TOEIC Test Preparation is not learning English. These two entities are becoming more and more confused as publishers of preparation material seek to gain an edge over their competition. For students it is very important to understand the difference and for teachers, very important to teach the difference.

Firstly Preparation.

Preparation means becoming prepared. This means to carry out actions in preparation for something. It does not mean learning English. In the case of preparation for the TOEIC test, preparation should allow a student to become accustomed, for instance:

Advice about registering for the test and choosing a test center.
Advice about what to do the day before the test.
Advice about how the student should mentally prepare themselves for the strain of the test sitting.
Information about arriving at the test center, about what to take to the test center, what to do when at the test center and naturally, what not to do at the test center.

Preparation for the TOEIC test should also aim at allowing the student to become accustomed to the test meaning;

What will be expected of them when answering the questions.
Which methods can be effectively used to answer the questions (there is no overall method, everybody is different)
Advice about the problems experienced by other test takers.
Advice about methods used by other students to overcome the problem they met.

Preparation for the TOEIC test can also include special advice for the benefit of the student for instance;

Successful methods to overcome timing problems.
Methods to overcome coordination problems between listening to the audio and answering the question.
Methods to allow the student to relax and enhance their concentration during questioning.
Sometimes called "tricks", methods to guide the student towards effective ways to improve performance.

Preparation for the TOEIC test can also include "getting accustomed" for instance;

By the completion of simulated TOEIC style questions for each type of question used in the TOEIC test.
By the completion of mock tests to allow the student to plan the time they spend answering questions.

As mentioned, preparation does NOT mean improving a student's test score by improving their English!

Improving a student's test score through preparation is a method of releasing a student's mind from the stress and restraints that may be imposed upon them during the test sitting and through this, allowing them to concentrate fully and release their full English ability when answering questions.

Some more comprehensive preparation resources understand and recognize the difference between preparation and learning offering additional "learning" resources such as;

TOEIC score level estimation to allow the student to assess how much training they may need, to allow the student to plan when to book their test sitting and to allow the student to set a goal for motivation and achievement.
Weakness estimation to allow the student to see where they need to improve and then focus or concentrate their training on these weaknesses. (useful for students seeking a quick way to English improvement through the levelling-out of existing skill knowledge)
Focused practice exercises for concentrated learning on listening and reading comprehension.
Focused practice exercises for concentrated learning to improve the identification of information in the written and spoken word.
General English exercises for improvement in grammar, vocabulary and in the case of TOEIC specific preparation resources, additional exercises for business vocabulary, business phrases, idioms ..

A sad fact about most preparation resources: Due to the structure of many preparation resources and also due to the producers of these resources wishing to gain market position, students are being fooled into thinking that by the repeated answering of TOEIC style questions they can improve their English. Naturally any contact with the language you are learning will produce a "learning effect", but this is not the correct method for learning! In fact, more and more organizations are finding quite understandably that students passing a language test in this "assimilated" way have a limited and incomplete ability. Damaging to say the least to the education industry!

Additionally, in the fight for supremacy, publishers of preparation material are crossing the border of sensibility by releasing so called tips and advice that sound good to the student and may persuade them to buy the product, but really could reduce the student's performance in the test. Recently I saw under advice in some publications the information that; a student can answer some questions incorrectly in the TOEIC test without this affecting their TOEIC score level! This type of information whether correct or incorrect is NOT to the advantage of a student. There is already a complacency, an over-confidence in students that sit the TOEIC test and this information just supports and enhances these negative factors to the disadvantage of the student!

Moreover, in an effort to assist the education industry, more and more people, blogs, forums ...etc are producing English exercises, which although very good and useful for learning and improving English, are being packaged under the name TOEIC Test Preparation. However, many of these resources include little content to correctly prepare for the TOEIC test or include information that really can disadvantage a student greatly, mislead a student, or generally reduce the student's chances, concentration and comfort when sitting the test.

As the fight goes on, as the education industry evolves, marketing, competition and half informed information need to be reduced and the benefit of the student brought back into view. Educators must realize the need to separate preparation and learning for the sake of the industry and the users of the many testing systems.