Ready to download the PDF version of your complete TOEFL sample test? Well here it is: Complete Practice Test #13 so you can know what to expect on test day. Or are you looking for Practice Questions for the TOEFL® Reading? Well, we have 100 of those for free right here. 100 Practice Questions for the TOEFL® Reading Section But wait! Getting a complete TOEFL practice test is only half the battle.You also need to learn the structure of the test and how to study effectively.
By the end of this short article, you will be able to distinguish the difference between the Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing sections of the TOEFL . You will also discover five TOEFL study tips to help organize your study schedule and improve your TOEFL score.
Here is the TOEFL Exam structure and some helpful tipsThe first part of the exam is the TOEFL Reading section. As of the latest TOEFL update on July 26, 2023, there are two academic passages of approximately 700 words each. The subjects will consist of texts found in a typical university textbook. Following each passage are ten questions about the reading passage. You will have 36 minutes to read the two passages and answer the 20 questions in total.
There are ten types of questions in the Reading section of the TOEFL. The frequency of each question type varies. Here is a helpful chart of the question types with examples of the question phrasing.
| Question Type | Frequency | Time to Answer | Question Value | Question Phrasing |
| 1. Vocabulary | 2-4 | 60 seconds | 1 | “The word _________ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to…” |
| 2. Factual Information (Detail) | 3-6 | 90 seconds | 1 | “According to paragraph 4, what….” “Which of the following…” “It is stated in paragraph 4 that…” |
| 3. Negative Factual Information (Negative Detail) | 2-4 | 120 seconds | 1 | “All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 EXCEPT…” “Which of the following is NOT mentioned….” |
| 4. Inference | 2-4 | 90 seconds | 1 | “What can be inferred from paragraph 5 about…” “Paragraph 5 implies that…” “Paragraph 5 suggests…” |
| 5. Rhetorical Purpose (Author’s Purpose) | 2-4 | 90 seconds | 1 | “In paragraph 6, the author discusses ________ in order to…” “Why does the author mention…” |
| 6. Sentence Simplification (Paraphrasing) | 2-3 | 120 seconds | 1 | “Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4?” |
| 7. Insert Text (Sentence Insertion) | 2-3 | 120 seconds | 1 | “In paragraph 2 there is a missing sentence. Where would the sentence best fit?” |
| 8. Reference (Pronoun Referent) | 0-1 | 60 seconds | 1 | “The word _________ in paragraph 1 refers to…” |
| 9. Prose Summary (Summary) | 1-2 | 150 seconds | 1 | “An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage.” |
| 10. Fill In A Table (Organization) | 0-1 | 150 seconds | 2-3 | “Complete the table below to summarize information about _________ in the passage. Match the appropriate statements to _________” |
For more information about the TOEFL Reading section, check out this post by Professional ESL Test Prep
After the Reading section, you will have to complete the Listening section, which will take about 36 minutes. The Listening section is divided into two identical parts. In each part, you will have three listening passages: one conversation between a student and campus employee and two academic lectures. The conversations last 2-4 minutes, and the academic lectures are approximately five minutes each.
You will be asked five questions after the conversation, ten in total, and six questions after each of the four academic lectures, 24 in total. The question types, like in the Reading section, vary. This chart explains the question types, with examples of phrasing, and the frequency of the question type:
| Question Type | Question Frequency (per section) | Question Value | Question Phrasing |
| 1. gist – content | 3-5 | 1 | “What is the topic of the discussion?” “What is the professor mainly discussing?” |
| 2. gist – purpose | 1-2 | 1 | “Why does the student visit the professor?” “Why does the professor mention…?” |
| 3. detail | 6-10 | 1 | “What is stated in the passage about…” “According to the speaker,…” |
| 4. understanding the speaker’s attitude | 1-4 | 1 | “What’s the professor’s opinion of…?” “What can be inferred about the student?” |
| 5. understanding the function | 3-6 | 1 | “What does the speaker mean when he says…” “Why does the professor say this…” |
| 6. making inferences | 1-4 | 1 | “What can be inferred about …?” “What does the speaker imply about…?” |
| 7. understanding organization | 2-5 | 1 | “How does the professor organize the information about…” |
| 8. connecting content | 1-4 | 2 | This is a question where you must fill out a table and indicate the correct information. “What does the professor imply about X?” |
Curious what these conversations and lectures sound like? Exam English provides some audio samples here.
There used to be a 10-minute break during the TOEFL test but not anymore. As of July 26, 2023, the TOEFL test was shortened to take just two hours to complete, and the break time was retired.
After the listening comes the TOEFL Speaking section. The structure of this section is different from the reading and listening. In the speaking section, you will encounter four questions. The first is an independent question, and the next three are integrated questions. Let’s take a closer look at each since they all follow a different structure.
The first question is usually a paired-choice question, which means you must decide between two choices. For example:
“Do you agree or disagree: all high school students should wear school uniforms.”
The questions range in subject matter, so there is no way to prepare a specific answer before the exam. You might be asked a question about business, travel, education, family, friendship, and so on. After the question is asked, you will be given 15 seconds to prepare a response and 45 seconds to speak.
Question two is the first of three integrated speaking questions. This is probably the easiest of all the integrated speaking questions.
First, you will read a short announcement about a new rule or policy on campus. Like question two, question three will begin with a short reading passage.
In task four, you are expected to listen to an academic topic for two to three minutes and then report on the information you heard. You will be given 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. In your response, you must be able to identify the topic of the lecture and the most important details.
