Barron’s TOEFL iBT the 15th Edition (PDF+Audio)

Barron’s TOEFL iBT is the best TOEFL book in 2020.  However, there are a few issues worth mentioning, so students will need a teacher (or this review, I guess) to tell them which parts of the book to focus on, and which to supplement with other sources.

Let’s start by talking about the positive aspects of the book.  The foremost of these is that the book is regularly updated.  Author Pamela Sharpe has been working on this book since 1977 (!) and regularly revises its content.  This means that it now matches the changes to the TOEFL introduced in 2019.  A few editions ago (I think the 14th) almost all of the integrated writing questions in the book were replaced with more accurate questions.   The 16th edition, meanwhile, introduced a brand new chapter containing eight one-hour practice tests.  All of this compares favorably to competing books from Kaplan and Princeton Review.  Those ones have been revised to reflect the new TOEFL from last year, but otherwise, they are reprinted with the same junk content year after year.  It is worth noting that since last year Barron’s has been a division of Kaplan.  I hope that doesn’t affect future revisions.

Another positive aspect of the book is its wealth of practice material.  There is a ton of stuff to practice with.  The book has eight full model tests, eight mini practice tests, and a bunch of illustrative questions.  Compare that to the ONE practice test provided in the Princeton Review TOEFL book.  As I will describe below, there are some errors and inaccuracies in these tests, but even if you cut out the bad parts, you’ve still got way more practice material than any other book.  Overall, I’d estimate that about 80% of the practice questions here are accurate.  That compares very favorably to Kaplan, where only about 10% of the questions are accurate.

Finally, I must note that the new system being used for the online tests is beautiful.  It is way better than anything being used elsewhere, including the Official Guide to the TOEFL.  It is a breeze to jump between both sections and whole tests.  You don’t have to spend 15 minutes clicking and waiting to skip through everything else if you just want to do the writing section.  Not only that, but transcripts and separate MP3 downloads are available for all test questions.  I wish all publishers could use something so elegant.   Also, the man who reads the test instructions sounds a little bit like Sam Elliot.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Author ii Acknowledgments viii Sources/Credits ix Timetable for the TOEFL® iBT xii
1 ORIENTATION 1
Orientation to the TOEFL® iBT 1
To the Student: How to Use This Book to Succeed 2
To the Teacher: Recommendations and Resources 4
Syllabus Options 7
FAQs—Frequently Asked Questions About the TOEFL® iBT 13
TOEFL Programs 13
Registration 15
Test Administration 17
Examination 18
Score Reports 21 Study Habits 23
Accept responsibility 23
Get organized 23
Set realistic goals 24
Make a plan 24
Establish priorities 24
Manage time 24
Learn from mistakes 25
Stay motivated 25
Choose to be positive 25
2 REVIEW OF TOEFL iBT SECTIONS 27
Reading 27
Overview of the Reading Section 27
Review of Prompts and Questions 28
Reading Strategies 36
Applying the Academic Skills to the TOEFL 38
Quiz for the Reading Section 39
Study Plan 44
Extra Credit 44
Advisor’s Office 44
Listening 45
Overview of the Listening Section 45
Review of Prompts and Questions 45
Listening Strategies 53
Applying the Academic Skills to the TOEFL 55
Quiz for the Listening Section 56
Study Plan 59
Extra Credit 59
Advisor’s Office 59 Speaking 60
Overview of the Speaking Section 60
Review of Prompts and Questions 60
Speaking Strategies 71
Applying the Academic Skills to the TOEFL 76
Quiz for the Speaking Section 77
Study Plan 79
Extra Credit 79
Options for Evaluation 79
Advisor’s Office 79 Writing 80
Overview of the Writing Section 80
Review of Prompts and Questions 80
Writing Strategies 86
Applying the Academic Skills to the TOEFL 90
Quiz for the Writing Section 91
Study Plan 93
Extra Credit 93
Options for Evaluation 93
Advisor’s Office 93
3 ACADEMIC SKILLS 95
Campus Vocabulary 95

Taking Notes 110

Paraphrasing 131

Summarizing 158

Synthesizing 180
4 MODEL TESTS 207
Model Test 1: Pretest 207 Reading Section 207 Listening Section 223 Speaking Section 243 Writing Section 250
Model Test 2: Progress Test 253 Reading Section 253 Listening Section 273 Speaking Section 288 Writing Section 295
Model Test 3: Progress Test 298 Reading Section 298 Listening Section 312 Speaking Section 333 Writing Section 340
Model Test 4: Progress Test 343 Reading Section 343 Listening Section 361 Speaking Section 375 Writing Section 382
Model Test 5: Progress Test 385 Reading Section 385 Listening Section 399 Speaking Section 418 Writing Section 425
Model Test 6: Progress Test 428 Reading Section 428 Listening Section 448 Speaking Section 464 Writing Section 471
Model Test 7; Progress Test 474 Reading Section 474 Listening Section 489 Speaking Section 509 Writing Section 516
Model Test 8: CD-ROM Test 519
5 ANSWERS AND AUDIO SCRIPTS FOR ACTIVITIES, QUIZZES, AND MODEL TESTS 521
Answers and Audio Scripts for Quizzes in Chapter 2 521
Reading 521 Listening 522 Speaking 527 Writing 533 Answers and Audio Scripts for Practice Activities in Chapter 3 535
Explanatory or Example Answers and Audio Scripts for Model Tests 580 Model Test 1: Pretest 580
Reading 580
Listening 583
Speaking 602
Writing 606
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 607 Model Test 2: Progress Test 614
Reading 614
Listening 618
Speaking 631 .
Writing 636
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 636 Model Test 3: Progress Test 643
Reading 643
Listening 645
Speaking 666
Writing 670
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 671 Model Test 4: Progress Test 678
Reading 678
Listening 681
Speaking 695
Writing 699
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 700 Model Test 5: Progress Test 706
Reading 706
Listening 709
Speaking 728
Writing 732
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 733
Model Test 6: Progress Test 739
Reading 739
Listening 743
Speaking 756
Writing 761
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 762 Model Test 7: Progress Test 769
Reading 769
Listening 772
Speaking 792
Writing 796
Example Answers and Checklists for Speaking and Writing 797 Model Test 8: CD-ROM Test 802
6 SCORE ESTIMATES 803
Important Background Information 803
Procedure for Scoring 803
Reference Charts 805
Examples for Scoring Model Tests 807
Score Comparisons 808
Feedback 809
Options for Personal Evaluation 809
7 RESOURCES 811
Websites for TOEFL 811
TOEFL® iBT Resource Centers 813
Glossary of Campus Vocabulary 816
Barron’s CD-ROM Documentation 851
Audio CD Tracks 852

PDF

CD1

CD2

 Amazon