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TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 is the latest TOEFL preparation book from Kaplan. One of the biggest test prep companies worldwide.
In our comprehensive review of the best TOEFL preparation books, TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 was our pick for the best simulated TOEFL practice exams.
Not to mention that this is the only TOEFL preparation book on the market that comes with a higher score guarantee or your money back.
So given such a bold promise. Does that mean that this book is an absolute buy?
In this blog post, we'll discuss the pros and cons of the TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021, so you can determine if this is the best TOEFL preparation book for your TOEFL iBT prep.
For an authentic review experience, you can watch our in-depth review of the Kaplan TOEFL iBT Prep Plus book below.
Kaplan's TOEFL iBT Prep Plus book video review
For a sneak peek into what's in this book, check out an in-depth video review from our reviewer Chuky.
Features of TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021
The book includes a free access to The TOEFL Online Center. This is Kaplan's online resource that contains 4 full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations, sample conversations and lectures, and instructional video guides.
Kaplan's TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 Online Center dashboard (Image Credit: Sojourning Scholar)
You can gain access to the online material by registering the book here on the publisher's website. Once you register your book, you will be granted access to The TOEFL Online Center for 1 year, from the date of registration.
You will also find an audio CD at the back of the book that contains tracks of sample conversations and lectures that you'll need when practicing the listening, speaking, and writing sections. These same tracks can be found on the TOEFL Online Center as well.
Audio CDs found in TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 (Image Credit: Sojourning Scholar)
N/B: While the book promises a money back guarantee, this guarantee is only applicable to buyers from the United States.
When we reviewed the learning material on the online resource, we found some outdated information about the TOEFL iBT. For example the presentation slides for the reading section states that there are 12 -14 questions per passage instead of 10 questions per passage. Similar misinformation was found in the speaking and listening sections of the online resource.
Apart from these outdated descriptions of the TOEFL iBT, the concepts in the online resource were pretty good.
Review of TOEFL iBT Sections
The chapters in this book are broken into 5 sections; an introduction section, followed by the 4 main sections of the TOEFL iBT.
Introduction Chapter
The book starts off positioning itself as a book of strategies, with each chapter of the book expanding upon step-by-step strategies with examples for all the possible question and task types on the TOEFL iBT.
Kaplan claims that after studying this book, test takers will know what question types to expect on the test, how to identify the correct answers, and how to avoid distracters in the multiple choice questions.
This chapter also provides a brief overview of the TOEFL iBT discussing its history, highlights of the 2019 TOEFL iBT revision, and an overview of the TOEFL iBT sections and how each section is scored.
The chapter then goes into a little more detail about the 4 TOEFL iBT sections.
Reading Section
This chapter opens up with 7 general reading strategies laid out in detail.
Next extremely detailed strategies are laid out for each of the "8 types of reading questions found on the test".
Practice passages are then provided after each reading question type is described. With answer keys and explanations at the end of the chapter.
Now, it's interesting that the book describes 8 types of reading questions. From our review of The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT, 6th Edition, which is created and endorsed by the makers of the TOEFL (ETS). ETS describes in detail 10 reading questions. We also found 10 types of reading questions described in the Barron's TOEFL iBT with 8 Online Practice Tests, 17th Edition.
So we caution buyers of Kaplan TOEFL IBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 to reference The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT, 6th Edition, for an authoritative guide to the reading questions found on the TOEFL iBT.
Listening Section
The chapter opens up with 11 general listening strategies for conversations and lectures found on the TOEFL listening section.
Next extremely detailed strategies are laid out for the "4 question types" on the listening section.
Practice audio tracks are then provided after each listening question type is described. With transcripts and answer keys at the end of the chapter.
Again, given the discrepancy between the number and types of listening questions described here versus The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT...
We caution buyers of Kaplan TOEFL IBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 to reference The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT, 6th Edition, for an authoritative guide to the listening questions found on the TOEFL iBT.
Speaking Section
The chapter on speaking opens up with 13 general speaking strategies for the independent & integrated sections found on the speaking section of the TOEFL iBT.
Followed by extremely detailed strategies for the 4 task types of the speaking section.
Practice audio tracks are then provided after each speaking question type is described. At the end of the chapter, you will find transcripts of the conversations and lectures in the practice test, as well as answer keys.
We did not find any speaking templates in this book. If you're looking for a really good speaking template check out our review on the TOEFL iBT Prep 2021 by The Princeton Review.
Writing Section
This writing chapter opens up with over 16 general writing strategies for the independent & integrated sections found on the writing section of the TOEFL iBT.
Next extremely detailed strategies are laid out for the 2 task types of the writing section.
Practice tasks are then provided after each writing question type is described. With transcripts of lectures and sample written responses at the end of the chapter.
Quality of Practice Tests in TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021
A major con of this book is that the 4 full-length practice tests are not printed in the book. While taking the online practice tests is highly recommended, it would be helpful to give buyers the choice to take a practice test offline.
Another flaw of the book is that when taking an online practice test, the tool does not record your response during the speaking section. So be prepared to record your speech with an audio recording device.
When we compared the practice tests in this book to those on the real TOEFL iBT, we found similarities. The reading passages in the practice tests were between 600 - 700 words, which is typical of the real TOEFL iBT. Also, our analysis of the passages showed the same level of reading difficulty as the real TOEFL iBT reading passage.
Similarly, the listening, speaking, and writing sections followed the same format of the real TOEFL iBT. So you should not get any surprises on the day of your TOEFL iBT exam.
When taking the online practice test, we really liked that at the end of the test, you get a performance summary for the reading and listening section. You can see this performance summary in the image below. This is an excellent way to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
Performance summary found at the end of an interactive practice test in the TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 (Image Credit: Sojourning Scholar)
You will also get an item review for all the question types on the practice test. This will show you how much time you spent on each question, which is pretty cool. We did not find this feature in any other TOEFL preparation book we reviewed.
Screenshot of item review page that is generated after completing an online practice test from TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 (Image Credit: Sojourning Scholar)
Overall, we found the best user experience with Kaplan's online TOEFL practice tests. It's very similar to what you can expect on the real TOEFL iBT.
Should You Buy Kaplan's TOEFL iBT Prep Plus?
Although Kaplan's TOEFL iBT Prep Plus 2020 - 2021 is filled with test taking strategies, it does not do a great job of explaining how best to apply every strategy. So, some readers might find it overwhelming applying all these strategies.
We found Barron's TOEFL iBT with 8 Online Practice Tests, 17th Edition to be a better alternative for helpful TOEFL strategies.
Furthermore, we did not find this book engaging to an audience of English as a Second Language (ESL) readers. Given that the majority of people reading this book have different levels of English language proficiency, the book should present information in an easy to digest manner.
Therefore, we only recommend that you purchase this book if a simulated practice test environment identical to the real TOEFL iBT is the most important criteria you're looking for in a TOEFL book.
