TOEFL Practice Test: Reading
The TOEFL practice test's Reading section assesses students' ability to understand written English material. It consists of two reading passages, each around 700 words long, with 10 questions per passage, for 20 questions.
The section is timed for 35 minutes, and the passages are excerpts from university-level textbooks that would be used in introductions to a topic.
The passages cover a wide range of subjects, and students need not worry if they are unfamiliar with the topic of a passage. The passage will contain all the information required to answer the questions.
Additionally, a glossary feature defines unfamiliar words. With this information, students can confidently prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL practice test.
There are various types of questions that you might come across during the test, such as:
- Factual Information and Negative Factual Information
- Inference and Rhetorical Purpose
- Vocabulary
- Sentence Simplification
- Insert Text Question
- Prose Summary
TOEFL Practice Test: Listening
The listening section measures your ability to understand conversations and lectures in English. You'll be tested on your basic comprehension skills, your ability to understand the speaker's attitude and degree of certainty, and your ability to connect information.
During the test, you'll hear 3 lectures and 2 conversations. The lectures are 3-5 minutes long, and some include classroom discussions. Each lecture is followed by six questions. The conversations are 3 minutes long, and each conversation is followed by five questions.
It's important to note that the lectures and conversations use a language you would hear on a university campus. You can take notes on any audio item throughout the test to help you answer questions.
The Listening section lasts 36 minutes and has 28 questions. When taking a practice test for the TOEFL iBT Listening section, practice your note-taking skills and improve your ability to understand different speakers' attitudes and levels of certainty.
There are various types of questions that you might come across during the test, such as:
- Gist-Content and Gist-Purpose
- Detail
- Function
- Attitude
- Organisation
- Inference
- Connecting Content
TOEFL Practice Test: Speaking
This section measures your ability to speak English effectively in academic settings and consists of 4 tasks that resemble real-life situations you might encounter both in and outside of a classroom.
The Independent Speaking Task, which is the first question, requires you to draw entirely on your own ideas, opinions and experiences when you respond.
The other three tasks, Questions 2–4, are Integrated Speaking Tasks that require you to combine your English-language skills such as listening, reading and speaking, just as you would in or out of a classroom.
As for the test format, you'll get 15–30 seconds of preparation time before each response, and your response will be either 45 or 60 seconds long. To respond, you'll speak into the microphone and your responses will be recorded.
The Speaking section should take about 16 minutes to complete, and the tasks are scored based on the Speaking Scoring Guides (Rubrics) (PDF) by a combination of AI scoring and certified human raters. Raw scores are converted to a scaled section score of 0–30.
It's worth noting that the Speaking section includes native-speaker English accents from North America, the U.K., New Zealand or Australia to better reflect the variety of accents you might encounter while studying abroad. However, only the first of the four items may have this accented speech.
To prepare for the Speaking section, it's a good idea to practice responding to sample questions and recording yourself speaking. This can help you get used to the format and timing of the test and build your confidence and fluency in English.
There are various types of questions that you might come across during the test, such as:
- Task 1: Independent Speaking- Express and support your preference between two options.
- Task 2: Integrated Speaking- Show your understanding of a campus-related topic.
- Tasks 3 & 4: Integrated Speaking- Show your understanding of an academic topic.
TOEFL Practice Test: Writing
This section measures your ability to write in English in an academic setting and present your ideas clearly and well-organised. This section has two writing tasks: the Integrated writing task and the Writing for an Academic Discussion task.
For the first task, you must integrate information from reading and listening materials, demonstrate your ability to synthesise information and express your ideas clearly and effectively.
For 2nd task, you will have 10 minutes to complete this task, and you'll be evaluated on your ability to express your opinion clearly and coherently, as well as your ability to support your arguments with relevant examples and evidence.
To prepare for the Writing section, it's important to practice both tasks under timed conditions. You can find practice tests and sample questions online or through official TOEFL preparation materials.
Remember, the Writing section is scored based on the Writing Scoring Guides by combining AI scoring and certified examiner raters. So, make sure to review the scoring guides and understand what the graders are looking for in your responses.
There are various types of questions that you might come across during the test, such as:
- Integrated writing task: you'll have 20 minutes to read a short passage and listen to a brief lecture, and then write a response based on what you read and listened to.
- Academic Discussion task: You will be required to state and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion.
