Recent 50+Listening Topics: Check Format, Preparation Tips & More
TOEFL Listening Topics: The TOEFL listening section assesses candidates’ comprehension of English through lectures and conversations. Previously, this section lasted 41 to 57 minutes and featured four types of audio. Now, it’s shorter, lasting 36 minutes, and comprising three lectures and two conversations.
Lectures run 3 to 5 minutes with six questions each, focusing on classroom discussions. Conversations are 3 minutes long with five questions each. Achieving a score of 25 out of 30 is considered good. This article will discuss the TOEFL Listening Topics, Exam Format, Preparation Tips, and Practice Test in detail.
TOEFL Listening Topics
Table of Content
- Structure of TOEFL Listening Section
- Question Types for TOEFL Listening
- TOEFL Listening Topics
- TOEFL Listening Preparation Tips 2024
- Final Thoughts
- TOEFL Listening Topics- FAQs
Structure of TOEFL Listening Section
The Listening section comprises three to four academic lectures and two or three conversations centered around university life in the United States. The revised TOEFL listening section now lasts for 36 minutes. Its primary aim is to present topics relevant to the candidate’s program, offering insight into their knowledge. Additionally, free MP3 downloads for TOEFL listening practice tests are accessible online to aid preparation.
| Types of Audio | Tracks and questions | Time Allotted |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 3 to 4 tracks 6 questions per track | 3 to 5 minutes each |
| Conversation | 2 to 3 tracks 5 questions per track | 3 minutes each |
Question Types for TOEFL Listening
There are around seven different types of TOEFL Listening. After sometimes we will discuss the detailed strategies for each section for your assistance. Now, let’s know about the TOEFL Listening Questions Types.
|
TOEFL Listening Topics Question: Types |
|
|---|---|
|
Question Types |
Explanation |
|
Detail |
These types of questions check the ability of a candidate how he/she can identify the specific facts from a particular lecture or academic conversation. |
|
Main Idea |
These types of questions check the ability of a candidate how filter the core idea of an academic lecture and conversation. |
|
Inference |
In these types of questions, candidates need to think beyond the literal meaning of a particular audio speech or idea to get the correct answers. |
|
Organization |
These types of questions ask the candidates to explain how the particular information has been presented in the lecture or conversation audio. You can have these questions two to three times in a question set. |
|
Attitude |
These types of questions ask for the opinion of the candidate on the core point of the audio. The intention is to know the speaker’s thoughts through it. |
|
Function |
These questions check your ability how you understand the different reasons discussed in an audio node on a particular topic. |
|
Categorizing |
These questions ask you to organize different ideas presented in an audio clip based on their differences and similarities. |
TOEFL Listening Topics
The TOEFL listening section format includes three types of audio.
- Audio of conversation between a university student and professor
- Lecture in a class with interruptions
- Lecture in a class without interruptions
Here are the major topic domains of the TOEFL Listening as mentioned below. You will get the audio clips related to them to answer your questions. Lets learn.
|
TOEFL Listening – Major Topics Domain |
|
|---|---|
| Science | Arts |
| Physics | Sociology |
| Life Science | Poetry |
| Social Science | Historical Architecture |
| Weather Science | Literature |
| Geographical areas and their theory | Biography |
| Pollution | Books |
| Solar energy | Current happenings from journals, magazines, and newspapers |
| Planets, astronomy, and cosmology | Music and theory |
| Light, sound, and radiation | Art (cave, folk and tribal art) |
| Particle physics | Photography |
| Hardware technology | Architecture and design |
| Math | History |
| Chemistry of inorganic things | Anthropology |
| Computer science | Linguistics |
| Seasonal Migration | Anthropology |
| Seismology | Education |
| Physiology | Child development and pedagogy |
| Evolution theory | Communication |
| Fishery science | Business management |
| Bacteria and Viruses | Leadership |
| Medical techniques | The Internet and the music industry |
| Physiology | History of Film |
| Bees | Iroquois and Huron peoples |
There are three types of audio you may receive during your examination. They are –
- A conversation audio clip between the university student and their professor.
- Particular lecture in a class with so many interruptions.
- Lecture in a class without any interruptions.
Expert Tips For TOEFL Listening Topics:
- You need to be attentive to listen the answer.
- Keyword filtering is a must and foremost thing for the TOEFL Listening Topics.
- Remember, you have only 1.46 minutes for each question and in listening there is no place for revision or listen the audio again. So be careful.
- The total score of TOEFL listening section points range between 0 to 30.
- If you get 25 + in this segment, it will be considered as a good score.
TOEFL Listening Preparation Tips 2024
For the TOEFL Listening Question Types, you need to follow the specific strategies. The strategies are different from each other and may vary from person to person. Let us discuss the detailed strategies with particular steps you may follow for your upcoming TOEFL Listening 2024.
- Take Notes: It is a very important step that you need to take notes while you are listening to the audio. You need to do both works at the same time. Write down the core points that the speaker states. Do not take too many notes, or else you will not be able to understand them later.
- Focus on the accent: So many candidates struggle with the accent during the TOEFL iBT listening. If you do not listen to them properly, you will misinterpret the speaker and write the wrong answer.
- Missed a word, move on: If you miss any point or word during the listening, just move on to the next question. As we know you can listen to the audio only for once so guess work will be better for you.
- Practice more: You need to practice more because you need to do three things simultaneously i.e. listen to the audio, take notes, and mark the keywords. Practice more and more until you make it a habit.
Final Thoughts
TOEFL listening sections have two major parts. The first section consists of one conversation and the second part will have the academic lectures. There are around 28 questions in the TOEFL listening which you need to complete in 41 minutes. As of 2024, ETS has updated the TOEFL listing pattern and the structure became shorter than the previous one. After the update, the TOEFL listening section became 36 minutes long and consisted of three lectures and two conversation audio. Each lecture is 3 to 5 minutes long and also contains a total of 6 questions each. For the TOEFL Listening Question Types, you need to follow the specific strategies. The strategies are different from each other and may vary from person to person. The total score of TOEFL listening section points range between 0 to 30. If you get 25 + in this segment, it will be considered as a good score.
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TOEFL Listening Topics- FAQs
What is the format of TOEFL listening test?
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.
Can I prepare for Toefl alone?
To be fair, you can score high preparing for TOEFL alone, but If you’re worried about taking TOEFL and are struggling to improve your TOEFL score, BestMyTest is the world’s most effective TOEFL prep course available online.
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.
Which accent is used in TOEFL listening?
The Listening 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.
What is a good TOEFL score?
It is observed that a good TOEFL total score generally ranges in between 100 to 110. And in terms of percentile rankings, a 90th percentile is considered to be competent. Achieving your result in between this score range, you can successfully apply to the top universities abroad.
What is most difficult 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 Speaking section requires more than just language skills.
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