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How to Crush the 2026 TOEFL: A Step‑by‑Step Master Plan

Hi everyone! Most of Dr. Byrnes’ 2026 TOEFL courses are now ready. Whether you are studying for the 2025 or 2026 version, Dr. Byrnes has you covered, and you can switch from the old format to the new one seamlessly with zero extra payment.

All of Dr. Byrnes’ TOEFL courses come with lifetime free upgrades, so if the test changes again in the future, your course will be updated at no additional cost. For the Speaking and Writing courses, there are also free evaluations on selected responses, so you can get personalized feedback on your pronunciation, organization, and argument quality.

If you are aiming for a top score and want a clear, structured roadmap for each section, these courses are designed to show you exactly what to do. Don’t wait to enroll, as the enrollment fee will increase after all of the courses are fully completed.

For everyone who thinks the TOEFL is “unfair”: you’re right that it’s hard—but it’s hard on purpose. Not because you’re bad at English, but because you don’t yet know what ETS is really testing.

You can’t change the system, so your only smart move is to master it. Study the exact skills the test makers target, practice them like crazy, take the exam once, crush it, and leave it in the rear‑view mirror.

Complainers fight the system. Winners learn the system and use it.

TOEFL isn’t a test of English. It’s a test of strategy.

Dr. Byrnes’ 2026 TOEFL Writing Course Syllabus Released (December 20, 2025)

Test Format and Necessary Skills for 26+

In the 2026 TOEFL test, the Writing section consists of three distinct task types: Sentence Building, Email Writing, and an Academic Discussion. There is no longer an Integrated Writing task, so the focus has shifted from long academic summaries to shorter, more practical writing tasks that reflect real-life academic and professional communication. For many students, this new format is good news if they struggled with the old integrated summary task but feel more comfortable expressing opinions and handling everyday writing tasks like emails. Let’s examine each new task and the skills you need to master to reach 26+.

The first new task type is Build a Sentence. In this part, you will see about 10 sentence-building items. In each item, you see a short dialogue with two sentences: the first sentence is complete, and the second sentence has blanks, along with a group of given words or phrases. Your job is to create a meaningful sentence that responds appropriately to the first sentence, using the given words in the correct order. In some items, not all words will be used; the number of blanks tells you how many chunks are needed. You have roughly a minute or so per question, so you must read quickly and focus on how to arrange the words correctly.

This task tests your mastery of English grammar, especially sentence structure and word order. In recent versions of the TOEFL, grammar has mostly been tested indirectly through essays, but now it is tested directly through these sentence-level questions. Students from languages with flexible word order (for example, Korean or Latin, where endings or particles show grammatical roles) may not initially appreciate why word order matters so much. In English, however, word order is the main way to show who is doing what to whom, because English has very little inflection. That is why Sentence Building focuses so strongly on ordering words correctly.

At the same time, this task does not test every possible grammar point. It mainly checks whether you can use correct basic word order (subject–verb–object/complements) and handle important patterns such as the order of determiners, adjectives and other modifiers, and clauses. Word order also changes with different sentence types and moods (questions, conditionals, emphasis, and so on). This task is especially important for students who have good ideas but still make frequent grammar mistakes that lower their writing scores. In this course, all major aspects of English grammar related to word order are covered in detail so that you can prepare fully and confidently for this part of the test.

The second task type is Email Writing, which requires you to produce a clear, polite, and complete email in response to a specific prompt. You might need to request information, explain a problem, or respond to an invitation or announcement. Raters evaluate whether you address all parts of the question, organize your message logically, and use a tone that is appropriate for an academic or semi‑formal situation. This task is a new addition to the 2026 TOEFL, and you have 7 minutes to compose your email. Email Writing should be relatively approachable for most test takers because all of the necessary ideas for the email are already provided in the prompt; your main job is to choose the right language and structure.

In terms of language, the email can range from quite formal (for example, writing to a professor or university office) to more neutral or semi‑informal (for example, writing to classmates), so you need to know appropriate wording and format for each level of formality. Once you understand the correct email structure (greeting, opening sentence, body, closing) and common phrase patterns, a little imagination is enough to handle this task successfully. In this course, you learn various templates, such as formal and informal greetings, opening and closing lines, and the appropriate use of vocabulary, so that your email responses fully answer the prompt and sound natural and professional.

The third and final task type is Academic Discussions, which simulates an online discussion forum used in college classes. You read a short prompt question and then two students’ response posts. Next, you write your own response that clearly states your opinion and supports it with reasons or brief examples. You have about 10 minutes for this task. Academic Discussions measure how well you can participate in an academic conversation, connect your ideas to the prompt, and respond in a way that is clear and easy for others to follow.

The Academic Discussion task remains essentially the same as in the 2025 version. The key idea, as the directions say, is to “contribute to the discussion,” which means you must bring new ideas, not just repeat what others have already said. Simply rephrasing or summarizing the two student posts will not earn a high score. To score well, you need to provide reasons or examples that are different from the ones already given, whether you agree or disagree with the prompt or the other students. In this course, you study hundreds of sample responses that cover all major question types, including past Academic Discussion tasks and earlier Independent Writing prompts (since Academic Discussion replaces the old independent essay from the 2023 TOEFL version).

In this course, you master all the necessary skills with focused lectures and practice questions designed to prepare you for a 26+ writing score. You also receive a limited number of free essay corrections, with Dr. Byrnes personally giving in‑depth analysis of your argument structure and idea development for Academic Discussions. This ensures that you are on the right track for a 26+ score.

2026 TOEFL Writing Course Syllabus

Dr. Byrnes' 2026 TOEFL Listening Course Syllabus Released (December 16, 2025)

Score 27+ on TOEFL Listening. Guaranteed!
Score 27+ on TOEFL Listening – Guaranteed!
Just study this course and crush your target score. Lifetime access – sign up once, own it forever.

A Completely New 2026 TOEFL Listening

Starting in 2026, TOEFL Listening is completely transformed. Gone are the long, boring lectures on unfamiliar academic topics—like a 7-minute lecture on Renaissance-era stage setups. Instead, the new test focuses on practical English skills: short lectures on familiar topics, brief campus announcements, everyday conversations, and the brand-new “Choose the Best Response” task.

The “Best Response” Task Can Be a Minefield

This new task looks deceptively simple, but it can be a real minefield. Many non-native speakers sound rude or give irrelevant answers—not because their English is bad, but because they interpret questions too literally, miss what the speaker is really trying to communicate, or do not understand how small talk works.

Watching TV shows like Friends helps only to a point. TV dialogue is full of sarcasm, puns, and shared cultural assumptions that TOEFL deliberately avoids.

The “best response” that the TOEFL Listening task aims to test is similar to the kind of response ChatGPT might give: relevant, polite, and helpful. ChatGPT communicates this way because it follows Grice’s Cooperative Principle, a set of conversational rules proposed by philosopher H. P. Grice that explain how effective communication works. The same principle applies to the TOEFL Best Response task: test-takers must choose replies that are relevant, clear, empathetic, and socially appropriate.

To do this, you must hear what the speaker really wants, recognize what counts as a helpful response, and avoid answers that sound blunt, rude, or uncooperative—even when they are grammatically correct. And where do you learn all this? In Dr. Byrnes’ TOEFL Listening Course.

Built for the Adaptive Test

The new Listening section is adaptive. This means the difficulty increases quickly for high scorers. If you only practice with official sample questions, you are training for a 23, not a 27.

To break into the 27+ range, you need tougher practice: trickier dialogues, nuanced announcements, and more challenging mini-lectures.

Understanding the audio is only half the equation. The other half is problem-solving: knowing how to eliminate wrong answers, spot traps, and choose the best response under pressure.

Dr. Byrnes’ TOEFL Listening Course is designed to push you beyond the crowd and into the 27+ band by training both listening skills and test strategy.

What You Get Inside

This course prepares you fully for the 2026 test while still giving you access to 2025-style content for review. You can revisit older conversations, lectures, and question types so nothing on test day feels unfamiliar.

Every lesson is designed to stretch you just beyond your comfort zone, so the real exam feels manageable, not overwhelming.

Engaging video lectures with step-by-step strategy breakdowns
Pattern-recognition training for answer strategies and common traps
Full written transcripts for close reading and detailed review
Official-style exercises that mirror real exam format and difficulty
Integrated 2026 updates plus 2025 materials for complete coverage

Sign up once for lifetime access—new versions and free updates forever. Study this comprehensive course, and a 27+ TOEFL Listening score is no longer a dream. It’s a plan.

TOEFL Listening Course Syllabus

Dr. Byrnes' 2026 TOEFL Speaking Course Syllabus Released (December 2, 2025)

The 2026 TOEFL Speaking test is no longer about sounding generally fluent or relying on memorized templates. Instead, it measures two abilities that many non-native speakers have not been trained to control: speaking with full intelligibility and accuracy, and responding instantly, clearly, and persuasively without preparation.

In the old TOEFL format, students summarized lectures and readings, and minor pronunciation or grammar problems were often overlooked as long as the main ideas were clear. That is no longer the case. In the 2026 test, there are only two speaking tasks: the Listen & Repeat task and the Interview task.

The Listen & Repeat task requires exact reproduction of a sentence after hearing it once. Any missing word, grammatical change, unclear pronunciation, or unnatural rhythm lowers the score. Achieving a high score therefore requires mastery of pronunciation and grammar. In addition, repetition becomes increasingly challenging as sentences grow longer. Accurate repetition of long sentences depends on listening to and remembering meaning in thought groups rather than word by word.

The Interview-style speaking task is equally demanding. With no preparation time, students must generate ideas immediately and express them naturally. Even native speakers often struggle with this format. Non-native speakers face additional challenges: poor delivery—such as incorrect pronunciation, misplaced stress, unnatural rhythm, dropped function words, or unclear word boundaries—significantly weakens the response.

So how can students prepare and earn a top score? Preparation must focus on the specific skills the TOEFL Speaking test actually evaluates. The test targets precise aspects of English usage. For example, the Listen & Repeat task often involves language used for giving directions or informing visitors. In the Interview task, success depends on taking a clear position and supporting it with well-structured reasons.

Dr. Nanhee Byrnes’s TOEFL Speaking course is designed to help students master these two skills. For the repetition task, students engage in targeted drills using materials that strengthen memory and teach how to chunk sentences into thought groups, pause correctly, and internalize key phrases for precise repetition.

For the Interview task, the course provides hundreds of sample responses based on past TOEFL Independent Speaking questions, organized by theme and presented in an interview format. By studying these samples, students learn persuasive reasoning, effective examples, and natural, native-like phrasing. Because the questions comprehensively cover past test topics, students who study these responses are able to answer new questions instantly and express their ideas clearly and confidently under pressure.

The course also includes a limited number of free evaluations. As the author of multiple five-star books on English pronunciation and prosody, Dr. Byrnes can identify, with surgical precision, the specific areas each student needs to improve to maximize intelligibility. She provides targeted guidance on correcting mispronounced vowels and consonants that interfere with comprehension, as well as training in native-like rhythm and intonation.

Regarding the Interview task, few instructors are better suited to teach argumentation. With a PhD in philosophy from a top U.S. university—a discipline centered on constructing strong arguments—and years of experience teaching philosophy at American universities, Dr. Byrnes not only identifies weaknesses in students’ arguments but also shows them how to fix those weaknesses effectively.

The goal of Dr. Byrnes’s TOEFL Speaking course is for students to arrive at the exam fully prepared. When pronunciation is automatic, stress and rhythm are natural, and ideas and phrasing are ready, the test no longer feels overwhelming. Instead, it becomes controlled and manageable. That level of ease comes only from precise, disciplined training. For students who want to prepare for the 2026 TOEFL Speaking test according to how it is actually scored, enrolling in Dr. Byrnes’s TOEFL Speaking course is the most direct and effective path.

Course features

This course combines self-study video lectures, practice sets, and personalized feedback from Dr. Byrnes on how to reach a 25+ score.

30+ hours of lecture content
10+ full practice sets

A set = 11 questions = 7 Repeat questions + 4 Interview questions
Exact video format as the real test; more sets added ongoing

Dr. Byrnes' feedback: Submit 3 sets for detailed scoring

Clear, actionable guidance on exact areas to improve

One-time enrollment — lifetime access

Free upgrade: 2025 course students get 2026 access (feedback not included)

Here’s why her method works

All exams measure specific skills—and the TOEFL Speaking test is no exception. Clear spoken English alone won’t earn a high score unless you know exactly what’s tested and practice those skills the right way.

Dr. Nanhee Byrnes has already done the hard work for you. Follow her video lessons and targeted practice sets, and you’ll be on a direct path to a 25+ score.

Dr. Nanhee Byrnes is a true test master: you don’t earn a PhD without taking exam after exam. Her secret to acing tests? She decodes exactly which skills are tested and then drills only those skills. This strategy helped her score 98th percentile on the GRE as a non-native speaker.

With her proven approach, she can show you—step by step—how to perform like a top scorer. Her TOEFL courses are designed with this test-master mindset: first identifying exactly what you need to score 25+, then drilling those skills through focused practice until you master them.

Take the course, train strategically, and earn the score you deserve.
Enroll now and start your 2026 TOEFL Speaking transformation.

2026 TOEFL Speaking Course syllabus

Introducing Dr. Byrnes' English Grammar Course

Are you ready to take your English to the next level? Most grammar lessons stop at the word level—teaching you morphology and basic rules. But real fluency comes from understanding how words interact in sentences.

Dr. Nanhee Byrnes’ Advanced English Grammar Course goes beyond basics. You’ll master the syntactic and semantic principles that drive accurate, natural English. Learn how to structure sentences, use articles correctly, handle verb tenses, and apply all the essential grammar rules for precise communication.

This isn’t theory for theory’s sake—every lesson is designed to improve your speaking and writing skills for real-world use.

Upgrade your English. Speak confidently. Write with clarity.
Enroll in Dr. Byrnes’ English Grammar Course today!

Course Organization

This course provides a comprehensive and practical understanding: