What accents will I hear?

ETS states that TOEFL listening uses a range of English accents, including US, Canadian, Australian and British speakers.

Are the conversations formal?

They are natural spoken English between students, or a student and university staff, so expect contractions, hesitation and everyday phrasing rather than written prose.

Listening: Listen to a Conversation

Listening: Listen to a Conversation belongs to the Listening component of TOEFL iBT. The task gives you 2 questions and 2 minutes. Your result counts the questions you answer correctly.

Questions: 2
Time: 2 minutes
Prompts here: 92 published

Pick up the conversational vocabulary of campus life — requests, problems, arrangements and the polite formulas around them — so a two-speaker exchange stays easy to follow.

Conversations turn on what each speaker wants and whether they get it. The verbs of request, refusal and compromise are what carry the answer.

TOEFL iBT · Listening

Conversation — Housing office

From a bank of 92 prompts · free to read, no account needed

Listen to a conversation between a student and a housing officer.

What the recording says

On test day the recording plays one time only; here you can read it at your own pace.

Student: Hi — I got an email saying my housing application was incomplete, but it doesn't say what's missing. Officer: Let me look. What's your student number? Student: It's 4-4-1-9-0-2. Officer: Right. Everything's here except the guarantor form. It has to be signed by someone resident in the country. Student: That's the problem. My parents live abroad, and I don't really know anyone here yet. Officer: In that case you can pay a larger deposit instead — two months rather than one. Most international students go that route. Student: Is the extra deposit refundable? Officer: Fully, at the end of the tenancy, assuming there's no damage. You'd get it back the same way you paid it. Student: Then I'd rather do that than chase a signature. How do I switch? Officer: I'll note it on your file now. You'll get a revised offer by tomorrow morning.

Questions & answer key2 questions

Your Listening result comes from how many questions you get right. Each recording plays one time, so what is really tested is how much detail you can hold while the next line is already playing.

1Why does the student come to the housing office?
1. ATo pay a deposit she has already been charged.
2. ✓To find out what is missing from her application.
3. CTo complain about an email she received in error.
4. DTo ask for a different room.
Answer
B
She says the email told her the application was incomplete but not what was missing.
2What does the officer imply about the larger deposit?
1. AIt is unusual and may be refused.
2. ✓It is a common alternative for students in her situation.
3. CIt is cheaper than finding a guarantor.
4. DIt cannot be refunded.
Answer
B
"Most international students go that route" presents it as the normal path, not an exception.

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Common questions

What accents will I hear?: ETS states that TOEFL listening uses a range of English accents, including US, Canadian, Australian and British speakers.
Are the conversations formal?: They are natural spoken English between students, or a student and university staff, so expect contractions, hesitation and everyday phrasing rather than written prose.

91 more Conversation prompts in the bank9 free

·Conversation — two students (Test 1, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 2, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 3, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 4, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 5, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 6, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 7, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 8, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 9, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 10, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 1, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 2, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 3, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 4, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 5, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 6, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 7, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 8, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 9, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two students (Test 10, Q9–10)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 1, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 2, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 3, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 4, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 5, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 6, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 7, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 8, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 9, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 10, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 1, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 2, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 3, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 4, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 5, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 6, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 7, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 8, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 9, Q11–12)
·Conversation — two friends (Test 10, Q11–12)

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