Although Educational Testing Services gave ample advance notice of its plan to change the TOEFL from a paper-and-pencil exam to one that would be computer-based, teachers, students, and publishers of ELT materials were caught off guard when this change actually went into effect in July 1998. The surprise was not because ETS had done what it said it would do, but because, apparently, it happened sooner than anyone had expected. As a result, virtually all the commercially available TOEFL-Preparation materials existing at that time were keyed to a test format that had suddenly become at least partially out-of-date. This situation, for the most part, is still the case today-probably since a computer-based test poses unusual challenges to publishers of test-prep materials: a new book is easy enough to produce, even under very pressing deadlines, but TOEFL-appropriate support media (software, CD-ROMs, and the like) are not. TOEFL-prep "programs" (texts and support materials keyed to the computer-based format) are, however, beginning to appear; two of them are the focus of this review.

TOEFL for the Computer was published by Kaplan Education Centers in January, 1999; Barron's How to Prepare for the TOEFL, 9th edition appeared slightly later in the year. Both may be considered preparation "programs" for the computer-based TOEFL (CBT) in that they consist of a text plus material recorded on CD-ROM and feature test-prep material specifically created with the format and content of the "new TOEFL" in mind. Neither, however, focuses solely with the CBT (a wise move, since the paper-and-pencil test continues to be administered oveseas, and since many colleges and universities still administer paper-and-pencil Institutional TOEFLs).

The Kaplan materials consist of an 8 1/2 x 11 casebound paperback with a single CD-ROM. The text has 24 pages of introductory front matter and 454 text pages. Part One (32 pages) describes the goals of the program and contains explanatory material for both the paper-and-pencil and computer-based TOEFL. Part Two (35 pages) is a non-computer-based TOEFL Diagnostic Test (Practice Test One); in addition to the test proper, introductory material, an answer key, and a tapescript are provided. The 369 pages of Part Three ("Mastering the TOEFL") contain "Power Lessons" for Listening, Structure, Reading, and Writing, and an eight-page section on recurring TOEFL topics and related vocabulary. Each "Power Lesson" contains test-taking strategies, information on types of distractors and types of questions, and practice and vocabulary-review material. Part Four (29 pages) is another non-computer-based practice test, plus a transcript of its Listening section. Part Five (7 pages) contains answer keys for the two practice tests and a test-score conversion chart.

The CD-ROM is, on the whole, very well done. It includes a full-length simulation of a CBT: users work through each section just as they would in an actual computer-based TOEFL. For the most part, the CD-ROM seems to bear close resemblance to the official CBT, though it is not clear whether its questions are computer-adaptive or computer-linear. I feel confident, however, that students who use it will receive excellent preparatory practice for "the real thing."

In my view, both the Kaplan and Barron's materials have a great deal to offer international students in terms of effective preparation for one of the greatest challenges they must meet if they wish to be admitted to any university in which a given TOEFL score is a necessary part of the admissions process.

The two sets of materials are not equal, however; both have strengths and both have weaknesses. The greatest strength of the Kaplan materials is the CD-ROM; in many ways, I feel it's actually stronger than the text it accompanies, since it contains explanatory material, test-taking strategies, a scoring mechanism, and what is probably a very close simulation of the "feel" of an actual CBT.

The greatest weakness of the Kaplan materials, in my opinion, is the somewhat limited number of items (e.g., distractor types, question types, grammar points, typical topics) included in the practice sections.

I also have a rather lukewarm reaction to the vocabulary review included in each practice section; while work with vocabulary can certainly do no harm, the actual amount of vocabulary-building included in the Kaplan materials is, in my opinion at least, cursory.

The greatest strength of the Barron's materials, it seems to me, is the very extensive review provided for each test section and also the "explanatory answer keys" (in which explanations are given for why answers are/are not correct). The "explanatory answer keys" are also highly useful, since they can help students develop both critical thinking and analytical skills, in addition to giving them an expanded grasp of appropriacy (as opposed to mere correctness).

Both the Kaplan and the Barron show differences between the paper- and computer-based tests clearly. Ideally, I would use both in a TOEFL-preparation class. I feel the depth of coverage, extensive collection of examples, and very clear explanations to be found in the Barron's materials make them much better suited for use as a class text, but I also feel that the Kaplan CD-ROM provides a highly useful simulation of the actual CBT test-taking experience.

I feel that the Kaplan and Barron's materials complement each other quite well. I have recommended and used both with students and will continue to do so.