We also explain effective study strategies for the new speaking section. Please take time refer to the article if needed.
Complete Revision of Speaking Section
The revised TOEFL Speaking section now consists of two entirely new tasks:
- Listen and Repeat
- Take an Interview
Honestly, I personally think the first task doesn’t directly measure speaking proficiency in the traditional sense. In this task, test takers are required to retain a short utterance and reproduce it exactly, which places greater emphasis on listening accuracy and short-term retention rather than on spontaneous language production.
Regardless of how we may feel about the design of these tasks, the TOEFL now evaluates these skills. As test takers, the only practical option is to prepare according to the new format.
On this website, we provide a range of resources specifically designed to help you prepare effectively for the revised TOEFL Speaking section.
Don’t Prepare for Speaking Section First
Before you begin practicing the Speaking section, it is important to keep one point in mind: if you are new to the TOEFL, it is far more effective to start your preparation with the Reading section.
This advice is not based merely on personal experience. It follows a well-established learning principle. Success on the TOEFL depends on a balance between receptive vocabulary (what you can understand through reading and listening) and productive vocabulary (what you can actively use in speaking and writing).
This balance is especially critical in the Speaking section. Even learners who speak fluently may receive lower scores if their responses rely mainly on basic or casual vocabulary instead of precise, academic language.
For this reason, if you feel that your vocabulary range is limited, focusing on the Reading section first is the most efficient way to strengthen your foundation before moving on to Speaking.
Part of Receptive Vocabulary Goes to Productive Vocabulary
One important fact is that the size of receptive vocabulary matters when expanding productive vocabulary.
Since a part of receptive vocabulary is converted to productive vocabulary through output training, it is efficient to first develop the receptive vocabulary, and then move to expanding productive counterparts.
With this in mind, it becomes clear that prioritizing the Reading and Listening sections, which focus on input, is important. These sections are especially effective for expanding your receptive vocabulary, allowing you to absorb new words and expressions in context.
Part 1: Listen and Repeat
In this part, you will hear a sentence and repeat it exactly after a beep. While the sentence is played, a visual prompt will appear to help you understand the situation in which the utterance is made.
Let’s try a practice question using this format.
However, simply listening and repeating the sentence isn’t an effective way to prepare for this part. Repetition alone does little to improve the skills actually required for the speaking section.
Instead, a more effective approach is to incorporate dictation and shadowing into your practice. Dictation helps strengthen retention accuracy, while shadowing improves fluency and natural speech rhythm. Together, these methods provide a much stronger foundation for the speaking section. If you have time, learning effective note-taking strategies for this task will further improve your performance in this part.
On this page, we provide both dictation and shadowing practice materials, along with mock Part 1 questions. We recommend using these resources together to prepare efficiently for the new TOEFL Speaking section.
Dictation and Shadowing Practice
Note-Taking Practice
Practice Questions (Listen and Repeat)
- Water Treatment Facility (Intermediate)
- Conference Registration (Intermediate)
- Wildlife Conservation Area (Intermediate)
- Announcement at a Courthouse (Intermediate)
Take an Interview
In Part 2, an interviewer appears on the screen to simulate an interview situation. You will be asked four questions, and the questions become gradually more challenging as the interview progresses.
For each question, you have 45 seconds to respond, and no preparation time is provided. Because you must start speaking immediately, it is important to respond without hesitation and keep talking until the time ends. Using the full time is acceptable, but it is best to finish your response with a clear and natural ending.
To score well in this part, focus on the following points:
- Use formal and appropriate vocabulary
- Avoid repetition by using varied expressions
- Show grammatical range with different sentence structures
- Keep your response at an appropriate length
- Answer the prompt directly
- Maintain smooth fluency
Because the TOEFL is designed to evaluate English proficiency, originality or creativity itself does not play a major role in scoring. In fact, many high-scoring responses present fairly general ideas but demonstrate strong language use, including accurate vocabulary, solid grammar, and consistent fluency.
Below is a mock test for TOEFL Speaking Section Part 2.
Make sure you become familiar with the interview format as well as common topics and question types. While the specific topics may vary, the question patterns themselves are highly predictable.
Regular practice and repeated exposure to Part 2 will significantly improve your performance, especially if you already have a solid range of vocabulary and grammatical structures.