You have probably seen the ads for Magoosh TOEFL. Maybe you have been to their web site. However, how does it compare to S.T.E.A.T.H., “The 7-Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT?”+
Magoosh TOEFL: Basic English Practice
- Magoosh: If your English proficiency is already up to par, then Magoosh will help you to understand the format and structure of the TOEFL iBT. In addition, you can complete practice tests to help you monitor your progress. However, there are limitations. More on that later.
- STEALTH: This Online TOEFL Course will help you to improve your English, even if you are intermediate level or lower. The vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar sections will help you to improve your basic English proficiency through quizzes, listening practice tests, reading practice, and voice recordings exercises in which you get correction feedback from a TOEFL speaking mentor.
Magoosh TOEFL: Speaking Feedback
Magoosh: This online TOEFL preparation does not offer any feedback on any speaking practice tests that you may complete at their web site. You will get no help from them.
STEALTH: Unlike Magoosh, this web site allows you to complete independent and integrated speaking practice tests. After each practice test, you will get 3-6 minutes of audio feedback. The feedback will correct pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and topic development problems that you are having. Furthermore, the TOEFL speaking mentor correcting your speaking practice tests will recommend specific lessons. This will help you improve your overall speaking and pronunciation fluency. Therefore, you can quickly understand and eliminate the problems you are having. In fact, you can send your TOEFL speaking mentor ONE speaking practice test every 24 hours for evaluation. Outside of the more than 300 independent and 20 integrated speaking practice tests, you can even send practice tests from Magoosh, Notefull, ETS, or from anywhere else on the Internet. Your speaking mentor will comment and score any speaking practice test that you send him. Your scores will be accurate so you will know when you are ready to take the TOEFL iBT.
Magoosh: Pronunciation Feedback
Magoosh: This online preparation course has few or no pronunciation practice exercises. Correcting pronunciation problems do not fit within the founders’ business plan. Therefore, you will not get any help improving your pronunciation. You will not learn how to speak more clearly during the TOEFL iBT speaking tasks.
STEALTH: This course offers 50 video lessons to help you reduce your non-native speaker accent. In fact, you will complete three diagnostic pre-tests, each time getting audio feedback from a TOEFL speaking mentor:
- Pre-test for vowel and consonant sounds: In your first pre-test, you will send an 8-10 minute audio file to your TOEFL speaking mentor. The mentor will diagnose problems you are having with the 14 vowel and 24 consonant sounds of American English. This mentor will recommend specific lessons to help you improve your pronunciation. In addition, you will complete voiced recording exercises targeting your weaknesses.
- Pre-test for syllable division and grammatical word endings, word stress, sentence rhythm, intonation, and thought groups and blending: This time you will send a 10-15 minute audio recording to your speaking mentor for feedback. Your mentor will again recommend specific video lessons to help you improve your weaknesses. You will also complete and send voiced recording exercises to your speaking mentor. He will correct your pronunciation and tell you whether or not you have mastered the lessons.
- Post-test: Finally, you will complete a post-test to see if you have mastered all the lessons taught in this part of your TOEFL course. Your speaking mentor will make some final recommendations of any areas of your pronunciation that you may need to practice.
Magoosh TOEFL: Writing Feedback
- Magoosh: Magoosh does not offer any error correction feedback on any independent or integrated writing practice tests that you may complete at their site. This type of feedback does not fit into their business strategies.
- STEALTH: This course has 40 independent and 43 integrated writing practice tests that you can complete. You can send your TOEFL writing mentor ONE writing practice test every 24 hours for evaluation. For the basic price, you will get a score of 0-30 points on the practice test along with some brief written or audio comments to help you understand the score you received. If you sign up for the TOEFL Writing Boot Camp course, you will get error correction videos of ONE independent and ONE integrated writing practice test. These 30-60 minute videos will correct all the errors in your essay and show you what changes you need to make in your writing. That way you can understand what you need to do to score 30/30 points. Your writing mentor will even recommend specific lessons addressing the weaknesses that you have.