Learn how the TOEFL Listening section is organized, what you will hear, and what each question type tests.
Welcome to the TOEFL Listening course. This introduction explains the test format so that you know what to expect before you begin practicing.
The Listening section is the second section of the TOEFL iBT test. Its tasks are based on situations you may hear in university life, including short everyday exchanges, campus conversations, announcements, and academic discussions.
The Listening section includes four types of
tasks:
Choose a Response: You hear one short line and choose the most natural reply.
Conversation: You hear two or more people discuss a campus or academic situation.
Announcement: You hear a short message about a change, event, rule, or instruction.
Academic Talk: You hear a classroom-style discussion or short lecture about an academic subject.
After each task, except Choose a Response, you will answer two or three questions. Some questions test the main idea or purpose. Others ask about a specific fact, an implied idea, or the reason a speaker says or does something.
Once you submit an answer, you
cannot return to that question. You also cannot skip a question and answer it later. If you are unsure, use the evidence you remember, make your best choice, and continue so that you do not lose time.
There are eight types of listening
questions you may encounter:
Choose a Response,
Detail,
Reason-for-Action,
Rhetorical Purpose,
Inference,
Function,
Gist-Purpose, and
Gist-Content.
Academic Talks may cover subjects such as history, psychology, biology, literature, and art. You do not need expert knowledge of these subjects. The information needed to answer each question is provided in the audio.
In the next part, you can try examples of all four listening task types before moving on to the skill lessons.