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If you’re a non-native English speaker with hopes of getting an education in an English-speaking country, you should know that you’ll have to prove your English language abilities to your prospective schools. How? Well, you’ll have to take a standardized test to demonstrate your language proficiency: either the TOEFL or the IELTS. Both exams are quite challenging, no matter how strong your English skills, since success on any standardized test requires a strong understanding of how the test works, as well as how to approach it strategically. So, if you’re planning to take the TOEFL, you should absolutely read on to find out about one of the best TOEFL preparation courses available in this Magoosh TOEFL review.
Please note Magoosh is one of our affiliate brands, and as such we receive a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to purchase this prep course. Only use our links if you find this review helpful.
Magoosh TOEFL Prep Course – Preview of Features
Before we dig in to the more detailed Magoosh TOEFL review, let’s take a broader look at some of the best features of the Magoosh TOEFL prep course to get a sense of the many tools and resources it offers to help with your TOEFL prep.
| Magoosh TOEFL Features | How It Will Help Your TOEFL Preparation |
| 420 TOEFL Practice Questions | There’s simply no way to improve your test score on the TOEFL without getting plenty of exposure to the questions you’ll encounter on the actual exam. |
| 150+ Video Tutorials | Each video walks you through the most important aspects of the exam and provides useful tips and strategies on how to approach each type of question. |
| Progress Tracking | The ability to track your progress as you work through TOEFL practice questions allows you to focus your TOEFL prep on the areas you most need to improve in. |
| TOEFL Study App | The Magoosh TOEFL study app gives you the freedom to prepare for the TOEFL whenever it’s convenient. |
TOEFL Preparation Methods: Is an Online Course the Best Way to Prepare?
You might be wondering if paying for an online TOEFL prep course is the best way for you to study and perform well on the TOEFL. After all, there are a lot of other resources available for TOEFL prep out there–many of them for free. So, before we launch into our Magoosh TOEFL review, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each of these TOEFL prep methods.
1. TOEFL Prep Books
Before the age of the Internet, test prep books were one of the only ways to study for standardized tests, and they remain a popular option today. There are certainly some good TOEFL prep books out there if you know where to look.
Yet, we’ve found that such TOEFL books tend to have several key drawbacks:
- They’re less engaging and can lead to boredom and frustration.
- There are several less-than-reputable publishers out there that offer sub-par prep materials.
- They usually have fewer practice tests and questions than online prep courses.
- They don’t allow for interaction with instructors or tutors, especially when you’re stuck.
- They can quickly become outdated when there are updates to the exam. In fact, this has just happened with this exam, as the TOEFL has introduced a new format just this year.
So, while TOEFL prep books might be sufficient for some test-takers, we believe that online TOEFL prep courses are far more effective and feature-rich.
2. Private TOEFL Tutors
There’s no doubt that hiring a qualified TOEFL tutor is among the best ways to prepare for the TOEFL. You’ll get one-on-one instruction, immediate feedback, and ready answers to any of your questions. That said, there are some significant downsides to this approach:
- They’re very expensive. Rates for private tutors can range anywhere from $30 to $200 per hour!
- You’ll usually only have access to the tutor for a set period of time on a particular schedule. This can make it difficult to continue your TOEFL test prep on your own when the tutor is not around.
- It can be hard to know if the tutor you’re hiring is really qualified with regard to TOEFL prep.
3. Online TOEFL Prep Courses (Best Option)
Finally, online TOEFL prep courses offer almost all of the advantages of these other methods with few–if any–of their drawbacks. These courses, like Magoosh TOEFL, provide comprehensive TOEFL preparation, complete with practice questions and tests, guided instruction, study plans, and many other invaluable resources. But instead of talking more generally about them here, let’s finally dive into the specifics of one of the best TOEFL prep courses available: Magoosh.
How Will Magoosh TOEFL Help You Improve Your Test Score?
To start our Magoosh TOEFL review, let’s consider the top three ways that it will help you score higher on your TOEFL exam.
1. Magoosh TOEFL Has All the Practice Questions You Could Ask For
One of the most important aspects of any TOEFL preparation plan is the ability to take practice TOEFL exams and answer practice TOEFL questions. In fact, Magoosh TOEFL offers 420 practice questions! Even better, each of those practice questions includes a video that offers an explanation of the correct answer and provides helpful instructions on how to approach similar questions.
The fact is, your chances of improving your TOEFL score are very low if you don’t practice answering the kinds of questions you’ll encounter on the actual exam. Magoosh knows this, which is why they provide such a large pool of practice questions. If you get through all of them, there’s no doubt you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way on your TOEFL test day.
2. Magoosh TOEFL Provides Intuitive and Insightful Progress-Tracking and Analysis
As you work your way through the Magoosh course, answering questions and taking practice tests, the online platform automatically scores your answers and tracks your progress. What’s more, Magoosh presents this information in an easy-to-read format that will allow you to adjust your TOEFL study plan according to the areas you most need to improve in.
You can even dig deeper into the progress tracker by opening a detailed view, which shows you a list of all the questions you’ve answered and allows you to filter the results according to a number of categories.
3. Magoosh TOEFL Offers a Set of Mobile Apps for TOEFL Prep on the Go!
One of our favorite aspects of the Magoosh TOEFL prep course is the suite of mobile apps that you can use to squeeze in a bit of TOEFL study whenever you have a free minute, no matter where you are. Not only does Magoosh provide a great TOEFL Prep app with a super easy to use interface, but it also provides a designated app for practicing for the TOEFL speaking section, as well as a separate app for TOEFL vocabulary flashcards.
Why is this such a huge benefit to your TOEFL prep? A ton of recent research suggests that the best way to learn anything and retain information and skills in your long-term memory is to study in short bursts over a longer period of time. The Magoosh TOEFL mobile app lets you do this, since you’ll be able to take a few minutes and review TOEFL content and practice at any time. So, when you’re riding public transit to school or work, or when you’re in a long line at the store, or at any other time you have nothing better to do, you can simply open up one of these apps and get in just a few more minutes of TOEFL study. Those mini study sessions will add up over time and greatly increase your chances of success on the TOEFL.
The TOEFL flashcards are especially helpful, as they help you practice and improve your English language vocabulary in one of the most effective and time-tested methods available. The best part is, the flashcards are all digital, so you can access them on your desktop or your mobile device whenever you’re ready to study. It even tracks which words you’ve mastered, those you’re just beginning to learn, and those that still need some review. This way, the Magoosh app will present you with each word at the right time to ensure you get the proper amount of exposure to eventually learn and ultimately master the word.
Pros
While we think the Magoosh TOEFL prep course is the best in the game, like any online course, it has both pros and cons. In this section, we’ll cover what we think are some of the most important advantages of using Magoosh TOEFL, as well as a couple of the potential disadvantages.
1. Magoosh TOEFL Offers Extensive Video Instruction
Perhaps the most useful feature of Magoosh TOEFL Prep is the truly impressive amount of video content. Unlike many other TOEFL prep courses, Magoosh provides video instruction focused on the TOEFL itself, lessons on English grammar more generally, and even video explanations for every TOEFL practice question! These videos are especially useful because you can go back to them time-and-again to revisit concepts you need to improve on. It’s also a great way to get acquainted with the structure of the exam, as there are excellent videos providing thorough introductions to the TOEFL, along with strategies for approaching the exam as a whole.
2. All the TOEFL Resources You Need in One Place
Another great aspect of Magoosh TOEFL is the way the site and apps are designed. It really is like a “one-stop-shop” for all your TOEFL prep needs. From the Magoosh dashboard and mobile app, you have easy access to tools and resources like TOEFL study plans, speaking and writing templates, general TOEFL guides, and plenty more. The level of convenience with accessing these resources, along with the basic course content, is second to none.
3. Thorough, Well-Organized Course
We think one of the most important aspects of any kind of online course is its ease of use. After all, if you find it cumbersome and challenging to use the course material, odds are that you won’t use it at all. Luckily, Magoosh TOEFL prep is one of the most intuitive and well-organized TOEFL prep courses we’ve found. Everything is within arm’s reach, so to speak, and the layout of the dashboard is simple and user-friendly. We especially appreciated the lesson layout, which uses a no-nonsense format that’s simple to understand.
Cons
1. Fewer Full TOEFL Practice Tests than BestMyTest (But Still A Lot!)
If there’s a single downside to the Magoosh TOEFL prep course, it’s that it has 6 practice tests. If this is your #1 criteria in choosing a practice test, BestMyTest TOEFL includes 20 practice tests. That said, Magoosh’s 6 practice exams are more than what the majority of the competition offers, and should be more than adequate for the vast majority of TOEFL studiers.
Magoosh TOEFL Plans and Pricing
Now that you know some of the great advantages you will get out of this excellent TOEFL prep program, you’re probably wondering how much it will cost you. Good news! Not only is Magoosh TOEFL one of the best prep courses out there, it’s also one of the most affordable–and you can save even more with our exclusive Magoosh TOEFL coupon.
| Magoosh TOEFL Pricing and Subscription Options | |||
| Course Access | 1 MONTH | 6 MONTHS | |
| Price | $109 | $129 | |
| Features | ALL Magoosh Features | ALL Magoosh Features | |
| Score Guarantee | +4 Points | +4 Points | |
| Refund Guarantee | 7 Days | 7 Days | |
Magoosh TOEFL vs BestMyTest TOEFL
If you’ve done any research on TOEFL prep courses, you’ve probably come across Magoosh and BestMyTest as the top TOEFL prep courses available. In fact, we rank them as number one and two, respectively. While there’s very little daylight separating these two outstanding TOEFL prep courses, there are three factors that helped Magoosh edge out BestMyTest in our rankings.
- Magoosh TOEFL offers a slick mobile app; while BestMyTest TOEFL only offers a mobile-optimized platform accessed through your device’s web browser.
- Magoosh TOEFL is slightly cheaper than BestMyTest TOEFL. While BestMyTest has a lower priced entry level product, they become much more expensive when you consider longer-term subscriptions, which we recommend.
- The biggest difference is that Magoosh TOEFL offers tons of excellent video tutorials throughout the course, while BestMyTest TOEFL only provides very limited video instruction. Not only does Magoosh offer a full video course on the TOEFL, it also provides short video explanations for every single TOEFL practice question.
Conclusion
In the end, we feel that the Magoosh TOEFL prep course is the best option for anyone wishing to improve their TOEFL score. It’s incredibly feature-rich, simple to use, and offers plenty of tools that allow you to get the most out of your TOEFL prep from wherever you are and whenever it’s convenient. While other courses like BestMyTest offer excellent prep as well, Magoosh is still the top choice for its ease-of-use and top-notch instruction. You really can’t go wrong with this excellent course.
Bryce Welker is an active speaker, blogger, and regular contributor to Forbes, Inc.com, and Business.com where he shares his knowledge to help others boost their careers. Bryce is the founder of more than 20 test prep websites that help students and professionals pass their certification exams.
