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Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Studying for TOEFL

TOEFL links
Morris Library's LearnATest
TOEIC

Welcome to the "Studying for TOEFL" page. We hope it will help you. I chose the train for this page because of an old story about a train trying and trying to get over a steep hill.

It is important to remember that the TOEFL test is made by a private company, ETS, not SIU. On this page we hope to help CESL students and others find links to help study for it. It is also important to start out with the difference between the kinds of TOEFL that are being given.

The iBT, or Internet-based TOEFL, is now being given by Sylvan Learning Centers, near KMart in Carbondale (1348 E. Main, 529-4664) by appointment. It is quite expensive, but it is international: When you get your score, you may use it anywhere, at any university, in any country.

The iBT is very new and there are fewer materials for it than the CBT, or computer-based TOEFL. Remember that if you are studying for the iBT, CBT books may not cover everything. The iBT, for example, has a speaking section, which is very intimidating for students, and which is not covered in CBT books.

In many other ways the iBT is very similar to the CBT. ETS says that they are giving away free practice iBT material; we don't know about that as we have not signed up yet for it. Other books are appearing that claim to cover the iBT.

SIUC plans to give the iBT as its institutional test sometime in the spring. This means that CESL will no longer give the test; we will probably send our students over to the SIUC testing center. CESL students will be the first to know when this happens.

CBT: Although many of the books now on the market cover the CBT, the CBT is no longer being given, either at Sylvan, or at CESL. It is different from the paper-based (below) in that it has a written essay (for which you can study prompts) and questions are in different formats than you are used to.

Paper-based, or institutional: This is the one you are used to if you have been at CESL for a while. It has no writing section, no speaking section, no computer. It has scores that sound like 430-520. As far as we know, we will be using this until sometime in spring 2006, when we will switch to the iBT. There are very few books available for this, but your TOEFL teacher will have some materials for you if you go to class. Some of the links below provide traditional practice on this test also.

In general, the scores for all three versions are confusing. You can read about ETS' system here.


TOEFL Links

Irene Thompson's Test-taking strategies

Morris Library Resources
Recently the Morris Library acquired LearnATest, an online product, to help SIU/CESL students study TOEFL, as well as GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, ACT. SAT, PPST, the US Citizenship Test, GED. Civil Service Exam, and ASVAB. To access LearnATest,

1. Go to Morris Library homepage
2. Click on "Find Articles, Journals, and More" (next to the green dot)
3. Choose "L" from the alphabetical list, and choose LearnATest
4. Click on "New User" and create an account (Use "returning user" beginning on your second visit). Create an account and then choose a test or skill to practice.
5. Please note that the initial screen gives an abbreviated list of available tests. Users must create an account to see the entire list, and to proceed with taking a test.
In addition to the practice tests, users can also take skills tutorials on grammar, reading spelling, vocabulary, Spanish, business writing, math, job searching, writing resumes and cover letters, and interviewing.
(this message came from Margie Ruppel: thanks, Margie!)

TOEIC Links
For information about the TOEIC (English test for business people), go to:

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IL Page maintained by
Thomas Leverett, CESL, SIUC

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