Kaplan Toefl Workbook With 3 Audio Cds (Paperback)

by Kaplan (Author) "This book was written primarily with two groups in mind..." (more)
Key Phrases: main topic questions, noncount noun, space that corresponds, New York, United States, Listening Comprehension (more...)

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Kaplan's TOEFL® Exam Workbook with 3 Audio CDs provides practice for the TOEFL® exam and a complete review of all the material on both the paper-based and computer-based TOEFL® exam. This review, along with Kaplan's powerful test-taking strategies, makes this book a highly effective tool to help you score higher on the TOEFL® exam and make yourself more competitive for admission to an American university.

Succeed in every section of the TOEFL® exam with comprehensive lessons in Structure, Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Listening Comprehension.

Prepare with detailed information on the test, plus hundreds of practice questions to build your skills in important concepts on the TOEFL® exam.

Prepare with 3 full-length practice tests with complete score analysis and 3 audio CDs for listening comprehension and vocabulary review.

Score Higher with effective strategies for budgeting time, understanding directions, managing stress, and more.

Special Audio CDs Feature:

* Listening comprehension lessons
* Vocabulary review
* 3 listening comprehension practice test sections

Prepare with the most comprehensive guide available.

Kaplan TOEFL® CBT Exam with CD-ROM

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Getting Started

Whom This Book Is For

This book was written primarily with two groups in mind. First, it can be used by teachers in preparation courses for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or in other intermediate to advanced courses in which students need to become familiar with the TOEFL. This book is also designed for students who are preparing for the test on their own.

Both teachers and self-study students will appreciate the clear, carefully written lessons as well as the fact that answer keys are provided for all of the exercises and practice tests. Students who have a previous TOEFL score of below 440 on the paper version of the exam should probably improve their basic knowledge of the language before attempting to devote themselves to TOEFL preparation.

This workbook is designed for international students who need comprehensive TOEFL practice before taking either the paper-and-pencil version of the TOEFL exam or the newer computer-based TOEFL exam (TOEFL CBT). Both versions of the TOEFL are still widely used around the world and accepted by American and Canadian universities for admissions purposes. Though the exams and exercises in this workbook are all paper-based, the skills that are practiced are important for increasing your TOEFL score on either exam. (At the end of this workbook, you will find a list of those countries where each version of the test is given.)

Both students planning to take the computer-based TOEFL and the paper-and-pencil version of the TOEFL will benefit from this workbook's plentiful exercises and practice tests. If you are considering taking the computer-based TOEFL CBT or if you want additional TOEFL preparation, we strongly recommend Kaplan's TOEFL CBT, available in bookstores everywhere. The TOEFL CBT book/CD-ROM package is filled with test-taking strategies, practice tests, and exercises that will help you get a high score on the computerized version of this exam.

How This Book Will Help You

This book will improve students' TOEFL scores in two chief ways. First, it takes a very practical view of the TOEFL. One TOEFL exam is not very different from any other, and the authors of this book have spent years teaching TOEFL preparation and administering these exams. They have also read numerous studies of the TOEFL and of the kind of language that it tests. The very organization of this book has been shaped by this experience.

Basically, the book is organized around the kinds of questions the TOEFL asks. For example, there is a section of this book designed to help students master the "What is his or her job?" type of question that is often asked in the Listening Section of the TOEFL. Other sections teach students to recognize and be prepared for frequent distractors -- that is, answers that look correct but that the makers of the TOEFL actually use to mislead test takers.

The authors' experiences have also taught them that there are limitations to this approach. The TOEFL tests English language proficiency, and although practice tests and strategy lessons can improve a student's score somewhat, the best way for students to really bring their test scores up is to improve their English-language ability as a whole. This is especially true with regard to vocabulary, which is much more important for a high TOEFL score than most people realize. For these reasons, this book takes a unique approach: It emphasizes vocabulary building in every lesson, and even provides students with a special section at the back of the book designed to help them learn the kinds of words they need for the TOEFL.

What Is the TOEFL?

This section of the book is meant to give you a clear understanding of exactly what the Test of English as a Foreign Language is -- and exactly what it is not. There is an expression in English that states, "Know thy enemy." This means that the best way to defeat an opponent is to know as much as possible about that opponent.

To get the best possible TOEFL score possible, you should know the TOEFL as well as the people at Kaplan do -- and we know the TOEFL inside and out!

Some Basic Information on the TOEFL

The TOEFL is designed to test your ability to understand standard North American English. It is written and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private, not-for-profit company based in New Jersey. The TOEFL was developed to help American and Canadian colleges and universities evaluate the level of English language proficiency of the international students they want to admit. You may need a certain TOEFL score to get into a particular college or university. However, even a high TOEFL score does not guarantee that you will get into the college of your choice. Nor does a high TOEFL score guarantee academic success. To succeed in school, you also need to know how to communicate in English.

Standardized Tests

The TOEFL is one of several standardized tests that measure a student's proficiency level in English.

A standardized test:

Consists of different types of multiple-choice questions

Is given to a large number of people at the same time

Is graded by computer

Is timed

Because Kaplan has studied and analyzed many TOEFL exams, we can explain to you the form of the test and the kinds of questions that will appear on the test, and help you develop skills and strategies for taking the test. This will allow you to work more efficiently when it comes time to take the actual test.

Form and Content of the Paper-Based TOEFL

The paper-based TOEFL is approximately two hours long, excluding the thirty-minute essay, and consists of at least 140 multiple-choice questions. The number of questions and the duration of the test may vary. If you include the time it takes to fill in forms and listen to directions, you will spend about three hours at the test site.

TOEFL questions are divided into three sections: Section I, Listening Comprehension; Section II, Structure and Written Expression; and Section III, Reading Comprehension. Each section is timed separately. You have approximately 30-40 minutes to work on Section I, 25 minutes to work on Section II, 55 minutes to work on Section III, and 30 minutes for TWE (the essay). Once you are done with a section, you cannot return to it.

Listening Comprehension

In the Listening Comprehension section, which consists of 50 questions, you listen to spoken English and answer questions that test how well you understood what you heard. This section consists of three parts: A, B, and C. In part A, you hear 30 short conversations and answer a question about each one. In part B, you hear three or four longer conversations and answer a few questions about each one. In Part C, you listen to three or four talks of about a minute each and answer several questions about each one.

The Listening section tests your understanding of English grammar, idioms, and vocabulary. It also tests your ability to distinguish between words with similar sounds. And, since you have only about 12 seconds to answer each question, your ability to concentrate and your ability to quickly make sense of what you hear will be tested as well.

Structure and Written Expression

The 40 questions in the Structure and Written Expression section focus primarily on grammar and word choice. In questions 1-15, each question consists of a sentence with a missing word or phrase. You must choose the word or phrase that best fits from the four answer choices. In questions 16-40, each question consists of a sentence that contains four underlined words or phrases, labeled A, B, C, and D. One of these four words or phrases is incorrect, and you must identify it. This section stresses grammar, but a student's vocabulary plays a large role in doing well here, especially when he or she is asked to make a correct word choice.

Reading Comprehension

In the Reading Comprehension section, you must read 5 or 6 reading passages and answer 50 questions about what you read. You will be asked about the content of what you read and about the meanings of words as they are used in a passage.

TWE

The TWE (Test of Written English) is an optional section of the paper-based TOEFL that tests your ability to respond to a question in essay form using standard English. You will be expected to show your ability to come up with and organize ideas, support your ideas with examples and/or evidence, and to write in standard English in response to an assigned topic. You are given a choice of two topics, from which you pick one. You must write your essay by hand. The test is scored separately from the TOEFL on a scale of 1-6. There is no additional charge for the TWE.

The TOEFL CBT

The computer-based TOEFL employs two types of computerized testing: computer adaptive testing (CAT) and computer-linear testing. Computer adaptive tests, or CATs, are quite different from paper-and-pencil standardized tests. The CAT is a computer-based test that you take at a special test center, by yourself, at a time you schedule. This test "adapts" to your performance. Each test taker is given a different mix of questions depending on how well he or she is doing on the test. This means the questions get harder or easier depending on whether you answer them correctly or not. Your score is not directly determined by how many questions you get right, but by the difficulty level of the questions you answer correctly.

When you start a CAT section, the computer assumes you have a medium-level score as defined by ETS's TOEFL division, and gives you a question of medium difficulty; about half the people who take the test would get this question right, and half would get it wrong. If you answer the question correctly, your score goes up, and you are given a slightly harder question. If you get a question wrong, the computer lowers your score, then gives you a slightly easier question. This continues for the rest of the test. In this way the computer tries to "home in" on your score. Theoretically, as you get to the end of a section, you will reach a point at which every time the computer raises the difficulty level of a question, you get it wrong, but every time it lowers the difficulty level of a question, you get it right. Your score at this point will supposedly be an accurate measure of your ability.

Computer-linear testing is similar to computer adaptive testing in that you record your answer on the computer; however, in computer-linear testing, the test does not adjust for your level. For more on computer-adaptive and computer-linear test-taking strategies, consult Kaplan's TOEFL CBT.

Length and Format of the TOEFL CBT

The length of the computer-based TOEFL is more flexible than the paper-based TOEFL. You will have up to three-and-a-half hours to complete the exam, which includes time for a break. Your appointment for the exam will cover a four-and-a-half hour time slot; this is to allow ample time to do the necessary paperwork. When you begin a section, the total number of questions will appear at the top of the screen. On each question screen you will be provided with information telling you which question you are currently on and how many questions there are in total.

Listening Comprehension

The Listening Comprehension section of the computer-based TOEFL is computer adaptive. You will have 40 or 60 minutes to complete Section I, Listening Comprehension. This section consists of 30 or 50 questions in which you listen to spoken English and answer questions that test how well you understood what you heard. This section consists of two parts: A and B. In part A you will hear a number of short conversations anywhere from 6 to 20 seconds long and be asked to answer a question about each one. In part B you will hear 2 or 3 longer conversations from 30 seconds to 1 minute and a few long talks that are 1.5 to 2.5 minutes long. You will be asked to answer 4 or 5 questions about each one. The subject matter for these questions is academic or university related.

Structure

The Structure section of the computer-based TOEFL, Section II, is computer adaptive. You will have 15 or 20 minutes to complete this section. It consists of 20 or 25 questions in which you either complete a sentence or identify an error.

Reading Comprehension

The Reading Comprehension section of the computer-based TOEFL, Section III, is computer linear. You will have 70 or 90 minutes to complete it. You must read 5 to 8 academic reading passages and will be asked a number of questions about the content of what you read and the meanings of the words as they are used in the passage. The total number of questions will be either 44 or 60. The computer-based Reading Comprehension section includes slightly longer passages than the paper-based test. You must read off of the screen and will need to scroll in order to read the entire passage.

Assessment of Written English

The Writing section of the computer-based TOEFL is required. You will have 30 minutes to write an essay in response to a single question that will appear on the screen. You can either type your answer on the computer or hand write your essay on a separate sheet of paper. The results from this section will be combined with those from the Structure section to give a final scaled score. The computer does not figure out your grade on this section; it must be graded the old-fashioned way -- by human beings who are specifically trained to score your essay.

DIFFERENT TOEFL ADMINISTRATIONS

There are several forms of TOEFL administration: the International TOEFL, the Special Center TOEFL and the Institutional TOEFL. All are official ETS-created forms of the exam, but they differ in the time, place and manner in which they are administered.

The International TOEFL Administration

As of July, 1998, there are two exam forms in the international administration of the TOEFL: the paper-and-pencil TOEFL and computer-based TOEFL described above. Approximately 50% of the TOEFL exams now administered are the CBT version. The computer-based version of the exam will gradually be introduced into all other countries and is scheduled to be completely eliminated by 2003. The TOEFL CBT includes a mandatory TWE (Test of Written English), whereas the TWE can still be taken as a separate exam in those countries still using the paper-and-pencil version. A current list of countries using each exam can be found at the end of this book.

In those countries using the paper-and-pencil version of the exam, the exam is generally given on 12 fixed dates, normally Saturday throughout the year. The TOEFL CBT can be taken individually, by appointment, anytime.

The Special Center TOEFL Administration

In countries still administering the paper-and-pencil version of the TOEFL, special centers may be designated to administer the TOEFL on specified Fridays or Sundays throughout the year to accommodate religious restrictions.

Both the international and the special center TOEFL's are administered by ETS. ETS maintains an official record of the scores from these administrations at their headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey.

Students can find the dates for both the international and special center administrations of the TOEFL in the official ETS TOEFL Information Bulletin. In some cases, ETS allows students who take the paper-and-pencil versions of the exam to receive a copy of their test in the mail. These test dates are marked with an asterisk in the official TOEFL Bulletin.

The Institutional Testing Program (ITP)

ITP is an ETS-sponsored service offered to institutions to help them place students in English courses at the appropriate level of difficulty or to determine whether additional work in English is necessary before an individual can undertake studies at an institution where English is the medium of instruction. This program is also used for pre- and post-course assessment and as practice for TOEFL. The tests used in this service are official paper-and-pencil TOEFL exams that have been taken out of circulation. These tests may not be substituted for the regularly scheduled TOEFL test. The time required for administration of the ITP TOEFL is approximately two hours. Examinees' answer sheets are scored by ETS in Princeton, NJ but ETS does not retain copies of the scores. ITP scores are considered unofficial by ETS for college or university admission purposes. Some universities, however, will accept the score of an Institutional TOEFL conditionally, while they are waiting for your official score. Institutional TOEFLs are currently available only in the paper-and-pencil version of the exam.

The Long Form of the TOEFL

ETS sometimes gives a longer TOEFL exam in the paper-and-pencil version. This allows the test makers to test questions for use on future exams. This experimental test is given without warning, and has more questions and takes more time than a normal TOEFL.

Although ETS never announces when this long test will be given, you can be sure that it will never be given on the test dates when students will be allowed to receive a copy of their exam. These times are marked with an asterisk in the official TOEFL bulletin. So if you want to avoid the long form of the TOEFL, schedule your test for one of these dates.

Other Tests of English

The TWE (Test of Written English) is administered along with the paper-based TOEFL on certain test dates. You should find out if you need the TWE for the college or university you are attending, and register for one of the test dates on which the TWE is given. If you take the TOEFL on one of these test dates but do not need to take the TWE, you should take the TWE anyway. You do not have to take the TWE, but if you do not, ETS will delay the release of your scores.

The TSE (Test of Spoken English) is a separately administered test that some colleges require entering international students to take. Find out if you need the TSE for the college or university to which you are applying.

Consult the free ETS Information Bulletin for the TOEFL, TWE, and TSE for more information.

The TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is another ETS test used mainly by businesses to evaluate the English ability of their employees. For more information on the TOEIC, contact ETS. You could also purchase Essential Review for the TOEIC Exam, published by Kaplan Books.

How to Register for the TOEFL

To register to take the paper-and-pencil TOEFL, you need to fill out the form in the Information Bulletin for Supplemental TOEFL Administrations, which also contains a list of all the test dates for the TOEFL and the TWE. Get the TSE Bulletin for Test of Spoken English dates. Copies of the Bulletins are usually obtainable at United States educational commissions, United States Information Service (USIS) offices and libraries, binational centers, and private English language schools. You will be charged for the test. Fees vary; contact ETS for the most up-to-date information.

To register to take the TOEFL CBT, you need to call one of the designated ETS Test Administration Centers to book an appointment. You can contact ETS at: TOEFL/TSE Publications
P.O. Box 6154
Princeton, NJ 08541-6154 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail] you live outside the United States but want to test in a U.S. center, call 1-443-751-4862 (this is a toll call).

If you do not use a credit card to register, you will need a CBT voucher to schedule your appointment. See the Information Bulletin for payment instructions for receiving your voucher.

Outside of the United States, you will have to call a Regional Registration Center to register. See the Information Bulletin or the TOEFL website at toefl.org for a list of centers.

SCORING

When you take the official TOEFL, ETS sends reports of your score directly to the institutions you have chosen, and to you, about one month after you take the test. You will receive four scores, one for each of the three TOEFL sections, and most importantly, a three-digit total score.

Your total score is based on the number of correct answers you identified, adjusted (the technical word for this is scaled) for the difficulty level of the particular TOEFL you took. Statistically speaking, a TOEFL score is not precise. ETS says that TOEFL scores have a plus or minus 14-point margin of error, which means that if you get a 500 on the paper-and-pencil TOEFL, your real proficiency in English ranges from 486-514. Some schools may take this fact into account when evaluating your English for admission.

The total score is reported on a 310-677 scale for the paper-and-pencil TOEFL, and 40-300 scale for the TOEFL CBT. Scores for each section are reported on a scale of 31-68 or 2-30 on the CBT. Most students get a total score of between 440 and 580 (123-237 CBT). The score you need to get depends on the admissions requirements of the college or university you are trying to get into.

The chart above will give you an idea of how TOEFL scores measure English proficiency. Remember that the lowest paper-and-pencil score possible is 310, and the highest score possible is 677.

Passing TOEFL Score

There is no "passing" or "failing" score on the TOEFL. The test measures English language proficiency only and it is up to the individual college or university to set its own minimum TOEFL score for admission. Minimum scores can vary from a low of 450 to a high of 630 or more. A score of 677 is considered perfect.

Keep in mind that schools with low TOEFL admissions score requirements may also have lower academic standards. In many colleges, to major in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising, and English/American literature, you need a TOEFL score of 600. The most prestigious American universities require a paper-based TOEFL score of 600 or more for all students admitted. Most top-tier master of business administration (MBA) programs require a TOEFL score of 600 in addition to good GMAT scores.

It's possible to cancel your scores by contacting TOEFL/TSE Services immediately after the test.

Paper-Based Scores versus Computer-Based Scores

The concordance table on the previous pages will tell you how paper-based TOEFL scores compare with computer-based TOEFL scores. For more details on how each section is scored, read through the introductory pages of each Power Lesson section carefully.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the TOEFL written or administered by the U.S. government?

No. The U.S. government has nothing to do with the TOEFL. The TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service. ETS is a private, nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization that writes, manages, and administers standard exams for American college and university entrance.

Q: What score do you need to pass the TOEFL?

There is no passing or failing score on the TOEFL. The test measures English language proficiency only, and it is up to the individual college or university to set its own minimum TOEFL score for admission. For the paper-based TOEFL, minimum scores can vary from a low of 450 to a high of 630 or more. A score of 677 is considered perfect.

Q: Is it possible to use a TOEFL score from a test taken several years ago?

Not usually, but it depends on the school and how long ago the test was taken. Admissions officers want to know what your current English level is, so most admission officers require a recent TOEFL score, not more than six months old, when they consider a candidate for admission. Schools frequently have this rule because TOEFL scores can drop 30-60 points on average if a person takes a break longer than two months from intensive English study. This particularly happens if a student's level of English proficiency has not yet reached the 550 level.

Q: Is it easy to get into an American college or university?

Compared to most other university systems around the world, it is relatively easy to get accepted into an American college or university.

Q: Is it easy to graduate from an American college or university?

For the most part, no. International students can easily "flunk out of" (be asked to leave) an American college or university in their first year if they do not have sufficient English communication skills to get satisfactory grades in their courses. In some years, the failure rate for international freshmen with TOEFL scores of 550 or higher has been about 30 percent.

Bear in mind that achieving the minimum TOEFL score for admission is not the end of an international student's English studies -- it is only the beginning. Even after getting admitted into a college or university, international students must continue to improve their English if they want to succeed.

Q: Can students prepare for the TOEFL in the same way that they study for a typical college or university exam?

Basically, no. Most exams test a student's knowledge of a set of information. There may or may not be a lot of information that the student needs to know, but it is always a finite amount. A student can make a list of information that he or she must learn and study it item by item.

The TOEFL, on the other hand, tests English proficiency. A language cannot be summed up in a list. The best way to improve your TOEFL scores is by improving your overall proficiency in the language.

Another way to improve your TOEFL score is to become very familiar with the exam. You should take several practice exams, and you should know what kinds of questions and general topics to expect. You can also learn certain test-taking strategies -- ways of finding the correct answer more quickly.

This book will help you do both. First, it will improve your English proficiency with its clear grammar explanations. And the unique emphasis on vocabulary will get you started on learning the kinds of words you need for success on the TOEFL...and in a real American college or university. At the same time, this book will give you the test-taking practice and the strategies you need to get the very best TOEFL score possible for you.

You're in Charge!

This section is entitled "You're in Charge!" because we want to emphasize that you must manage your own English learning. In addition to introducing you to the TOEFL, giving you practice tests, and suggesting test-taking strategies, this book will show you how to take charge of your own English learning.

The Limitations of Test Preparation

For a good TOEFL score, it is essential that you become familiar with the test and the common types of questions it asks. A student who takes the test without this kind of preparation will not do as well as he or she would have with test preparation. So test preparation helps. The authors of this book have seen students' scores jump as much as 50 (approximately 40 on the CBT) points in a short ten-week, 40-hour course.

The problem is that an increase of 30 (20), 40 (30), or even 50 (40), points may not be enough. If a student starts with a proficiency level of 440 (123), a jump of 50 (40) points will not be sufficient for him or her to get into a university that requires a score of 520 (213) for admission.

Even worse, a second TOEFL-preparation course almost never improves student scores as much as the first. And a third preparation course seldom does much better. So our imaginary student, who jumped from a 450 (133) to a 490 (163) after just ten weeks of TOEFL preparation, may have only a score of 500 (173) after two or three more courses -- still not enough to get into the university to which he or she wants to go.

What this student needs is more knowledge of English, not more TOEFL preparation.Too many learners of English don't understand this, and they continue to spend more money on too many TOEFL-preparation courses, or -- worse -- they become frustrated and abandon their dreams of studying in the United States, ETS, the makers of the TOEFL exam, once conducted a study that showed that, on average, an increase of 40 points on the TOEFL requires about 300 hours of intensive English study. The details of the study are in the graph on the next page.

So, although we at Kaplan are sure that this is one of the best TOEFL preparation books available, we will not lie to you. The practice tests and the Power Lessons in this book may not be enough for you to get the score you need to get into the American college or university you want to attend.

What you need to do is -- as the title of this section suggests -- take charge! Don't wait for English proficiency to come to you; go out and get it. In the rest of this section, you will find out what kind of self-teaching you need to do, and discover how this book is more than just a TOEFL preparation book -- it's a guide book that will take you on a journey of English acquisition.

The Importance of Vocabulary

Look at the sentences below; they could all easily appear on the TOEFL exam. Do any of the underlined words seem incorrect to you? She wants to marry as tall a man as possible.
You'll just have to make do with what you have.
Don't talk with your mouth full.
The French founded the city in 1678.

The fact is, there is nothing wrong with any of these sentences, no matter how strange they may look to a non-native English speaker. The point of this is to show that even though no section of the TOEFL is called "Vocabulary," vocabulary undoubtedly plays an important -- perhaps the most important -- role in every section.

Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "Sure, I can see why vocabulary is important in the Reading Comprehension Section, but why is it so important in the Listening or Structure and Written Expression sections?"

Of course, the Listening Section tests your listening skills. But how can you expect to answer questions about what you have heard if you do not know the meaning of what has been said? Moreover, on the Structure and Written Expression Section (the grammar section) of the TOEFL, getting the correct answer often depends more on your knowledge of English idioms than on your knowledge of English grammar. Even more often, it depends on your knowing whether something "sounds right" or not.

Look at the sentences above again. Do the underlined words sound right to you? If one or more of them doesn't, then you need to add those expressions to your English vocabulary.

Keep in mind that vocabulary does not involve only individual words: It also includes idioms (such as to keep your head, meaning "not to panic"), phrasal verbs (e.g., do something over, meaning "to do something a second time"), and collocations (i.e., words that often appear together, like sparsely populated, meaning "having a low population"). Vocabulary, for the purposes of TOEFL, means using words the way "real" people use them.

The vocabulary sections in this book show you how words are used, and are followed by exercises that give you practice using the new words and expressions in real sentences. This approach will not only help you remember the words and expressions, but will also help you develop a sense of what "sounds right" in English. It will give you a good beginning to go out and take charge of your own vocabulary building by collecting English words and expressions, including ones that you frequently encounter in films, television shows, books, magazines, and newspapers.

The Importance of Reading

Like vocabulary, reading is an integral part of the TOEFL, basically because it is at the heart of good academic skill preparation. Success on the TOEFL, and in any American college or university, depends heavily on a student's ability to read well.

Many students find the Reading Comprehension Section of the TOEFL extremely difficult. To make matters worse, the Reading Comprehension Section comes at the end of the exam, and requires your full concentration and focus. The best way to prepare for this section, and for your academic studies in general, is to do a lot of reading in English on your own.

Varying the content of your reading as much as possible is strongly recommended. This means that your reading should not be limited to one topic or style. For example, if you read a lot of literature, you should try to read at least some science articles, perhaps from a general-interest magazine like Newsweek. On the other hand, if you love science, read some short stories or a Hemingway novel. As you may already know from your native language, these are two very different types of reading.

The reason for this advice is that the Reading Comprehension Section of the TOEFL requires the test taker to read on an extremely varied amount of topics, from literature to geology to American history. If you can't read many different types of writing well -- and if you aren't familiar with different styles of writing and the different kinds of vocabulary belonging to different topics -- you will probably not do well on the TOEFL.

Here is a list of the topics most often found on the Reading Comprehension Section of the TOEFL, with a percentage indicating how frequently, on the whole, they appear. Natural and physical sciences (40%)
American and natural history (30%)
Biography (15%)
Social science (10%)
General interest (5%)

To get started, look for the special section entitled "Special Topics and Vocabulary for the TOEFL." But remember that this is only a start: it's your job to take charge by going out and reading as much and on as wide a range of subjects as you can in English.

How to Use This Book

Teachers using this book in the classroom will have their own plan. In this section, we offer a plan to the self-study student who is preparing for the TOEFL by himself or herself.

To be as prepared as possible for the TOEFL, a student should go through every section of this book. The TOEFL Study Plan below offers advice on how to do that.of the topics most often found on the Reading Comprehension Section of the TOEFL, with a percentage indicating how frequently, on the whole, they appear. Natural and physical sciences (40%)
American and natural history (30%)
Biography (15%)
Social science (10%)
General interest (5%)

To get started, look for the special section entitled "Special Topics and Vocabulary for the TOEFL." But remember that this is only a start: it's your job to take charge by going out and reading as much and on as wide a range of subjects as you can in English.

How to Use This Book

Teachers using this book in the classroom will have their own plan. In this section, we offer a plan to the self-study student who is preparing for the TOEFL by himself or herself.

To be as prepared as possible for the TOEFL, a student should go through every section of this book. The TOEFL Study Plan below offers advice on how to do that. How long it takes the student to go through the complete course depends on how much time he or she spends on it per day, but it would be very surprising if, working five to six hours a day, a student finished the course in fewer than six weeks.

Not all students have six or more weeks to prepare for the TOEFL. For these students, there is an accelerated version of the Study Plan.

The TOEFL Study Plan

Study the section of this book called "TOEFL Test-Taking Strategies."
Test-Taking strategies are suggestions on how to take the TOEFL. They can improve student scores significantly.

(1) Take Practice Test One (the Diagnostic Test).
Use the answer key and the conversion chart at the back of this book to give yourself a grade for each section, as well as an overall grade for the test.

Determine your areas of weakness. As you go through the Power Lessons of this book, you should take charge of your English acquisition by doing additional work in those areas.

If the Listening Section was very difficult for you, schedule time to watch movies or TV programs in English, and to listen to English-language cassettes.

If the Structure and Written Expression Section was especially difficult, get a good reference grammar book and learn more about the grammar structures you got wrong on the practice test.

If the Reading Section was your problem, go through the practice test and identify the topics that gave you the most trouble. Then go to an English language library or bookstore to get books and/or magazines on the troublesome topics.

(2) Begin a program of extensive reading in English.
Read widely and about many different topics, including the topics given in the "Recurring TOEFL Topics and Related Vocabulary" section towards the back of the book. Begin collecting vocabulary words and expressions from the reading.

Note: You should do this even if you did not do poorly in the Reading Section.

(3) Go through half of the Power Lessons.
The Power Lessons can be done in any order: listening first, then grammar, then reading; or, alternatively, a student could do one listening lesson and three grammar lessons, followed by one reading lesson.

While doing the Power Lessons, you should continue reading extensively in English and building your vocabulary.

(4) Take Practice Test Two (after reviewing the "TOEFL Test-Taking Strategies" section of this book).
Use the answer key and the conversion chart at the back to give yourself a grade for each section as well as an overall grade for the test. Are your areas of weakness the same as after the first practice test? Hopefully, you are not making the same kinds of grammar errors. Determine the areas of weakness and devote additional time to these.

(5) Finish the Power Lessons.
Don't forget to continue doing additional reading and vocabulary building as you work through the Power Lessons.

(6) Take Practice Test Three (after reviewing the "TOEFL Test-Taking Strategies" section of this book).
Use the answer key and the conversion chart at the back to give yourself a grade for each section and an overall grade for the test. Again, identify your areas of weakness and continue working on them.

(7) Do the "Recurring TOEFL Topics and Related Vocabulary" section.
Make sure your outside reading covers these topics.

TOEFL FACT SHEET

Paper-Based TOEFL

Total Number of Questions: at least 140
Duration: 2-2.5 hours (3-3.5 hours at the test site)
Overall Scaled Score: 200-677
Format: Three Scored Sections, each with a subscore of 20-68

SECTION I: Listening Comprehension
Number of Questions: 50*
Duration: 30-40 minutes
Part A -- Short Conversations (30 questions)
Part B -- Longer Conversations (8 questions)
Part C -- Talks (12 questions)

SECTION II: Structure and Written Expression
Number of Questions: 40*
Duration: 25 minutes
Part A -- Incomplete Sentences (15 questions)
Part B -- Error Recognition (25 questions)

SECTION III: Reading Comprehension
Number of Questions: 50*
Duration: 55 minutes
5 or 6 Reading Passages (8-12 questions per passage)

TOEFL CBT

Total number of questions: varies
Duration: varies -- 2.25-3 hours (up to 4.5 hours at test site)
Overall scaled score: 0 to 300
Format: Four sections. Sections I, II, and III have subscores of 0 to 30. Section IV has subscores of 0 to 6.

Section I: Listening Comprehension
Number of questions: 30-50
Duration: 40-60 minutes
Part A -- Short conversations
Part B -- Longer conversations and talks
Computer adaptive

Section II: Structure
Number of questions: 20-25
Duration: 15-20 minutes
Sentence completion and error identification questions are mixed together.

Section III: Reading Comprehension
Number of questions: 44-60. The test taker will see the total number of questions displayed on screen prior to beginning this section.
Duration: 70-90 minutes
5 to 8 reading passages (8 to 12 questions per passage)

Section IV: Writing
Number of questions: 1
Duration: 30 minutes

Copyright © 2002 by Kaplan, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan; Book & CD edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684870967
• ISBN-13: 978-0684870960
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #870,763 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The worst among my phuchases, April 18, 2002

By	Chiajung Lin "CJ Lin" (Pasaden, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are no explanations at all on the answers. The answers are only A.B.C.etc. They did not tell you "why". Besides, the CD sound quality is so bad, and you can not repeat the specific questions you want to listen. You have to repeat the whole section from the beginning, and it wasts my time.

It can't even compare to Delta's Key to TOEFL(CD-ROM)(5*) and Barron's TOEFL 10th Edition(4*),

6 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, December 23, 2000

By	"clever007" (Canada) - See all my reviews

I highly recommend this book to the people who are going to take the Toefl test. This is an excellent book I've ever seen. With the help of this book, I've improved my Toefl score rapidly.