TOEFL Listening Section Overview
Listening is the second of four sections on
the TOEFL. The entire section lasts 60 to 90 minutes and includes four to six
lectures and two to three conversations. Each lecture lasts about three to five
minutes and is followed by six questions, and each conversation lasts about
three minutes and is followed by five questions.
First things first, are you allowed to take
notes on the TOEFL? The answer is yes — you may take notes on every section of
the TOEFL. According to ETS(the creators of the TOEFL)
“You can take notes throughout the entire
test, using the paper provided by the test administrator. At the end of
testing, all paper is collected and destroyed at the test center to ensure test
security. Do not tear or remove part of any piece of scratch paper.”
Your test center will give you scratch
(blank) paper to use during the test. If you run out of paper at any time, you
may ask a staff member to give you more. At the end of the test, your notes
will be collected and destroyed for security purposes. In other words, you may
not remove your TOEFL notes from the test center, even once
you’ve completed the test.
TOEFL Listening Purposes
·
To obtain basic comprehension, such as understanding
the main idea, key points, structure, purpose, conclusion, important facts and
relevant details
·
To learn from listening, such as
understanding various relationships between ideas (e.g.,
compare-and-contrast, cause-and-effect, agree-disagree, or steps in a process)
and tracing the development of ideas or events throughout the
recordings. Note any digression during the talk and any side comments.
·
To make inferences about author’s
opinion and what is implied in a recording
TOEFL Listening Section Format
The listening section requires the test taker
to answer questions based on two different types of listening
activities: lectures and conversations. There are 4-6 lectures that
are between 3 and 5 minutes long each (about 500-800 words). You will
have to answer 6 questions per lecture, for a total of 24-36 questions
in total. The conversations last about 3 minutes, or 12-25
dialogue exchanges. There are 2-3 conversations in the listening
section with 5 questions per conversation, totaling 10-15 questions. This
section takes about 60 minutes to complete.
TOEFL Listening Section Format
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Length of Lecture:
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3–5 minutes long each - about 500–800 words
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Number of Lectures:
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4-6 lectures
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Lecture Questions:
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6 questions per lecture; 24-36 questions in
total
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Length of Conversation:
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about 3 minutes long - about 12–25
exchanges each
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Number of Conversations:
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2-3 conversations
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Conversation Questions:
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5 questions per conversation; 10-15
questions in total
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Total Time:
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60-90 minutes
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Avg. Time per Question:
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About 1 min
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When Questions will appear:
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After listening material is finished
playing
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Screen/Test Details:
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(a) Pictures on the screen can help test
takers image the setting and the role of the speakers; (b) Test takers will
see and hear each question before seeing the answers; (c) Note taking is
allowed. After testing, notes are collected and shredded before the test
taker leaves the test center; (d) In some questions a portion of the lecture
or conversation is replayed so the test taker does not need to rely on memory
of what was said
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TOEFL Listening Screen Details
·
Pictures on the screen can help test
takers imagine the setting and the role of the speakers
·
Test takers will see and hear each question
before seeing the answers
·
Note
taking is allowed. After testing, notes are collected and
shredded before the test taker leaves the test center.
·
In
some questions a portion of the lecture or conversation is replayed so the test taker does not need to rely on
memory of what was said.
TOEFL Listening Recording Types
·
Lectures – Note that one lecture per test is
spoken with a British or Australian accent.
·
A monologue by a professor
·
An interactive lecture with one or two
students asking
·
Conversations in an academic setting.
Examples include:
·
During an office hour between a student and a
professor or teaching assistant
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Between a student and a registrar, housing
director, residence assistant, librarian, bookstore employee, departmental
secretary, etc.)
TOEFL Listening Question Types by Format
·
Questions with four choices and a single
answer in traditional multiple-choice format
·
Questions with four or more choices and one
or more answers
·
“Listening to learn” chart questions
·
Require test takers to order events or steps
in a process
·
Require test takers to match objects or text
to categories in a chart
TOEFL Listening Question Types by Content
·
Attitude/Purpose: These questions types are not always easy
to answer, as they are not details found specifically in the lecture or
conversation. The purpose of a lecture or conversation is its primary
function, whereas the attitude of a speaker is his/her feelings, thoughts and
emotions. Remember – tone of voice is key to finding the attitude of a
speaker.
·
Inferences: Similar to the reading section, the
listening has quite a few inference questions, which require you to
come to a conclusion about a statement not directly stated. Inference
questions require a sharp eye for interpretation, often involving the words
“infer” or “imply.”
·
Predictions: Prediction questions aren’t quite as common
as inference questions, but they require you to determine what will
more than likely happen in the future, based on what a speaker says or
doesn’t say.
·
Categorizing: Also like the reading, the listening has
several categorizing question, which often come at the end of a series of
questions. These types of questions often take longer to determine and requires
a test-taker to filter through his/her notes. Pay close attention to
any categories, types or divisions when taking notes on the TOEFL listening
section.
·
Summarizing: When you encounter a summarizing
question, you are asked to put a series of actions in order. This
occurs through the “drag and drop” process on the computer, so it enables you
to see the sentences in order right in front of your very eyes.
·
Main
Idea questions: When identifying the topic or main idea of
a lecture of conversation, questions along the lines of: What is the
subject of the conversation/lecture? What is the topic of the
discussion/academic talk? Keep in mind these are general questions
needing general answers.
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Key
facts questions: These questions are asking for particular
pieces of information, as stated by the speakers. Note-taking is
essential for these types of questions, as well as a good memory!
·
Paraphrase
questions: Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in
similar words. On the TOEFL, paraphrase questions will ask you to
choose a sentence that is most like a specific highlighted sentence within the
passage.
·
Variations: Definition questions,
which ask you to recall the sound bites which define a word or phrase
·
Chart
questions: order events or steps in a process or match
objects or text to categories in a chart.
TOEFL Listening Tips For Studying
Listen to Spoken English Regularly
The number one TOEFL Listening tip is,
unsurprisingly, to listen to English regularly. The more you hear English, the
better your listening skills will become and the easier you’ll find the
Listening section. You want to listen to spoken English, so music sung in
English won’t be as useful since English sounds different when it’s sung
compared to when it’s spoken.
Talk radio, news stations, movies, tv shows,
and podcasts are all great options (as long as they’re in English, obviously).
Try to listen to some English with background noise, such as an interview
conducted outside or in front of a large crowd. TOEFL Listening recordings
purposely include background noises, so you’ll want to be used to that.
Listen to Different English Accents
It will also help you down the line if you
practice listening to different accents while you’re studying. The TOEFL
Listening test will include at least one native-speaker English accent outside
of North American accents. This is done to help prepare you for the variety of
English accents you’ll likely come across in the real world. These accents will
come from the U.K., Australia, or New Zealand.
Even native English speakers can struggle to
understand different English accents, so be sure to get some exposure to
different accents before exam day. Try listening to news clips or radio
stations from these countries if you’re wondering how you can hear more accents.
Build your vocabulary
While listening, try to guess the meaning of
unfamiliar words from context. It is very important since there is a big chance
to come across words you don't know at the real test. Then, you should guess
their meaning. Write down every word you don't know and include it in your
wordlist. Try to memorize it and use it in your speaking and writing.
Flashcards could be a great way to improve your vocabulary.
Get in the Habit of Taking Notes
Even if you have great English skills and
usually remember the things you hear in English, you should still takes notes
during the Listening section. Each of the recordings is several minutes long
and contains a lot of information. If you don’t take notes, it can be easy to
forget some of points made and therefore miss questions on the test. Read the
next section for tips on how to take great notes.
Make the Most Of Your Scratch Paper
On the TOEFL, it’s important to use the space
on your scratch paper wisely. One reason is so you don’t have to constantly
flip to a new page or turn a page over to continue your notes. You also don’t
want to have to ask a staff member for additional scratch paper, as this can
waste valuable test time.
So as you take the TOEFL, try to save as much
space as you possibly can on your scratch paper — but in such a way that you’re
still able to read what you’ve written and can easily make sense of where each
note begins and ends. I suggest beginning your TOEFL notes in the top-left
corner of each page and working your way down as you fill up space. Taking
notes in this manner ensures that you won’t have tons of extra blank space in
the margins and that you aren’t overlooking any valuable space you can use.
On a related note, remember to use both sides
of your paper, too!
Write While Listening
Some TOEFL test-takers try to listen intently
while the audio recording is playing and only begin writing notes once it’s
finished. This is a bad idea for two reasons. First, the audio recordings are
each several minutes long, so you’ll likely forget some key points when you’re
trying to write all your notes at once. Second, not writing your notes until
after the recording has ended means you’ll be writing them during your time to
answer questions, which can make you more rushed during the answer portion of
the section.
Instead, write notes throughout the
recording. Keep them short (see below), and try to work out a pattern where you
listen for a brief period of time, write down some short notes, then go back to
listening. Practicing will help you get better at this.
Focus on Main Ideas
Don’t try to write down everything you hear.
You won’t be able to, and you’ll likely miss some important points because
you’re trying to copy every word. Instead, focus on the main ideas in the
recording.
If you’re listening to a lecture, think about
(and take notes on) what the professor is trying to accomplish. Is he/she
trying to explain a new topic? Make something clearer? Explain two different
opinions? If another person, such as a student speaks, what are they trying to
learn or show? You may want to make a column in your notes for each speaker and
write the main points of what they say under the appropriate column to make it
easier to remember who said what.
It can be easy to get bogged down in all the
details of a recording and miss out on what’s really being discussed. The
majority of TOEFL Listening questions will focus on major points as opposed to
minor details, so focus your notes on the former.
Avoid Full Sentences — Use Symbols and
Abbreviations
You should also aim to take notes concisely
and quickly. In short, always avoid writing full sentences — doing this will
only slow you down in the end and result in your having a lot of extra
information you don’t actually need for answering the questions. So instead of
writing down every detail and word, employ an easy-to-understand system of
symbols and abbreviations.
Don’t be afraid to come up with your own
symbols, either. Just make sure the symbols and abbreviations you use are easy
to write, short, and clear in meaning to you. (In other words, their meanings
don’t need to be obvious to other people — just you!)
Pinpoint the Main Idea Right Away
As soon as the audio clip begins playing, try
to recognize what the overarching topic of the conversation or lecture is.
Doing this will help you predict what the rest of the audio clip is likely to
focus on and what types of details you may hear. With most audio clips, you
should be able to catch the main idea of the conversation or lecture within the
first few sentences.
Notes :
Above all – the most important skill you can
do on the TOEFL listening section is to take notes. In the meantime,
familiarize yourself with these listening questions so you can answer them with
ease on test day. As with the reading section, when you are able to identify a
listening question type, it very well might help you move through the section
faster.
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