Newbury House TOEFL Preparation Kit - Preparing for the Test of Written English

Sep 30, 2026

Reviews of the Newbury House TOEFL Preparation Kit evaluate how well TOEFL preparation materials align with language assessment goals and university needs. Research cited questions TOEFL’s limited coverage of communication skills and the lack of clear links between high scores and academic success. The kit is described as readable and practical, offering discrete-point grammar, listening, and vocabulary guidance while also encouraging academic reading and writing skills through integrated activities and simulated test materials.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research critiques of TOEFL validity and score relevance

Kit overview and learning orientation

Two-volume structure and audio simulation

Discrete-point strategies

Item formats, test specifications, and vocabulary approach

Integrated reading comprehension focus

Active reading and real-world approximation

Newbury House TOEFL Preparation Kit: Preparing forthe TOEFL by Daniel B.Kennedy,Dorry Mann Kenyon,andSteven J.Matthiesen.New York:Newbury House,1989.262 pp. Newbury House TOEFL Preparation Kit: Preparing forthe Test of Written English by Liz Hamp-Lyons.New York:Newbury House,1989.134 pp. Reviewed bySara T.CushingUniversity of California,Los Angeles Recent research on the Educational Testing Service's Test ofEnglish as a Foreign Language(TOEFL)suggests that,while theTOEFL is a valid test of language proficiency,it tests only a limitedrange of communication skills and ignores many skills required bystudents in American university settings(Duran et al.,1985).Thereis also no clear evidence of any relationship between high TOEFLscores and academic achievement(Graham,1987).Such findingsraise questions about the appropriacy of using TOEFL preparationbooks in courses for university-bound ESL students,especiallygiven the current orientation in academic-purpose language teachingto promote communicative competence rather than the sort of discretelanguage knowledge which is tested in many sections of the TOEFL.Indeed,conscientious teachers may wonder whether they are doingtheir students a disservice by spending class time on exercisesspecifically designed to raise TOEFL scores,at the expense ofactivities which promote the general academic skills needed at theuniversity.At the same time,those language testing researchersconcerned with the TOEFL's limitations might ask whether TOEFLpreparation books do more harm than good since they perpetuate thestatus quo rather than encourage improvement of the TOEFL alongthe lines that some experts have suggested (Savignon,1986;Larsen-Freeman,1986)so as to increase its ability to measurecommunicative skills. The Newbury House TOEFLPreparation Kit is by no meansradical in its attitude towards the TOEFL,but it does attempt toprovide a partial answer to the first of these dilemmas.While theauthors take a pragmatic approach toward the discrete-point sectionsof the TOEFL,they also emphasize those areas of the TOEFL which are more relevant to the future needs of university students.Theresult is a well-written,easy to read manual that provides practicalsuggestions for doing well on the discrete-point grammar,listening,and vocabulary items of the TOEFL.Additionally,the Kit promotesthe acquisition of academic skills,especially in reading and writing,to help students deal with the TOEFL as it exists today and with theacademic requirements of the American universities they hope toattend. The Kit contains two volumes--Preparing for the TOEFL(PFT)and Preparing for the Test of Written English(PTWE)--aswell as two audio cassettes which simulate the listening sections ofthe practice tests,and a separate tapescript and answer key,all neatlypackaged together in a plastic binder.PFT has many features typicalof TOEFL preparation books now on the market:answers tocommonly asked questions about the TOEFL,descriptions of thevarious parts of the test,sample exercises for each section,andpractice tests.However,a few crucial differences make theNewbury House Kit notable.First is the authors'attention to thestrict specifications of item types and formats which TOEFL itemwriters follow.The authors have clearly spent considerable timestudying numerous forms of the TOEFL and,in essence,haverecreated the test specifications so as to characterize the kinds ofquestions found on the TOEFL in terms of content,format,anddifficulty.The result is that they are able to give detailed informationfor each test section about the language skill being tested (e.g.,listening for specific information,making inferences),about thequestion formats,and about the strategies needed to answer a givenquestion type. In discussing these strategies,the authors implicitlydistinguish between those sections which test discrete language itemsand those which test integrated skills.The practical and concretesuggestions for dealing with the former are

FAQs

What concerns does the review raise about using TOEFL preparation books in university-bound ESL courses?

The review cites research suggesting TOEFL measures only limited communication skills and shows no clear relationship between TOEFL scores and academic achievement. It questions whether class time spent on score-raising exercises displaces broader academic skill development.

How does the kit address the TOEFL’s discrete-point sections?

The kit provides practical suggestions for grammar, listening, and vocabulary, grounded in detailed study of TOEFL item specifications. It emphasizes test formats, question types, and strategies designed to help students perform effectively at different proficiency levels.

What makes the kit’s reading comprehension approach different?

For reading comprehension, the review notes the kit gives substantial attention and stresses becoming an active reader. Rather than only teaching test-taking tactics, it highlights interacting with the text through questions, personal experience connections, and inference.

Sep 30, 2026

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