Written ByRituparna Nath Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams
TOEFL Listening preparation helps candidates in improving their listening skills. TOEFL listening preparation teaches candidates to pay attention, understand different tones, distinguish between different sounds, and more. TOEFL listening practice papers can help the candidate with unlimited lessons. Many TOEFL listening section practice sets come with real TOEFL listening mp3. Candidates may also find the TOEFL online coaching helpful for TOEFL listening preparation.
TOEFL Listening Preparation Tips
TOEFL Listening score measures many different factors. You need to understand the prompts for your ease with English. Go through the below steps to prepare yourself for the TOEFL Listening test.
Recognize Intonation
You need to be able to recognize the intonational rhythm of English. You don’t have to study intonation as much as you would for TOEFL Speaking. Being able to understand the tones of important words and sentence transitions helps to understand what you hear.
Distinguish Between Sounds
You don’t need to study every sound as intensely. But you should be able to differentiate between distinct sounds in English, such as “d” and “t,” “b” and “v,” “l” and “r,” etc.
Practice Paraphrasing
During your practice as you listen to TOEFL lectures, conversations, and audio recordings, do think about other words the speaker could have used. TOEFL Listening measures how you listen to the conversation or lectures happening in the classroom. Proper TOEFL listening tips can help candidates to improve their TOEFL scores.
Time Management
Mostly test-takers take 10-20 seconds per question, and that’s the timing you should ideally aim for. You need to learn to quickly consult your notes, you should be able to avoid running out of TOEFL Listening time on test day.
Don’t leave any Questions Unanswered
An important thing to remember is that you won’t lose marks for an incorrect answer. So you make sure to answer every question. Even if you’re not sure of the answer, you can guess. This is a good strategy for maximizing your score. In the Listening section, the answers are multiple-choice, so choose the most likely response.
TOEFL Listening Practice Sources
The more you practice from the TOEFL Listening materials, the easier it will be to keep your focus on test day. Longman TOEFL audio, Manhattan prep TOEFL audio, and more have a variety of posts that can help you familiarize yourself with lectures and conversations on tons of topics. Longman TOEFL listening mp3 download is easily available along with the Longman listening answer key. Get your hands on Longman complete course for the TOEFL test for better results.
Here are just a few resources for your help with various TOEFL listening topics:
TOEFL Listening Practice: Entertainment
- Practice for TOEFL with Movies and TV
- Practice Listening Skills with Recipes
- Learn English with Star Wars
- Boost Your English Listening Abilities with Videos and Podcasts
- Improve Listening Speed with Movie One-Liners
TOEFL Listening Practice: Academic
- TOEFL Listening Practice Sources for Lectures
- Using TOEFL Lectures and Real Lectures in TOEFL Prep
- Alternatives to YouTube for TOEFL Listening Practice
- Learn to Listen without Transcripts Using Minute Science
TOEFL Listening Practice: Other Resources
- TOEFL Listening: English Question Words Quiz
- Phrasal Verbs in TOEFL Listening
TOEFL Listening Note-Taking Tips
Practice pacing with what you hear while taking notes attentively but quickly. This would include understanding which information is important and which one is ignorable. Include note-taking while practicing TOEFL listening to your TOEFL study plan to ensure a high score.
The note-taking strategy during TOEFL Listening is such a powerful tool. You need to make a balance between listening and taking notes. Make sure to write only the important points.
You can draw a flowchart to track your order of TOEFL listening.
Infer![]()
Write Often![]()
Write What You Understand, Not What You Hear![]()
Structure Your Notes
Write Often
Write What You Understand, Not What You Hear
Structure Your NotesHere is an example for you:
TOEFL Listening Study-Plan for 2-weeks
Here is a sample TOEFL Listening study plan, that might help you make yours:
| Week One Week 1, Day 1: Preliminary Practice Test | 16.5 minutes total to answer the questions of all five recordings. Practice listening to the recordings. |
| Day 2 | Go through TOEFL listening books |
| Day 3 | Take Practice test |
| Day 4 | Go through the pre-recorded listening sample audios |
| Day 5 | Listen to the podcasts |
| Day 6 | Take mock-test |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Week 2 Day 1: Second Practice Test | 16.5 minutes total to answer the questions of all five recordings. Stop the timer when you are listening to the recordings |
| Day 2 | Go through TOEFL listening academic resources |
| Day 3 | Take Practice test |
| Day 4 | Go through the pre-recorded listening sample audios |
| Day 5 | Listen to the podcasts |
| Day 6 | Take mock-test |
| Day 7 | Rest |
TOEFL Listening Books
The TOEFL Listening preparation books focus on topics that need more attention and help you to build your weakness into strengths. TOEFL preparation books are a helpful option during self-preparation. The best TOEFL books contain numerous practice papers, thorough information on TOEFL exam patterns and scoring, valuable tips, and test-day guidance as well.
- TOEFL Official Guide PDF: Check Book PDF
- Cambridge Preparation for TOEFL: Check Book PDF
- Barron’s TOEFL iBT PDF: Check Book PDF
- Kaplan TOEFL iBT Premier: Check Book PDF
- Collins English for the TOEFL Test - TOEFL Listening and Speaking Skills: TOEFL iBT 100+ (B1+)
TOEFL Listening Practice Papers
Solving previous year’s TOEFL practice questions, giving mock tests will enhance your English skills of learning and listening. But, your preparation should not just be limited to practicing previous papers. Exposure to varied sources will lead to an increase in your ability to listen. Here are a few practice tests PDFs for your further help:
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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