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The Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standard test that examines the potential of students that are not native English speakers. It tells whether a student is ready or eligible for admission to English-speaking universities. This test focuses on the four academic English skills- reading skills, writing skills, listening skills, and speaking skills. Today we will talk about the TOEFL listening section and provide you with techniques to ace that exam.
What is the TOEFL listening section?
The listening section of the TOEFL exam evaluates your ability to comprehend conversations conducted in the English language. This includes-
- Listening for basic comprehension.
- Pragmatically understanding, connecting, and correlating with the information.
The listening items are also there in the speaking section, which is of two types- lectures and conversations- based on campus language. You can also take notes while listening and have to complete the section within 41 to 57 minutes.
The TOEFL listening test includes accents based in North America, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand to see if you can understand the different types of English accents you might encounter while studying abroad.
Tips for practicing better for the TOEFL listening section
Below are some TOEFL listening practice tips you can incorporate into your study schedule while preparing for the test.
Create a schedule
- The first thing you need to do is create an effective study schedule.
- This includes managing the time in such a way that you are able to cover all the important aspects of the exam.
- You should include in your preparation- mock tests, listening practice questions, transcription practice, listening, and note-making.
- Also, do not forget to take frequent breaks in between your TOEFL listening practice, to come back with a fresh mind.
Learn to focus using your ears, not your eyes
- You might have noticed, you can hear things better if your eyes are closed.
- This is because the eyes distract the ears.
- Therefore, you should practice putting more stress on your listening.
- You cannot close your eyes in an examination hall, but you can fixate your eyes to a single point and shift your focus from what you see to what you hear.
Practice note-taking
- Taking notes on what you hear helps you make better sense of the sentences.
- Therefore, you should practice note-making along with doing the listening practice.
- You should take notes effectively, so you do not miss out on the important lines from the essay or the conversation you were hearing.
- In this regard, you can also take help from the TOEFL listening practice tests with answers.
Memorize different FAQs
- There are some common questions that can be asked during the TOEFL listening section.
- These include- the purpose of the conversation, the attitude, inference, function, and maybe the gist of the entire content.
- You should practice with the frequently asked questions so that you can be prepared for the listening section.
Focus more on the story and less on the vocabulary
- Students often lay more stress on hearing and comprehending the vocabulary and the words, which is not as important.
- What is important is the gist or the story of the conversation or the passage.
- Therefore, you should practice paying more attention to the story rather than the words used for the TOEFL listening test.
Tricks to score better on the exam
While conducting the final TOEFL listening section of the exam, there are certain things you should keep in mind which will help you score well.
Focus on the important points
- While you are listening to the material given to you in the test, focus on the most important points that can be asked in the question.
- The better you understand the gist of the listening material and its key points, the more you will score.
Understand the question
- If you understand the question well, you can identify its type and the answer you will need to create for the same.
- You should thus answer precisely, according to the question.
Note down the key phrases
- You need to jot down the points and phrases that seem most significant.
- Good notes will help you efficiently answer the question.
Time management
- You should keep in mind the time allotted to you for the section.
- Don’t spend too much time on one question and note down the important ideas of each question with the help of shorthand keywords.
Key takeaways
With enough practice and the key strategies mentioned above, you can easily get an amazing score in your TOEFL listening section of the exam. You just need to-
- Listen carefully to the main points.
- Make effective notes.
- Practice TOEFL listening practice tests.
- Don’t let your eyes distract your ears.
- Focus on sentences rather than words.
- Plan your time.
We hope you found this blog helpful. Don’t forget to comment below and share your thoughts! You can also reach out to us if you have any queries.
Liked this blog? Read- Useful tips on how to prepare for TOEFL.
FAQs
1. How hard is the TOEFL listening exam?
TOEFL listening section is a hard section as you will hear the lectures only once and have to make the notes and answer correctly with that only. However, with a good amount of practice, you can clear it.
2. How many questions are there in the TOEFL listening section?
The listening section of the TOEFL exam has around 28-39 questions.
3. What are the types of questions that come in the TOEFL listening exam?
The listening section of the TOEFL exam contains gist-content or gist purpose, detail, function, attitude, organization, connecting content, and inference question types.
