because it offers you an important view on the exam. I have read other materials as well. They helped me with practicing but without this book I wouldn't have had an inside view on this exam.
I recomand this book to all the persons that want to take the test but I suggest them to use other materials as well. The biggest problem with this book is that they don't have an CD with full tests in order to practice on real test interface in real time. A CD with 4 full practice tests would make this book a 5 stars.