10+ TOEFL Listening Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Score
TOEFL Listening Tips: The TOEFL Listening Section is the easiest section of the examination. It checks the capability of a candidate in the English language in an academic setup. The TOEFL Listening Section checks the ability of a candidate in the aspect of listening and analyzes how the individual processes the data from an audio source. It is the basic part of the examination that generally assesses the candidate’s ability and how much he/she understands spoken English in an academic setting.
In this article, we are going to discuss the TOEFL Listening Section Tips in detail.
Table of Content
- Structure of the TOEFL Listening Section 2024
- Lecture
- Conversation
- TOEFL Listening Section Tips 2024
- Strategies for TOEFL Listening Section A
- Focus on the second speaker always with the first
- Pay attention to answers that are synonyms
- Avoid similar sounds – Decoy Answers
- Learn how to draw a conclusion based on context
- Familiarize yourself with multiple nouns
- Learn about expressions of agreement
- Familiarize yourself with idioms
- Some Examples for TOEFL Listening Section A
- Strategies for TOEFL Listening Part B
- Determine the topic
- Determine the ‘who, what & where’
- Answer the question as you listen
- Strategies for TOEFL Listening Part C
- Listen carefully to the first sentence of the talk
- Try to predict the answers
- If you don’t know the answer, just guess
- Conclusion – TOEFL Listening Section Tips
- FAQs – TOEFL Listening Section Tips
- How many sections are in TOEFL listening?
- What is the pattern of TOEFL listening?
- What are the hardest sections in TOEFL?
- Can I take notes during TOEFL listening?
- Is TOEFL harder than IELTS?
Structure of the TOEFL Listening Section 2024
The TOEFL Listening Section is the second section of the TOEFL exam which consists of two major parts. The first part consists of one conversation and at least one academic lecture will be there. The listening section has 28 questions and you will get 41 minutes to complete it. If there are any experimental questions, you will get up to 57 minutes. Practice is really important for the TOEFL Listening Section as you will get only 35 seconds for each question.
The TOEFL Listening Section consists of majorly two types of questions as mentioned below.
Lecture
The lecture section lasts for 3-5 minutes and also simulates the classroom speech. In this section, a professor speaks alone or with another professor or his students on an academic topic. The section consists of 3-4 different lectures and each contains 6 questions.
Conversation
The section contains two conversations and each section is 3 minutes long. There are around 5 questions in respect of each conversation. The accents of this section include North America, the U.K., New Zealand, and Australian English.
Best TOEFL Listening Section Tips 2024
TOEFL Listening Section marks or points will help your university to understand the capabilities of your English listening in an academic setting. Here are some major tips as mentioned below.
Strategies for TOEFL Listening Section A
Here are the Strategies for TOEFL Listening section A as mentioned below.
Focus on the second speaker always with the first
TOEFL Listening section A consists of different short conversations. This conversation takes place between two people and their answers are also short which are coming from the second speaker. It is a great idea to repeat and read the second sentence to answer the question.
Pay attention to answers that are synonyms
During the time of answering the questions, you need to pick the important keywords. The paragraph or the question always contains those keywords and their synonyms will be present there for sure. Pay attention to them. This suggestion will cut down your effort by 50% and help you to score better.
Avoid similar sounds – Decoy Answers
Section A consists of multiple choice questions or tick mark questions where you can find some answers that sound similar. You have to pay attention to those words as their meanings are different. It is a smart trap that is generally incorporated into the questions to distract you. So be careful.
Learn how to draw a conclusion based on context
You will find some conclusion-based questions on context in your question paper. You have to give a conclusive answer by choosing the short dialogues from the list. In that case, just read the context first and judge the relation between the context and statements. Don’t go for a haphazard answer without thinking anything. If you do that, you will lose your 1 point for sure.
Familiarize yourself with multiple nouns
You have to be familiar with the multiple nouns. It is a confusing part for sure which needs more practice. As I said section A is a conversation part and multiple people may be involved in one conversation. Generally as an addition, after the introduction of the speakers for the very first time, you will not hear their names except the pronouns so many times. You need to be careful about who is taking, who is listening, and whom they are referring.
Learn about expressions of agreement
You need to learn about the expressions of agreement. It is a keyword type that helps you to find out the proper answer related to the True or False and Agreement or Disagreement related questions. Here are some expressions as mentioned below:
- That’s for sure!
- I couldn’t agree with you more
- Absolutely!
- Exactly!
- No doubt about it!
- You’re right!
Familiarize yourself with idioms
You need to increase your vocabulary and make yourself familiar with different idioms. Like anyone is saying you “Finishing the project was a piece of cake for her”. It means we are not talking about a piece of cake instead it means that the project work was so easy for her.
Some Examples for TOEFL Listening Section A
Let us discuss some examples in respect of the Strategies for TOEFL Listening Section A as mentioned below.
|
Strategies for TOEFL Listening Section A |
Example |
Answer Oprions |
Answer With Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Focus on the second speaker always with the first |
Woman: “Was anyone at home at Barb’s house when you went there to deliver the package?” Man: “I rang the bell, but no one answered” Narrator: “What does the man imply?” |
A. Barb answered the bell. B. The house was probably empty. C. The bell wasn’t in the house. D. The house doesn’t have a bell. |
The option (B) is the correct answer. The second speaker having a short conversation and it implies that the house was empty when the man reached there. |
|
Pay attention to answers that are synonyms |
Man: “Did you see the manager about the job in the bookstore?” Woman: “Yes, and I also had to fill out an application.” Narrator: “What does the woman mean?” |
A. He got a job as a bookstore manager. B. The bookstore was not accepting applications C. He saw a book about how to apply for jobs. D. It was necessary to complete a form. |
The correct answer is option (D). The woman’s reply contains “had to fill out”, it can be replaced by the “necessary” and “form”. |
|
Avoid similar sounds – Decoy Answers |
Woman: “Did they get the new car they wanted?” Man: “No, they lacked the money.” Narrator: “What does the man mean?” |
A. They locked the map in a car. B. They looked many times in the car. C. It cost a lot of money when the car lacked oil. D. They didn’t have enough money to buy another car. |
So much confusion!! Two words are lacking and locked which sound almost similar but meanings are different. These are known as Decoy Answers. You need to avoid these. Here the Answer (D) is correct. |
|
Learn how to draw a conclusion based on context |
Woman: “Are you going into the water, or are you just going to lie there on the sand?” Man: “I think I need to put on some suntan lotion”. Narrator: “Where does the conversation probably take place?” |
A. At a beauty salon. B. At the beach. C. In a sandbox. D. At an outdoor restaurant. |
The correct answer is (B). Look at the sequence and words that help you to conclude i.e. “water, sand, and suntan lotion.” |
|
Familiarize yourself with multiple nouns |
Man:”Do you know who is the band now?” Woman:”I heard that Sarah replaced John as the vocalist”. Narrator:”What does the woman mean?” |
A. John became a new member of the band. B. John took Sarah’s place in the band. C. Sarah didn’t have a place in the band. D. Sarah took John’s place in the band. |
The correct answer is (D). Here two people are involved and one person is replacing another. You need to read the context and sequence very carefully. |
|
Learn about expressions of agreement |
Woman:”These paintings are really fascinating!” Man:”Aren’t they?” Narrator:”What does the man mean?” |
A. These paintings aren’t very interesting. B. He isn’t fascinated by these paintings. C. He isn’t sure how he feels. D. He finds these paintings quite interesting. |
Here “Aren’t they?” was used in a sense of agreement not as a question. So option (D) is correct. |
|
Familiarize yourself with idioms |
Woman:”James is a full-time student and holding down a full-time job.” Man:”He’s really burning the candle at both ends”. Narrator:”What does the man say about James?” |
A. He’s lightning a candle. B. He’s holding the candle at the top and on the bottom. C. He’s doing too much. D. He’s working as a firefighter. |
It contains an idiom is an expression. So A,B,C is incorrect and option D is correct. |
Strategies for TOEFL Listening Part B
Here are the Strategies for TOEFL Listening section B as mentioned below.
TOEFL Listening Part B is a bit more complex than section A. In this, you have to listen to longer conversations than part A. To understand this we need to take an example and we will break it up to analyse it properly.
Man:”Can I help you?”
Woman:”I am intrested in opening an account.”
Man:”Well, we have several different types of accounts:checking account, saving account, money market account, time deposit account.”
Woman:”It’s a checking account that I am intrested in.”
Man:”I can help you with that. First, you have to fill out a form, and then I need to see some identification. That’s about all there is to it.”
Woman:”That sounds easy enough. Thanks for your help.”
Now we have the example, so its time to discuss. Here are some certain tips for TOEFL Listening Part B as mentioned below.
Determine the topic
You need to determine the topic and its agenda while you are listening to the conversation. The topic line can be decided generally by listening first two lines of the conversation. As we can see in the example, the topic is related to “Opening a bank account”.
Determine the ‘who, what & where’
While you are listening to the audio clip, you need to figure out who is related, what they want, and where the particular conversation is happening. By figuring them out we are getting the answer from the example as mentioned below.
- Who: The conversation is happening between a new client and a banking professional.
- What: They are talking about how to open a bank account.
- Where: The conversation took place in a bank.
Answer the question as you listen
You have to remember that you can listen to the audio once only and you are not allowed to listen to it again. So it is recommended to be conscious and tally the question with audio. You need to pick the answer from that audio while you are listening to that.
Strategies for TOEFL Listening Part C
TOEFL Listening Part C is much longer than Part A and Part B. It consists of three longer lectures or conversations and you have to answer several questions. The conversations are related to our daily life academic conversations which take place in school, new or the short lectures. Let’s take an example and we will break it up to analyse it properly.
Listen to a talk by a man who works with animals.
Man:”Today dogs are being trained in a variety of ways. One way that dogs are being trained involves “smell”. For example, dogs are being trained to use their sense of smell to find missing persons, hidden drugs, or explosives such as dynamite. Dog trainers have to found that almost all types of dogs have equally good senses of smell. Even though different types of dogs have equivalent senses of smell, they aren’t equally good at different tasks. However, certain types of dogs are better at certain task becuse of other characteristics they have. For examples, beagles are small and friendly, so they’are often used at croeded airports to smell for illegal food products in luggage. German shepherds have quick reactions, so they’re often used to smell explosives such as dynamite. Golden retrievers work wll in the cold, so they’re often used to find people lost in snow”
Now we have the example, so its time to discuss. Here are some certain tips for TOEFL Listening Part C as mentioned below. But the foremost thing is you need to pay attention on each and every details.
Listen carefully to the first sentence of the talk
In part C, it is always important to listen to the main idea of the topic. You can find the idea of the topic at the beginning of the conversation. You need to be careful with part C as you will not be able to listen to the audio for the second time. In question, they can ask you the main idea, subject line of the topic, and related small information.
As per the example, you can see that –
- The main idea is about “Dog’s sense and smell.”
- Related information is about how we can use this ability of a dog in certain ways.
Try to predict the answers
Candidates generally assume that the listening tasks generally assess their listening skills only. But the section is correlated with the reading also. You have to read the questions and listen to the audio simultaneously to answer the questions. Your vocabulary, grammar, accent accent-grabbing skills will back you in this process. It will help you to predict the answer if you miss it somehow. It is a reverse technique often applied in listening.
If you don’t know the answer, just guess
One valuable tip, if you miss any answers keep them void because you will not get any points for the wrong answers. But if you have that ability to guess, you should put an answer. Surprisingly, there are so many candidates who follow this process and give the right answers as well.
Conclusion
The TOEFL Listening Section checks the ability of a candidate in the aspect of listening and analyzes how the individual processes the data from an audio source. The listening section has 28 questions and you will get 41 minutes to complete it. If there are any experimental questions, you will get up to 57 minutes. Practice is really important for the TOEFL Listening Section as you will get only 35 seconds for each question.
TOEFL Listening Section Tips- FAQs
How many sections are in TOEFL listening?
There are 2-3 sets of listening material. Each set consists of either one conversation and two lectures (long set), or one conversation and one lecture (short set). If you are given three sets, the third will be an additional short set.
What is the pattern of TOEFL listening?
The standard TOEFL Listening section includes 28 questions and is 41 minutes long with 3 lectures and 2 conversations. Meanwhile, the experimental questions include 39 questions and last for 57 minutes with 4 lectures and 3 conversations.
What are the hardest sections in TOEFL?
Although the level of difficulty varies from person to person, the Speaking section is frequently mentioned as the most difficult part of the test, along with the Writing section. The TOEFL iBT Speaking section requires more than just language skills.
Can I take notes during TOEFL listening?
You’ll hear lectures and conversations in this section. Both use campus based language. You can take notes on any audio item throughout the test to help you answer questions.
Is TOEFL harder than IELTS?
IELTS is comparatively shorter. The reading section in IELTS is considered much easier when compared to that of TOEFL’s. The TOEFL essay is longer; 300 words, when compared to the 250 words essay in IELTS. In short, you’ll need to prepare for TOEFL harder, as far as the reading section is considered.
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