How to Prepare for TOEFL Listening Section?

The TOEFL Listening section requires the candidates to Listen for Basic Comprehension, Listen for Pragmatic Understanding, and Connecting and Synthesizing Information. It consists of 28-39 questions and takes about 41 to 57 minutes. In the TOEFL Listening Exam, there are 3-4 lectures, each being 3 to 5 minutes long. Each lecture is followed by 6 questions. There are 2-3 conversations, each about 3 minutes long. Each conversation is followed by 5 questions.

The  TOEFL Listening Exam Pattern may ask the following types of questions: 

• Solve multiple-choice questions with more than one correct answer
• Put events or steps in order
• Match objects or text to categories in a table

• For the TOEFL listening practice, students should focus on lectures that reflect the kind of speaking and listening that occurs in a classroom. The conversations might be related to an official setting with a professor or during a service encounter with university staff. The content of the conversation is usually academic in nature. Service encounters might be about conversations regarding registering for a class, housing payment, or request for information at the library.
• The best and easiest way to increase vocabulary and improve listening skills is listening to English frequently and reading academic materials extensively. Listening to more engaging entertainment material like movies or audiobooks can also benefit largely. Many universities and libraries make public lectures online available to students. Transcripted lectures can also be helpful. 
• Candidates should also refer to lectures from various domains like science, humanities, management, etc., and the topics to be studied should progress with increasing length and difficulty. They should also take notes on the main ideas and important details. Only keywords should be written, not every word, so as to save time. Candidates can keep a log of new words and expressions they hear and check the spelling and meaning from a dictionary. After listening to a particular conversation or lecture, the students should ask themselves the basic questions of- What, When, Where, Who, Why and How.
• While listening to academic lectures, students must keep track of conceptually complex information over extended portions of a lecture, which can often be conflicting. One should also know how to differentiate the main idea from filler information. Students should listen to podcasts, watch movies or TV series in not only British English but also in American or Australian English to be familiar with the accents. 
• Students should understand how information or examples are being used, and how different bits of information are connected. Preparing by watching interviews can also be beneficial because they offer visual reinforcement and cues. For a brain-stimulating exercise, students can copy a script from an online news story, movie, or podcast and lecture and delete every fifth word from the script. Then they can try listening to the recording and insert in the missing words. The students need not memorise low-frequency technical vocabulary as such words are often defined within a text or listening passage. Rather they should focus on learning a high-frequency language which overlaps all disciplines. They must also develop an understanding of phrasal verbs and common idioms for help in TOEFL Listening Exam.

For help with resources, candidates can refer to the following sites -

• www.npr.org 
• www.cnn.com/services/podcasting
• www.youthradio.org
• www.bbc.co.uk/radio 
• www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
• https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_student_test_prep_planner.pdf

The following books can be referred to for help -

• The Official Guide to the TOEFL® Test
• Official TOEFL iBT® Tests, Volume 2
• Official TOEFL iBT® Tests Volume 1
• TOEFL iBT® Test Prep Planner

Following is an app that can prove fruitful in preparation -  

• TOEFL Go!® Official App

TOEFL iBT® Practice Sets, TOEFL iBT® Free Practice Test, TOEFL Value Packs can also be purchased from your ETS account.

The following websites amd channels can also help -

• TOEFL® Go Anywhere website
• TOEFL® TV Channel on YouTube®
• TOEFL IBT® Free Practice Test

Students can refer to the ETS website which offers a variety of TOEFL listening practice online materials including TOEFL listening practice test and free sample questions.
You can access them here: 

• https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/free_practice_test
• https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/practice_sets/

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How to Prepare for TOEFL - Overall Preparation Tips?

• Start with the preparations much in advance 
• Studying as per a time-table 
• Revise and practise regularly
• Focus on conceptual clarity 
• Devise time-management strategies
• Practice mock tests 
• Consult seniors/mentors to clear any doubts 

• Focus more on practising the skills you already have than learning something new.
• Try to make your mind comfortable with the idea of an exam. Do not be anxious. 
• Devote the first four days of the week to each section of the test. For the listening section, follow the aforementioned preparation tips for the listening section. Most importantly, listen to as many English podcasts as you can. 
• Consult someone who has given the exam once for any related help. 
• Do not memorise your answers.
• Hopefully, you have spent the last one month practising diligently, and that will show in your TOEFL result. Be positive. Do not panic and take a good night’s sleep.