toefl practice test: a toefl sample test from magoosh

everyone knows that the best way to prepare yourself for your toefl test date is to practice the questions in reading, listening, speaking, and writing.. but successful test-takers must also prepare for the format, timing, and pacing of the toefl exam. the best way to do this is to take a free toefl sample test.

it can be hard to find quality materials online, especially if you want a free sample test. but, don’t worry! we are here to help. magoosh’s toefl experts created a free toefl practice test just for you. plus, we put together a list of many other free toefl practice resources to help you study for test day. feel free to jump right in to the toefl practice test below. or, if you’d like to prepare a little first, jump down to the optional test instructions first.

magoosh’s free toefl practice test

the magoosh toefl practice test starts here. this is a full-length toefl test. for the most accurate results, give yourself 54 minutes to complete the toefl reading section and 41 minutes to complete the toefl listening section. for each individual speaking and writing task, follow the time limits you’ll see in the instructions. good luck!

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

a vaccine against chickenpox was originally invented by michiaki takahashi, a japanese doctor and research scientist, in the mid-1960s. dr. takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965 and in 1972 began clinical trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body to create antibodies. japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination programs in 1974. however, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the u.s. food & drug administration (fda), finally earning the u.s. government’s seal of approval for widespread use in 1995. yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by the fda, parents did not immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. mothers and fathers typically cited the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious enough disease against which a person needed to be vaccinated.

strong belief in that view eroded when scientists discovered the link between varicella zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, and shingles, a far more serious, harmful, and longer-lasting disease in older adults that impacts the nervous system. they reached the conclusion that varicella zoster remains dormant inside the body, making it significantly more likely for someone to develop shingles. as a result, the medical community in the u.s. encouraged the development, adoption, and use of a vaccine against chickenpox to the public. although the appearance of chickenpox and shingles within one person can be many years apart—generally many decades—the increased risk in developing shingles as a younger adult (30-40 years old rather than 60-70 years old) proved to be enough to convince the medical community that immunization should be preferred to the traditional alternative.

another reason that the chickenpox vaccine was not immediately accepted and used by parents in the u.s. centered on observations made by scientists that the vaccine simply did not last long enough and did not confer a lifetime of immunity. in other words, scientists considered the benefits of the vaccine to be temporary when given to young children. they also feared that it increased the odds that a person could become infected with chickenpox later as a young adult, when the rash is more painful and prevalent and can last up to three or four weeks. hence, allowing young children to develop chickenpox rather than take a vaccine against it was believed to be the “lesser of two evils.” this idea changed over time as booster shots of the vaccine elongated immunity and countered the perceived limits on the strength of the vaccine itself.

today, use of the chickenpox vaccine is common throughout the world. pediatricians suggest an initial vaccination shot after a child turns one year old, with booster shots recommended after the child turns eight. the vaccine is estimated to be up to 90% effective and has reduced worldwide cases of chickenpox infection to 400,000 cases per year from over 4,000,000 cases before vaccination became widespread. ■ (a) in light of such statistics, most doctors insist that the potential risks of developing shingles outweigh the benefits of avoiding rare complications associated with inoculations. ■ (b) of course, many parents continue to think of the disease as an innocuous ailment, refusing to take preemptive steps against it. ■ (c) as increasing numbers of children are vaccinated and the virus becomes increasingly rarer, however, even this trend among parents has failed to halt the decline of chickenpox among the most vulnerable populations. ■ (d)

which of the following best expresses the essential information in the bolded sentence? incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

u.s. parents believed that having chickenpox benefited their children.

u.s. parents believed that chickenpox led to immunity against most sickness.

u.s. parents wanted to make sure that their children developed chickenpox.

u.s. parents did not think that other vaccinations were needed after chickenpox.

question 1 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the clinical trials for the chickenpox vaccine?

they took longer than expected.

they cost a lot of money to complete.

they took a long time to finish.

they were ultimately successful.

question 2 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

a vaccine against chickenpox was originally invented by michiaki takahashi, a japanese doctor and research scientist, in the mid-1960s. dr. takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965 and in 1972 began clinical trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body to create antibodies. japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination programs in 1974. however, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the u.s. food & drug administration (fda), finally earning the u.s. government’s seal of approval for widespread use in 1995. yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by the fda, parents did not immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. mothers and fathers typically cited the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious enough disease against which a person needed to be vaccinated.

the word notion in the passage is closest in meaning to

history

findings

fact

belief

question 3 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

according to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of varicella zoster?

it typically attacks adults who are over 60 years old.

it is linked to a serious disease that occurs more commonly in adults.

it likely is not a serious enough threat to human health to require a vaccine.

it is completely eradicated from the body after chickenpox occurs.

question 4 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

another reason that the chickenpox vaccine was not immediately accepted and used by parents in the u.s. centered on observations made by scientists that the vaccine simply did not last long enough and did not confer a lifetime of immunity. in other words, scientists considered the benefits of the vaccine to be temporary when given to young children. they also feared that it increased the odds that a person could become infected with chickenpox later as a young adult, when the rash is more painful and prevalent and can last up to three or four weeks. hence, allowing young children to develop chickenpox rather than take a vaccine against it was believed to be the “lesser of two evils.” this idea changed over time as booster shots of the vaccine elongated immunity and countered the perceived limits on the strength of the vaccine itself.

the word prevalent in the passage is closest in meaning to

dangerous

widespread

infectious

contaminated

question 5 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

the word it in the passage refers to

being infected with chickenpox

getting a vaccination

building an immunity

developing shingles

question 6 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

according to paragraph 4, many parents did not choose the chickenpox vaccine because

they believed that the virus was weak and not especially harmful.

they thought that scientists did not have enough data to reach a conclusion.

they were unsure about the utility of the vaccine given its expected duration.

they were convinced it was potentially very toxic, particularly for older children.

question 7 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

according to paragraph 5, which of the following was true of the rates of chickenpox before the chickenpox vaccine became widely used?

it was 10 times higher.

it was consistently rising.

it declined over time.

it fluctuated over several decades.

question 8 of 64

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

look at the four squares [▪] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

meanwhile, some continue to remain unconvinced, citing a supposed potential of the vaccine to do harm.

where would the sentence fit best?

▪ (a)

▪ (b)

▪ (c)

▪ (d)

question 9 of 64

10.

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

directions: below, select the two statements that describe chickenpox. in the next question you will select statments that describe shingles. on the test, these two questions will display as one, and you will click and drag statements into the correct category. (see the screeenshot above.) between the cheickenpox category and the shingles category, two answer choices will not be used. combined, this question and the next one are worth 4 points.

it primarily afflicts adults.

public vaccination campaigns against it began in the 1970s.

it is a serious, lingering illness.

it was considered an irksome but relatively harmless ailment.

infection primarily occurs as a result of close contact with infected rashes.

there is confusion as to exactly what virus causes it.

it negatively affects the nervous system.

question 10 of 64

11.

history of the chickenpox vaccine

chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. the disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. the ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the u.s. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. this view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

directions: below, select the three statements that describe shingles. in the previous question, you selected statments that described chickenpox. on the test, these two questions will display as one, and you will click and drag statements into the correct category. (see the screeenshot above.) between the cheickenpox category and the shingles category, two answer choices will not be used. combined, this question and the next one are worth 4 points.

it primarily afflicts adults.

public vaccination campaigns against it began in the 1970s.

it is a serious, lingering illness.

it was considered an irksome but relatively harmless ailment.

infection primarily occurs as a result of close contact with infected rashes.

there is confusion as to exactly what virus causes it.

it negatively affects the nervous system.

question 11 of 64

12.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

only male cicadas are able to generate the sound their species is known for, utilizing a unique physical trait and noise-making process that differentiates them from crickets, which many people incorrectly assume to be similar to cicadas. while crickets generate their distinctive chirp through stridulation, or the rubbing together of body parts, cicadas essentially produce a drumbeat amplified very much in the same way that the sound of an acoustic guitar is created. males are blessed with a body part known as a tymbal, which is a rigid and pliable exoskeleton-based appendage that can move in a wave-like manner, producing a clicking when it strikes the inside of the abdomen of the cicada. because the abdomen of the cicada is for the most part hollow, the clicking sound is amplified, giving the cicada’s song its famous power.

the primary purpose of the male cicada’s song is to attract a female with which to breed. cicadas tend to be very well camouflaged, and can blend into their surrounding tree-based environments easily. the song of the cicada provides the clues through which the female cicada can find the nearest male. however, the cicada also appears to use its song for defensive purposes in a unique way. whereas most insects and animals aim to scare off potential dangers by increasing the volume of their warning sounds (e.g. the rattlesnake), cicadas, when threatened, actually diminish the noise that they make. the reason for this is that cicadas are hardly ever alone in a given area, and thus it is difficult for a hunter to pick out the song of an individual insect while distracted by its neighbors. should a predator be detected, nearby cicadas become very quiet to decrease the odds that they will be singled out among the roar of their more distant kin.

scientists who study the cicada raise interesting observations about the evolutionary development of the cicada song and the cicada’s short breeding period. cicadas live underground for most of their lives and only rise to the surface for several days or weeks at most to find a mate and then die. the reason for this lies in the sedentary nature of the cicada, which makes the insect an easy target for birds and other predators, which consume the insects in great numbers. however, by emerging in the millions all at once, cicadas increase their chance of survival as a species into the next generation, as predators simply cannot significantly impact the numbers of their prey in such a brief period. meanwhile, the power of the cicada song has proven to be an effective tool for collective breeding, as each insect must locate a mate quickly while outlasting potential predators.

cicadas garner the attention, adoration, and sometimes scorn of the general public for the distinctive sound that they create and their occasionally suffocating abundance. ■ (a) in temperate environments all over the world, the ubiquitous buzz of the cicada’s song dominates the backdrop. ■ (b) one must be careful not to come too close to the most powerful of cicadas, whose sound, if heard from just outside the human ear, is known to cause long-term or irreversible physical damage. ■ (c) the cicada’s unique tymbal structure, hollow abdomen, and stamina allow it to generate noise for up to 24-hour cycles, leading to the love/hate relationship people may have with the insect. ■ (d) the cicada plays to its evolutionary strength, with the power and majesty of its song as the key to its survival.

which of the following best expresses the essential information in the bolded sentence in paragraph 1? incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

cicadas take twelve months to emerge from the ground.

cicadas are ready to reproduce at different times of the year.

cicadas mature rapidly because they have short life cycles.

cicadas have a range of life cycles within different species.

question 12 of 64

13.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the process by which the male cicada generates sound?

it serves the same purposes as the cricket’s chirping sound.

it involves the movement of an internal body part that cannot be seen.

it does not involve the cicada rubbing body parts together.

it can create a range of notes similar to those of an acoustic guitar.

question 13 of 64

14.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

according to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of the song of the cicada?

it can be used to entice mates or to confuse possible threats.

it helps the cicada blend into its immediate surroundings.

it can be used to distinguish one specific insect from another.

it can most often be heard when a particular group of insects is threatened.

question 14 of 64

15.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

the primary purpose of the male cicada’s song is to attract a female with which to breed. cicadas tend to be very well camouflaged, and can blend into their surrounding tree-based environments easily. the song of the cicada provides the clues through which the female cicada can find the nearest male. however, the cicada also appears to use its song for defensive purposes in a unique way. whereas most insects and animals aim to scare off potential dangers by increasing the volume of their warning sounds (e.g. the rattlesnake), cicadas, when threatened, actually diminish the noise that they make. the reason for this is that cicadas are hardly ever alone in a given area, and thus it is difficult for a hunter to pick out the song of an individual insect while distracted by its neighbors. should a predator be detected, nearby cicadas become very quiet to decrease the odds that they will be singled out among the roar of their more distant kin.

the phrase “decrease the odds” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

make it less obvious.

make it more common.

make it more challenging.

make it less likely.

question 15 of 64

16.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

according to paragraph 3, when cicadas feel threatened by a predator,

they run or fly away to the nearest group of other cicadas.

they become louder in order to seem more threatening.

they use the sound of other cicadas as a source of confusion.

they attempt to bring attention to other individual cicadas.

question 16 of 64

17.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

according to paragraph 4, all of the following is true about cicadas except

they breed late in their life cycles.

they emerge simultaneously in vast numbers.

they tend be easy for predators to catch.

their breeding season causes a rise in the number of their predators.

question 17 of 64

18.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

cicadas garner the attention, adoration, and sometimes scorn of the general public for the distinctive sound that they create and their occasionally suffocating abundance. ■ (a) in temperate environments all over the world, the ubiquitous buzz of the cicada’s song dominates the backdrop. ■ (b) one must be careful not to come too close to the most powerful of cicadas, whose sound, if heard from just outside the human ear, is known to cause long-term or irreversible physical damage. ■ (c) the cicada’s unique tymbal structure, hollow abdomen, and stamina allow it to generate noise for up to 24-hour cycles, leading to the love/hate relationship people may have with the insect. ■ (d) the cicada plays to its evolutionary strength, with the power and majesty of its song as the key to its survival.

the word scorn in the final paragraph is closest in meaning to

repect

excitement

hate

fear

question 18 of 64

19.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

cicadas garner the attention, adoration, and sometimes scorn of the general public for the distinctive sound that they create and their occasionally suffocating abundance. ■ (a) in temperate environments all over the world, the ubiquitous buzz of the cicada’s song dominates the backdrop. ■ (b) one must be careful not to come too close to the most powerful of cicadas, whose sound, if heard from just outside the human ear, is known to cause long-term or irreversible physical damage. ■ (c) the cicada’s unique tymbal structure, hollow abdomen, and stamina allow it to generate noise for up to 24-hour cycles, leading to the love/hate relationship people may have with the insect. ■ (d) the cicada plays to its evolutionary strength, with the power and majesty of its song as the key to its survival.

the author uses the phrase “the ubiquitous buzz” in paragraph 5 in order to

emphasize the prevalence of the cicada’s sound.

note the practical significance of the insect’s defining feature.

illustrate what cicadas sound like to many people.

introduce the volume of the cicada’s song.

question 19 of 64

20.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

look at the four squares [▪] in paragraph 5 that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

that intense volume is paired with an uncanny ability to maintain the signature song.

where would the sentence fit best?

▪ (a)

▪ (b)

▪ (c)

▪ (d)

question 20 of 64

21.

the cicada’s song

cicadas are insects famous for their ability to generate a distinct sound with an auditory power that can rival the decibel level of a rock music concert and exceed the engine roar of a motorcycle. with close to 3,000 species of cicada identified and documented, this family of insect is found worldwide. for the majority of its life, the cicada remains underground, where it is nourished and sustained through sap secreted by the roots of trees. when mature, the insect tunnels to the surface and sheds its skin to reveal its adult form. this life cycle varies among the species, with certain types maturing and ready to reproduce in just one year. one of the most eagerly anticipated and studied species of cicada is magicicada septendecim, a periodical brood that attracts plenty of media attention for its emergence every 13 or 17 years across the midwestern united states in vast, swarming numbers. in these swarms, the cicadas generate their “music,” signaling their presence, and the onset of summer, for anyone and anything to hear for miles and miles around.

directions: an introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. complete the summary by selecting the three answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. some answer choices do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor details in the passage. this question is worth 2 points.

cicadas are insects famous around the world for their ability to generate a strong and distinct noise.

the distinctive sound, generated specifically by male cicadas, is created by striking a unique bodily structure whose sound is amplified by their hollow abdomens.

the varying length of cicadas’ life cycles and short breeding season affects predators’ abilities to properly keep cicada populations stable.

the tremendous sound coming from a swarm of millions of cicadas has been proven to cause hearing damage in humans and thus must be carefully avoided.

cicada females tend to be passive in the mating process, and are generally only interested in the noise the males make at certain times of the day.

the song of the cicada evolved to be disorienting to predators and facilitate fast reproduction during the short breeding stage of its life cycle.

in addition to its song, the cicada is well known for arriving in large swarms, so that the insects are too numerous to be entirely eaten by predators.

question 21 of 64

22.

young adult literature

although the term “young adult” did not come into common use until the 1960s, many scholars contend that the genre of young adult literature began after world war ii when the age group from twelve through nineteen gained widespread acceptance as a discrete developmental stage. in contrast to children’s literature, which reaffirms the child’s place in the world, young adult literature helps adolescents make sense of their world, discover they are not alone, and find their place in society. although young adult literature focuses on teenaged characters, its dominant themes echo many of the same themes explored in global literature—love, good versus evil, personal morality, and the individual versus society. whether the story takes place in a realistic setting, a fantasy world, or a dystopian society, young adult literature explores these themes in ways that help readers navigate the difficult passage from childhood to adulthood and encourages them to identify with the characters and imagine how they would meet the same challenges. roberta s. trites, a professor of english and specialist in children’s and young adult literature, posits that young adult literature ultimately reflects the struggle of adolescents to answer the question raised in t.s. eliot’s poem “the love song of j. alfred prufrock”: “do i dare disturb the universe?”

■ (a) like the young people who typify its audience, young adult literature has undergone a tumultuous evolution in a relatively short time span. ■ (b) from the mid-1940s into the early twenty-first century, it sometimes reflected and sometimes challenged social norms. ■ (c) the earliest example may be seventeenth summer by maureen daly, a novel published in 1942 that explored first love and adolescent rites of passage. ■ (d) that particular work spawned similar novels focusing on the day-to-day concerns of teenagers as they developed their own music, language, dress, and attitudes, seeking to distance themselves from their parents and other adults.

in the 1950s and throughout the unruly 1960s, young adult literature took on the character of contemporary society, and its treatment of the dominant themes darkened. two groundbreaking young adult novels— a catcher in the rye by j. d. salinger, published in 1951, and the outsiders by s. e. hinton, published in 1967—offered mature and realistic looks at troubled adolescents. michael cart, an expert in young adult literature, noted that the focus on culture and serious themes in these two novels, among others, made it more acceptable for the next generation of young adult authors to write candidly about teen issues. during the 1970s, young adult readers learned about sexual development in judy blume’s deenie, dove into the mysterious society at the heart of lois lowry’s novel the giver, and suffered with the protagonist as he took a stand against authority in robert cormier’s novel the chocolate war.

after a brief lull in which novels featured lighter content, focusing on relatively innocent teen social drama or hollywood-style horror, young adult fiction experienced a resurgence of popularity at the start of the twenty-first century when authors shifted to unreal topics such as fantasy, the paranormal, and dystopia. although these novels are set in strange worlds, the characters exhibit emotions and undergo transformative experiences that contemporary teens share and understand. “teens are caught between two worlds, childhood and adulthood, and in young adult literature, they can navigate those two worlds and sometimes dualities of other worlds,” said jennifer lynn barnes, a young adult author and scientist who studies human behavior.

yet young adult authors have not completely abandoned realism in favor of fantasy. novelists such as john green and sarah dessen explore the same themes and adversities in realistic modern-day settings. although they and other contemporary young adult authors do not write about worldwide cataclysms such as those in harry potter, hunger games, and divergent, they do not shrink from the harsh realities of life that individuals must face. protagonists come up against decisions about self-identity, race, gender, sex, and sexuality, which are universal concerns that people of all ages grapple with. critic michael cart notes that all young adult literature tackles difficult themes and “equips readers for dealing with the realities of impending adulthood and for assuming the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.”

in paragraph 1, the author of the passage implies that

young adult literature is a separate genre from children’s literature.

young adult novels were not written before the 1960s.

young adult literature may have been influenced by children’s literature.

young adult novels often contain characters with unrealistic personalities.

question 22 of 64

23.

young adult literature

why does the author mention the poem “the love song of j. alfred prufrock” in paragraph 1?

to refute the legitimacy of young adult literature as a distinct genre

to suggest a fundamental theme of all young adult literature

to undermine the superiority of poetry as serious literature

to provide an example of literature that young adults may not understand well

question 23 of 64

24.

young adult literature

■ (a) like the young people who typify its audience, young adult literature has undergone a tumultuous evolution in a relatively short time span. ■ (b) from the mid-1940s into the early twenty-first century, it sometimes reflected and sometimes challenged social norms. ■ (c) the earliest example may be seventeenth summer by maureen daly, a novel published in 1942 that explored first love and adolescent rites of passage. ■ (d) that particular work spawned similar novels focusing on the day-to-day concerns of teenagers as they developed their own music, language, dress, and attitudes, seeking to distance themselves from their parents and other adults.

the phrase “that particular work” in paragraph 2 refers to

passage

first love

exploration

seventeenth summer

question 24 of 64

25.

young adult literature

in the 1950s and throughout the unruly 1960s, young adult literature took on the character of contemporary society, and its treatment of the dominant themes darkened. two groundbreaking young adult novels— a catcher in the rye by j. d. salinger, published in 1951, and the outsiders by s. e. hinton, published in 1967—offered mature and realistic looks at troubled adolescents. michael cart, an expert in young adult literature, noted that the focus on culture and serious themes in these two novels, among others, made it more acceptable for the next generation of young adult authors to write candidly about teen issues. during the 1970s, young adult readers learned about sexual development in judy blume’s deenie, dove into the mysterious society at the heart of lois lowry’s novel the giver, and suffered with the protagonist as he took a stand against authority in robert cormier’s novel the chocolate war.

the word unruly in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

entire

chaotic

artistic

progressive

question 25 of 64

26.

young adult literature

according to paragraph 3, young adult authors were able to write more honestly because

the sixties fostered a more permissive climate and welcomed controversy.

young adults desired novels that addressed contemporary issues.

a string of more realistic novels paved the way for mature subject matter.

the characters of popular young adult novels grew more troubled.

question 26 of 64

27.

young adult literature

in paragraphs 2 and 3, the author mentions all of the following as themes in young adult literature except

teenage romance

rebellion against leadership

origins of cultural trends

physical maturation

question 27 of 64

28.

young adult literature

which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4? incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

young adult novels faced a backlash against the less serious subject matter of the late twentieth century.

authors rejected the light, horror-influenced subject matter of the 1990s and explored more important themes.

young adult literature lost a portion of its audience when authors moved away from teen dramas and horror novels.

writers reenergized young adult fiction by introducing different subject matter, with a particular focus on the fantastical.

question 28 of 64

29.

young adult literature

which of the following can be inferred from the quote from michael cart in paragraph 5?

some proponents of young adult fiction believe that it can correct teenagers’ false assumptions about adult life.

other critics had charged that young adult literature occasionally provides negative role models for adolescents.

cart believes that young adult literature helps to guide young readers in their progression toward adulthood.

political intentions may influence the messages of young adult literature and what trials the characters face.

question 29 of 64

30.

young adult literature

look at the four squares [▪] in paragraph 2 that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

in its formative years, the genre more often did the former, working with relatively light subject matter.

where would the sentence fit best?

▪ (a)

▪ (b)

▪ (c)

▪ (d)

question 30 of 64

31.

young adult literature

fiction for young adults, a relatively new form of literature, took form as teenagers were first considered a distinct group of readers.

the primary themes of young adult fiction are close to those found in more mature literature, diverging from the simpler messages in children’s publications.

as young adult literature took form, it initially simply reflected contemporary youth society, but then took a turn toward darker and more honest subject matter.

common motifs connect various forms of youth fiction, with examples helping to guide readers through the transition to adulthood.

controversial subject matter inhibited the growth of the genre and led to a lull, during which authors avoided sensitive topics.

more recent novels span both the unreal and real, although unifying themes can be found in either case.

the type of setting of a young adult novel can greatly affect which messages it is able to convey to its readers.

question 31 of 64

32. click here to listen to the lecture audio track for the next 6 questions.

what is the main purpose of the lecture?

explaining the role of apex predators in their environments

demonstrating that wolves are the most important apex predator in california

detailing the behaviors of apex predators and their prey

providing reasons for apex predators’ behavior

question 32 of 64

33. why are smaller predators usually not classified as apex predators?

because they are scavengers who eat animals that are already dead

because they are also eaten by other larger predators

because they only eat worms and insects

because they sometimes attack and kill other predators

question 33 of 64

34. why does the professor point out differences between the diets of vultures and eagles?

to explain the ways in which human activity can influence predators

to show how apex predators’ behavior affect the availability of food for scavengers

to distinguish between types of meat-eaters within the category of “apex predator”

to clear up a possible source of confusion when identifying an apex predator

question 34 of 64

35. what is the professor’s opinion of past efforts to remove apex predators from the environment?

the efforts focused too much on protecting livestock.

it should only have been done temporarily, with careful planning by local authorities.

removing apex predators has had negative, unpredictable consequences.

their removal has had advantages and disadvantages, depending on the way it affected prey.

question 35 of 64

36. what does the professor imply about the effect wolves have on their surrounding environment?

farm animals require less roaming space when wolves are near.

wolves are useful in maintaining the populations of both prey and smaller predators.

livestock are posed an even greater threat from wolves than from smaller predators.

wolves are more important to the environment than are other predators, such as bears.

question 36 of 64

37. listen again to part of the lecture. (click the audio below to replay what the professor said.)
why does the professor say this?

lucas magoosh · test 6 listening aj 6

he believes that the students don’t remember his earlier statements about what predators do.

he is demonstrating that scavenging and hunting are done by completely different types of animals.

he wants to clarify why certain scavengers are not considered predators.

he is frustrated that people often mistake scavengers for true predators.

question 37 of 64

38. click here to listen to the lecture audio track for the next 6 questions.

what is the main purpose of the lecture?

to elaborate on the costs of viral marketing

to explore the various forms a type of marketing can take

to explain how stealth marketing works

to examine differing marketing strategies of large companies

question 38 of 64

39. what is one of the main goals of viral marketing?

to increase the number of ways that people encounter advertisements

to improve public opinion of companies’ marketing strategies

to make use of newer technologies that have few other marketing uses

to get customers to talk to each other about a product

question 39 of 64

40. what can be inferred about how the internet has affected viral marketing?

viral marketing has become a more attractive strategy for companies.

viral marketing has become more effective in smaller communities than in larger ones.

companies have become more deceitful in their advertising claims.

traditional channels such as newspapers have become more likely to include viral marketing.

question 40 of 64

41. which of the following are mentioned in the discussion as examples of viral marketing on the internet?

choose two answers.

giving previous customers samples of new products for free

giving a customer a link to a website that they can choose to share with friends

a car company putting an article about its safety measures onto a news website

the publication of contest winners on the official mcdonald’s website

question 41 of 64

42. according to the professor, why are contests one of the most common forms of viral marketing?

they make the best use of modern technology.

they succeed in getting people to talk about a product.

they are easy to create and maintain.

they are not clearly recognizable as marketing campaigns.

question 42 of 64

43. listen again to part of the lecture. then, answer the question. (click the audio below to replay part of the lecture.)
why does the professor say this?

lucas magoosh · test 6 listening ai 6

he is surprised that the student only mentioned one type of viral marketing.

he feels the student is describing a very uncommon form of viral marketing.

he wanted the student to describe a different type of viral marketing.

he is confirming that the student has correctly identified one type of viral marketing.

question 43 of 64

44. click here to listen to the conversation audio track for the next 5 questions.

why does the student think reviewing for the test is especially hard in her psychology class?

the course has more readings than other classes she has taken in the past.

the test covers both child psychology and adult psychology.

developmental psychology is not her main academic interest.

the study guide lists the most difficult texts that were used in class.

question 44 of 64

45. what is the professor’s attitude toward study groups?

professors should make an effort to organize their students into study groups.

they are a very important resource for exam preparation.

students should create groups at the start of the semester, before exams begin.

students in groups can divide the work of reviewing so that it is faster.

question 45 of 64

46. what does the professor imply the student should do if she has any more questions about the exam?

write down a complete list of her questions and arrange them by subject

make sure to attend all the group meetings that the professor organizes

talk to her classmates to see if they can answer her questions

review her study guide carefully to see if she’s missed anything

question 46 of 64

47. listen again to part of the conversation. then, answer the question. (click the audio below to replay part of the lecture.)
why does the professor say this?

lucas magoosh · test 6 listening ah 5

he wants the student to understand that alzheimer’s disease never affects children.

he is offering to lend the student a video that she can watch before the exam.

he is suggesting that the video is more important than the readings.

he is telling the student that the exam will include some information from a video.

question 47 of 64

48. click here to listen to the conversation audio track for the next 6 questions.

what is the lecture mainly about?

the effectiveness of human language to give simple commands to chimpanzees

the purpose of human language use by chimpanzees

the discovery that chimpanzees use sign language in the wild

the difference between the use of language by chimpanzees and humans

question 48 of 64

49. according to the professor, why are the older examples of chimpanzee sign language in the videos significant?

the older videos show that chimps use their own sign language to talk to each other in the wild.

at the time the videos were made, animals had been trying to communicate with scientists for a long time.

the older videos were made in the time period when scientists first succeeded in teaching human language to animals.

the videos show the specific early experiments that are most often featured in textbooks.

question 49 of 64

50. what is true about the use of voice in human language?choose two answers.

voice is required for the key features of human language to develop.

no other animals use their voice to communicate in the same way as humans.

use of voice is unnecessary in some forms of human language.

the range of possible meaning is dependent on the range of sound variety.

question 50 of 64

51. what is displacement?

the ability to communicate about something other than an immediate situation

a feature of language that creates confusion as to the meaning of a phrase

a human ability to use voice that is distinctly different from animal use of voice

a language feature commonly used by chimps and other animals in the wild

question 51 of 64

52. what kind of language use are chimps capable of, even without human training?

combining signs to represent new concepts

communicating the same idea both vocally and through signs

naming their friends and family

giving commands and orders

question 52 of 64

53. what is the professor’s opinion on trained chimpanzees that exhibit displacement and productivity in their language?

chimpanzees enjoy sign language more if they are trained to use it more extensively.

these features of language should still be seen as uniquely human, because they do not occur among wild chimpanzees.

chimpanzees should not be taught human language, because they can’t use it in the wild.

chimpanzees are better at using features of human language than are other species of apes and monkeys.

question 53 of 64

54. click here to listen to the conversation audio track for the next 5 questions.

what problem does the student have?

he received another student’s tuition statements.

he received a notice that his payment was late.

he forgot to pay tuition during a holiday week.

he has been barred from attending classes.

question 54 of 64

55. why does the woman initially believe that the notices were sent in error?

the finance office does not normally send two notices in such quick succession.

she is surprised by the student’s claim to have never missed a payment.

the computer system has malfunctioned during other holidays, too.

a preliminary notice normally precedes the warning that the student received.

question 55 of 64

56. what can be inferred about the student?

he wants to stop getting notices from the college.

his primary concern is being allowed to attend classes.

he wants to leave the tuition office quickly.

he is worried about accidentally paying tuition twice.

question 56 of 64

57. according to the woman, when did the problems with the student’s payment first begin?

when he neglected to send his last payment

when he received the initial warning statement

when he tried to pay his bill during a holiday

when an office worker canceled his payment

question 57 of 64

58. listen again to part of the conversation. then, answer the question. (click the audio below to replay part of the lecture.)
why does the woman say this?

lucas magoosh · test 3 listening n5

to speculate as to the cause of the computer error

to clarify in which time period an error was made

to suggest that holidays can be disorienting

to offer an explanation for an oversight

question 58 of 64

59. use this online timer for your preparation time and response time. record and save your answers to an audio file on your computer or mobile device.

toefl speaking task 1

you will now be asked to give your opinion about a familiar topic. after you hear the question, you will have 15 seconds to prepare your response and 45 seconds to speak.

many people prefer watching music videos on television or the internet rather than listening to the songs on their own. which way of experiencing music do you think is preferable and why?

preparation time: 15 seconds

response time: 45 seconds

did you complete your recording? (check yes or no)

yes

question 59 of 64

60. use this online timer for your preparation time and response time. record and save your answers to an audio file on your computer or mobile device.

toefl speaking task 2

you will now read a short passage and then listen to a conversation on the same topic. you will then be asked a question about them. after you hear the question, you will have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak.

a university has announced a new scholarship opportunity on its website. you will have 45 seconds to read the announcement. begin reading now.

new scholarship offers opportunity to study in romethe university is pleased to offer an exciting new opportunity for students in the romance languages department. the prestigious buonocore scholarship allows students to study tuition-free for two semesters in rome. students must submit an essay exploring a specific aspect of italian culture to the selection committee. they must also submit a detailed plan explaining how a year in italy would provide the opportunity to further research and improve the essay. please note that students in departments other than romance languages are ineligible for this opportunity.

now, listen to the following conversation.click here to listen to two students discuss the announcement.

the female student expresses her opinion about why she disagrees with the university’s new policy. state her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.

preparation time: 30 seconds

response time: 60 seconds

did you complete your recording? (check yes or no)

yes

question 60 of 64

61. use this online timer for your preparation time and response time. record and save your answers to an audio file on your computer or mobile device.

toefl speaking task 3

you will now read a short passage and then listen to a talk on the same academic topic. you will then be asked a question about them. after you hear the question, you will have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak.

read a passage about the development of written language. you have 45 seconds to read the passage. begin reading now.

pictographspictographs are very simple pictures that represent a word or idea. this artwork is the earliest known form of writing, with archaeological discoveries of pictographs dating back to 3000 bc in mesopotamia and egypt. scholars believe that pictographs developed independently in many different parts of the world, including the middle east, china, and mesoamerica. because early pictographs were meant to resemble physical objects, they tended to represent nouns that referred to concrete things, but as pictographs in the ancient world became visually simpler and more abstract, they stopped representing actual objects. instead, they began to represent abstract concepts and phonetic sounds. in time, pictographs became the basis for modern writing systems.

now, listen to the following lecture.click here to listen to a lecture in an art history class.

using examples from the talk, explain how pictographs changed to become modern writing.

preparation time: 30 seconds

response time: 60 seconds

did you complete your recording? (check yes or no)

yes

question 61 of 64

62. use this online timer for your preparation time and response time. record and save your answers to an audio file on your computer or mobile device.

toefl speaking task 4

listen to the following lecture.click here to listen to a lecture in a biology class.

using points and examples from the talk, explain the two types of biological selection.

preparation time: 20 seconds

response time: 60 seconds

did you complete your recording? (check yes or no)

yes

question 62 of 64

63. use this online timer to time preparation, reading, and response times. save your essay to a google doc or to a file on your computer or mobile device.

toefl writing task 1

for this task, you will read a passage and then listen to a lecture on the same topic. you may take notes while you read and listen. then, you will write a response to a question that asks you about the relationship between the reading and the lecture. the question does not ask you to express your personal opinion. you may refer to the reading passage again when you write, but you will only be allowed to hear the lecture one time. you may use your notes to help you answer the question. typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words. you should allow 3 minutes to read the passage. after 3 minutes, listen to the lecture. finally, allow 20 minutes to plan and write your essay. you may continue to view the passage as you write.

review the following passage and continue.

passage

the emperor claudius of rome ruled an empire spanning three continents between 41 and 54 ce. his reign was of massive importance to the history of ancient european civilization. in fact, the emperor was among the most innovative, fair, and wise in all roman history. however, because claudius suffered from physical handicaps and spoke with a stutter, ancient authors were biased against him. consequently, their descriptions of his time in power are almost uniformly hostile, and many ancient historians ignore all of the good that he did.

claudius’s reign was important for its major innovations. he conquered the island of britain and incorporated it into the roman empire. he also built a new harbor for rome and oversaw the construction of several new aqueducts, which brought clean water into the city. he even created laws to protect the rights of slaves and expand roman citizenship to new people. all of these facts suggest that he was a gifted ruler with strong judgment, despite what may be found in histories written by his detractors.

another reason for the hostility of ancient authors toward the reign of claudius has to do with the fact that the writers were usually of senatorial class. claudius was not elected to power by the senate and severely limited its traditional powers during his reign. however, illustrating his wisdom, instead of entrusting high bureaucratic positions to senators, he preferred to give them to trustworthy slaves and former slaves (freedmen), whom he felt were more loyal to him. they worked efficiently, creating a bureaucratic framework for all future emperors. claudius should be praised for giving political opportunities to new groups of people such as former slaves and even the women of the imperial household, including his wives.

lecture

listen to the following lecture.click here to listen to a lecture in a history class.

summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading.

did you complete your essay? (check yes or no.)

yes

question 63 of 64

64. use this online timer to time preparation, reading, and response times. save your essay to a google doc or to a file on your computer or mobile device.

toefl writing task 2

for this task, you will write an essay in response to a question that asks you to state, explain, and support your opinion on an issue. typically, an effective essay will contain a minimum of 300 words. the quality of your writing includes the development of your ideas, the organization of your essay, and the quality and accuracy of the language you use to express your ideas. you have 30 minutes to plan and complete your essay.

do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

it is better for people to move out of their hometowns when they become adults, instead of staying in their home communities for their whole lives.

use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

did you complete your essay? (check yes or no.)

yes

question 64 of 64

instructions for the free magoosh toefl practice test

how to use this magoosh toefl sample test

before each set of questions on this mock toefl test, we’ve provided directions for each toefl practice task section—be sure to read them! the best way to use this test is to first answer all of the questions, and then review answers with the answer key and score report that appears at the end.in your score report, you’ll see that there are also links to explanation videos, in case an answer is confusing. we highly recommend watching these videos! why?

well, once you have finished reviewing your practice toefl test, you will have a tally of which questions you answered correctly and which questions you answered incorrectly. the only way to improve your toefl score is to understand why you are making mistakes and missing questions. that way, you can learn from your mistakes on the toefl practice test and avoid making the same errors on the real test. watching explanation videos will help you learn from your mistakes.

your score report at the end of this test will also come with some personalized recommendations for the toefl reading and toefl writing sections. these recommendations will tell you what your scaled toefl practice test score is right now, based on how you did on the toefl test. the recommendations also give youa dvice for next steps on improving your score. now, because toefl speaking and toefl writing are scored by human scorers, our test can’t give you a score report for those sections. but your score report will include a link to quite a few resources for scoring your speaking and writing, either through self-scoring or through feedback from others. you can also click here for toefl speaking score resources, and click here for toefl writing score resources.

all of these toefl test practice questions come from the magoosh toefl product. if you like what you see in the toefl practice test, be sure to sign up for a free trial of magoosh. 🙂

how to score your magoosh toefl sample test

at the end of the toefl sample test above, you’ll see the number of points you earned out of the total possible points. to convert this number from your toefl practice test into a scaled toefl score, calculate the percentage of points you earned, and then convert that percentage to a percentage of 30 scaled points on the toefl test. for example, if you earned 50% of the points in toefl reading, that would be 50% of 30, or a scaled score of 15. for the speaking and writing sections, we’ve included instructions to help you grade your responses. once you’ve graded your responses, you can calculate the percentage of points you earned out of the total possible points, and then apply that percentage to 30 scaled points as well.

for your whole toefl test score, simply add up the scaled scores you calculated for each of your four sections of your toefl practice test. greater details on calculating section scores and your total score can be found in this article.

we hope you like magoosh’s toefl practice test, score calculations and all! if you’re interested in other free toefl practice from magoosh, just keep reading.

some general information about the toefl

(you can optionally read the information below before you start the test… or after, since this advice is useful for follow-up practice toefl tests as well.)

as you know, the toefl is a test of english as a foreign language, and is formatted in four different sections. each section tests one language skill—reading, listening, speaking, and writing. in the toefl practice test below, you’ll find a full version of each section. the toefl is, of course, a timed test, and a full-length toefl ibt test takes a total time of about 3 hours.

so what else can you expect? well, bear in mind that the toefl test measures english language profiency related to university study. specifically, the exam features standard north american english, the kind you might encounter at u.s. universities or canadian universities (with the exception of non-english universities in places like quebec and puerto rico). it won’t contain non-american forms of english found in other native speaking countries such as australia, new zealand, the u.k., and so on.

while the test is primarily taken by international students seeking university level admission into u.s. and canadian schools, toefl test scores are not just used in university settings. they can also be used in high school and technical school admission process or immigration offices of many different countries. (and in fact, the toefl is an official language test for immigration in both australia and the united states and is used similarly by a number of other government agencies.)

in our toefl practice test and on the real toefl, reading and listening test your english-language ability with multiple choice questions, while speaking and writing feature tasks. in both of those two sections, the tasks can be independent tasks where you’ll give a response based on your own opinions and integrated tasks where you will give a spoken or written summary of something you hear or read.

in the listening portions of a good toefl practice test—the listening section and the integrated tasks for speaking and writing—the english language skills revolve around university classroom lectures and conversations related to student life. the conversations typically involve one university student and one faculty member. all speech there will be delivered by native english speakers. the english language level in toefl reading is a bit more advanced. here, english skills are geared toward textbook reading in an academic setting during the first or second year of university. so reading represents somewhat more advanced academic content and higher english language proficiency, compared to the rest of the test.

do i need to take a toefl practice test?

yes! it is very important to take a toefl sample test (or two!) before your test day. this will help you get used to moving from section to section on the toefl test, and will help you learn to switch gears from reading to listening to speaking to writing.

the toefl exam is long and you don’t get much time to rest. you need to train your body and mind to be able to sit and take a strenuous exam. this is where a toefl practice test has a lot of value. taking timed, full-length (or slightly shortened) toefl sample tests will help you do this.

why should i take a toefl practice test?

click here to learn more

are you still not convinced that taking a toefl practice test is a good use of your study time?

listen to this: not only are practice tests good for improving your stamina, but they are also a great way to discover your strengths and weaknesses, and understand where (and why) you make mistakes.

are you good at english spelling, but find speaking in english challenging? can you easily do well on the essay, but need to improve your reading comprehension skills? are you a beginner asking yourself, “what is the toefl test, anyway?”

a toefl mock-test answers these questions by showing your strengths and weaknesses, and allowing you to turn those weaknesses into strengths! so it’s a very powerful form of toefl practice.

when should i take a practice test?

click here to learn more

that depends on how long you have until your toefl test date.

ask yourself these questions: are you preparing for a toefl that’s two weeks away or two months away? have you already taken a test or are you just starting to study? this will make a big difference in the role of the toefl practice test in your studies.

if you have a long time to study, then you can plan to fit in a few extra practice tests along the way.

however, if you have at least one month to study for your toefl, we recommend taking:

1 practice toefl test at the beginning of your prep to assess your baseline skill level
1-2 practice tests during your toefl prep to measure your progress
1 toefl practice test at the end of your toefl prep to assess your current score and measure it against your goal score

after your final toefl practice test, take some time to review and refine the toefl test skills that need last-minute help.

what is a good toefl practice test?

click here to learn more

a good (high-quality) toefl practice test will feature questions of the same style and difficulty that you’ll encounter on test day. it will have clear answers and helpful explanations for each question. scoring a good toefl practice test will be easy, and directions to convert your score into the 1-30 scale for each section will be simple to understand.

overall, you need your toefl sample test to provide the most authentic exam experience possible.

how is the real test day experience different from a toefl practice test?

click here to learn more

typically, toefl exams are administered in test centers, although the toefl home edition is also used when test center examinations are not possible. in this case, you take the test over your own internet connection at home. (see magoosh’s info on how online registration works for the toefl home edition, and see this post for how to register at a test center.) regardless of whether you live in a region with toefl testing centers or not, the test experience will be similar in terms of format and timing. this toefl practice test is designed to replicate that experience—for the toefl ibt exam, that is. our practice toefl test does not imitate the toefl pbt.

what score should i aim for on the toefl test?

click here to learn more

so how well do you need to do on this english language test? that depends on the minimum score requirement of the programs you’ll apply to. for more information on toefl scores as a form of eligibility criteria, see my post “what is a good toefl score?” ultimately, though, know that you can get a good score, an acceptable one, without having perfect english skills on par with those of native speakers. (and if you want specifics for score requirements at the exact schools you’re applying to, admissions officers at your desired educational institution will likely be happy to give you more information!) in the meantime, you can use our toefl practice test to measure what your score is like right now! you’ll be shown your score level and some study recommendations at the end of the test! 😀

where can i find more toefl practice tests?

you now know why and when to take a toefl practice test, but do you know where to find a good toefl ibt practice test? there seem to be many floating around the internet, but you’ll want to use only trusted, high-quality toefl test resources in order to really improve your score.

aside from the free magoosh toefl practice test, here are our top picks for free and paid toefl practice tests.

free toefl practice tests

(editor’s note: the quick prep and book-based educational testing service resources mentioned below are a little out-of-date compared to the current version of the toefl test. in spite of this, they’re still very useful! see our guide to using older toefl prep materials for more in depth details.)

if you’re studying for a long time, then you will probably want even more toefl practice. so, in addition to the magoosh resources that we’ve already mentioned, we put together a collection of other free toefl practice tests! continue scrolling down to read our reviews of all of them.

ets’s full-length toefl practice test

the toefl test and its sections are, of course, trademarks of educational testing service. so the best full-length practice tests will come from ets. the new official full-length toefl practice test is a great resource for free toefl test practice. unlike some of the other resources on this list, the full-length practice test matches the format of the new version of the toefl that ets released in 2019.

the only difference between this free toefl practice test from ets and the real one is that the practice test does not have an onscreen timer. however, the practice toefl test does mention the time limits on the instruction screens that appear before each section. the practice test also includes audio samples of speaking responses, with scores and commentary, as well as scored sample writing responses with explanations. (and these extra features are also free resources, coming with no additional fee.)

toefl ibt practice sets

with no audio recordings (transcripts only), no software, and almost no answer explanations, the toefl practice sets are the least helpful set of official toefl prep questions. note, however, that i said there are almost no answer explanations. the speaking sets for this practice toefl test include tips on how to give a good response to each question. and the writing portion goes a step further, including tips for good responses, and sample essays with scores and scorer commentary. effectively, the writing sets constitute more than one full toefl practice test for writing.

the practice sets have a different landing page for each of the four sections of the toefl test: toefl reading, toefl listening, toefl speaking, and toefl writing. each page has a little bit of practice material right on the page, followed by a link to a pdf that reproduces the practice material from the web page, and also includes additional practice sets.

included in ibt practice sets, you’ll find:

one full standard-sized reading section (3 passages with 10 questions each)
one full extra-long listening section (3 conversations with 5 questions each, 4 lectures with 6 questions each)
two full speaking sections (8 tasks)
two full writing sections (4 tasks)

that gives you one of every type of question that’s on the toefl test, although it’s not a very test-like experience. if you want to mimic a real toefl practice test for free, try the magoosh toefl sample test listed above instead.

ets quick prep: the big, free official toefl sample test

(note: toefl quick prep is slightly outdated, reflecting the old format of the practice tests. see magoosh’s guide to using older toefl prep materials. and be sure to check out ets’s recently updated free toefl practice: the official toefl practice test, and the official toefl practice sets.)

there are four more pdfs similar to the “test questions” set that ets calls “toefl quick prep.” but this time, there’s audio! well, there is audio for two of the pdfs. each of the four pdfs is almost perfectly a half of a toefl test:

one reading task (⅓)
three listening tasks (½)
three speaking tasks (½)
one writing task (½)
bonus: magoosh has created additional unofficial audio for toefl quick prep volume 1 and toefl quick prep volume 2. this audio covers all of the lectures in the first two pdfs. this makes it even easier to combine toefl quick prep resouces into a full toefl practice test.

if you do volumes three and four, which both have audio, you almost do a full practice toefl test, minus one reading task. you can add in a reading task from either volume one or two and get a full-length test. but there is still one big difference between quick prep and a real toefl practice test: there is no software to show you the real look and feel of the test. that means you don’t have a timer for any of the toefl section. and in listening for this toefl practice test, you are also able to look at questions during a lecture (not possible on the real toefl exam). don’t get me wrong—quick prep is very useful. but with these questions, you simply don’t have the same experience and feeling that you’d have on a full toefl exam.

so if you’re new to the toefl, don’t start with quick prep. instead, start with a shorter toefl practice test from the interactive sampler so that you can get a feel for the software and do some light warmup practice. then, if you want to try a full, four-hour test, you can combine the quick prep material to create one. (again, keep in mind the differences between quick prep and real toefl software, of course!)

the official toefl online course

ets sponsors a free official online toefl prep class that comes with an almost complete set of practice toefl questions, just shy of a full toefl practice test. the course, toefl test preparation: the insider’s guide, is hosted on the edx website.

there are a few disadvantages to the toefl practice test materials in this course. the most obvious downside is that you have to register for the class, wait for the class’s start date, and follow a course schedule. after the class starts, the practice materials aren’t released all at once. you get your reading section in week 2, listening in week 3, speaking in week 4, and writing in week 5. the class is offered several times a year, but the timing may or may not fit with your toefl prep.

you also don’t get any test-like software through the edx program, although the course does include videos that give you a look at real toefl software.

still, this is a very good official practice test in many ways. you get complete sections for reading, speaking and listening. you do only get half of a toefl listening section. but there is one of each of the three kinds of toefl listening audio tracks (conversation, lecture, and class discussion). so you get a real feel for toefl listening, even without the complete set of 6 tracks that you’d expect in a full-length social practice test. another advantage to this free, almost-full toefl test is that it’s taken from toefl practice online (tpo). normally, tpo is quite expensive! (see our entry on tpo later in this article.)

magoosh’s free toefl practice questions

in addition to the toefl sample test, magoosh offers a series of free practice questions that are not in toefl test form. like the toefl ibt practice sets magoosh’s free toefl practice questions come in pdf form. however, if you use these toefl practice test questions set as instructed, you can still get a very good feel for the test, even without audio or software.

this pdf comes with detailed instructions before each set. at the end, there are in-depth explanations for every question and answer from the toelf practice test. we’ve done all we can to pack tons of useful information into this pdf. sections include:

reading section questions
listening section questions
speaking section questions
writing section questions

with these instructions and answer explanations in our toefl practice test, we take the basic format of the toefl ibt test questions described below, and then bring that format to a higher, more toefl-like level.

if you like magoosh’s free practice test and sample questions, then we recommend signing up for a magoosh toefl plan. there, you can take more than one additional toefl practice test, and do many practice questions.

paid toefl practice tests

if you are able to spend a little money on toefl resources, then your first stop should be magoosh’s toefl lessons and practice questions. after that, if you’re looking for more resources, we recommend trying the toefl test resources listed below:

the official guide to the toefl

(note: the official guide to the toefl is out-of-date, with practice materials that don’t match the format of the new 2019 format of the toefl. see magoosh’s tutorial on using older toefl prep for advice on how to use this toefl test prep book.)

although it may lack skill-building materials and the amount of practice materials it contains, ets’s official guide to the toefl is the most accurate guidebook out there. after all, it’s written by the same company that makes the toefl test!

the book includes three full-length tests and a cd of test software, so you can take the tests authentically. the first toefl test is a little older, and isn’t a perfect representation of the current toefl ibt. still, only small details are different; the first test is still extremely similar, and is good practice. the second and third tests are almost exactly the same as current ibt tests. the software is also very similar to what you will see on test day.

official toefl ibt test (volumes 1 & 2)

(note: like the official guide to the toefl, these books contain practice tests that are out of date, but still useful. again, see magoosh’s guide to using older toefl prep.)

the tests in the official guide aren’t the only ones available for cheap. there are five more full-length toefl tests in a two-volume set called official toefl ibt tests.

there is one small disadvantage to these tests: if you buy the 1st edition of official toefl ibt tests vol. 1, the exams are only on paper, with cd audio tracks; you don’t get computer software. similar to quick prep, you can’t get a perfect toefl practice test experience from this older edition of official toefl ibt tests.

however, the 4th edition of official toefl ibt tests volume 1 comes with digital software and is updated to the current toefl format. it has the five practice tests from this book, all on the same software as the official guide. and again, that software is good, but not perfect. volume 2 is pretty much the same as volume 1 (2nd ed.) in structure and design, but the questions are different. since the toefl practice test questions in this second volume are newly released, they’re more similar in content to the current toefl test itself.

toefl practice online (tpo) test

every year, ets sells a new set of past toefl tests online. these tests are called the toefl practice online (tpo) tests. each tpo test is basically a full-length toefl on your home computer (windows only). they’re the best practice tests you can buy, and they give you a score, unlike many of the options above. but there are very big downsides to this type of toefl practice test:

they’re $45 each– just for one toefl practice test! you can buy both volumes of official toefl ibt tests, getting ten full tests instead of one for a similar price.
you can’t take them twice. after you finish a toefl test, it’s done.
despite the price, speaking and writing are only computer-graded. the toefl practice test speaking grader is terrible, and the scoring software for writing could be far better. you cannot trust any toefl practice test score you receive through this system.

i don’t recommend taking a tpo unless all of these are true of you, personally:

you have never taken the real toefl before (with official scores) or a tpo before.
you have enough money that the price is comfortable for you.
you become very stressed during tests like the toefl, and it usually hurts your score.

in other words, the tpo tests can give you practice with test anxiety, because it’s very similar to the real toefl test. but for the most part, they’re not worthwhile because the tests in ets books are better priced. a toefl practice test simply doesn’t need to cost as much as tpo does.

toefl test prep tips and tricks

we hope that you find all of these toefl resources helpful! please let us know if you have any questions as you work through the magoosh sample test. and remember: if you sign up for magoosh toefl, you will have access to email support from our team!

so, beyond taking a toefl practice test and possibly signing up for a magoosh toefl subscription (or a free trial), what else can you do to reach your personal high score? here are a few extra tips to get you to your target score on the real exam.

get in some good toefl test reading practice.

be sure to seek out good reading passages to practice for the reading section of the toefl. our post on the best toefl reading practice can help you seek out toefl-like reading in the different topics you’ll see on academic passages of the actual test. and be sure to take a toefl practice test or two of just the reading section. this section requires special skill and focus.

focus on toefl listening practice as well.

remember to seek out good toefl listening resources. your toefl listening prep should include the different kinds of audio files found on the real toefl exam. remember that a listening passage can be a conversation between a student and a campus employee, but academic lectures are also a major part of any toefl practice test.

also remember that the lectures found in a toefl practice test aren’t just lectures from english teachers. instead, the scholarly talks in toefl listening cover a variety of academic topics. certainly also employ good toefl listening strategies so that you understand all of the essential information you hear on the toefl test.

for toefl speaking and toefl writing, look at what other test-takers have done.

in these two sections of the toefl test, giving correct answers is more complex than just selecting the right answer choice. in this part of your toefl practice test, you have to give speeches and write essays. for the speaking test and for the writing questions, it helps to see sample responses from other test-takers.

when it comes to model responses, magoosh has you covered! we have a page that includes sample responses for every speaking task, and model essays for both the integrated writing task and the independent writing task. click here to access this toefl speaking and writing tutorial.

in addition to providing good toefl practice test questions, the ets website also has model responses to a number of questions to help you refine your own writing skills and speaking skills. these responses are based on retired prompts from the official exam. magoosh offers a roundup of these important toefl test materials. here is our roundup of links to model speaking responses. and here’s our roundup of toefl writing examples. (these link-lists also contain additional content from magoosh.)

use only the best toefl practice tests.

make sure that you are using high quality practice questions as you prepare for the actual toefl. official questions from ets are the very best, because they are taken from real previous tests. as such, they cover the same variety of topics as the actual exam, with the same types of questions and with toefl test sections that are truly authentic. any toefl practice test from ets is a good one!

magoosh also aims for this higher level of quality. our expert instructor who leads our toefl test prep carefully studies ets materials and imitates them as closely as possible, and our whole team has years of experience making high quality toefl prep. (we put this kind of careful work into the toefl practice test in this article too!)

that said, many unofficial toefl test prep resources have a “toefl problem,” where their practice questions simply aren’t that accurate. this is esepcially true of many of the free toefl prep resources that are in widespread use. if your toefl prep freels a little “off” for any reason, you may want to seek out higher quality toefl preparation courses.

practice your english!

to do well on the toefl test, improve your overall english by practicing it as much as you can. seek out english conversations with people whose native language is english, or with anyone who is comfortable speaking english with you. use social media to communicate in english. watch english language tv and movies, listen to english music, and so on.

build a good study plan.

once you’ve taken our toefl practice test and gotten those great toefl prep materials, what you need is a good toefl study plan. for examples of how you could arrange your study timeline, see magoosh’s toefl study plans and guides.

author

rachel wisuri

rachel helps eager students find out about magoosh. she graduated from uc berkeley with a super helpful double major in history and french. in her free time she can be found eating peanut butter, drinking five cups of tea per day, and playing with cats.

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58 responses to “toefl practice test: a toefl sample test from magoosh”

lilia

november 18, 2015

i am interested about toefel

ephrem tesfaye desta

november 19, 2015

dear all:

i am from ethiopia.
i have been in field work spending night in looking at stars through telescopes for astronomical site testing . i am not well prepared for my toefl-ibt exam. but the material from magoosh i found it very important. i am in last minute to take the exam!!
thank you for you guidance and support.

ephrem.

1. doniyor
  
  november 27, 2015
  
  hello ephrem tesfaye desta, i hope you did well on toefl. have gotten the results yet? what happened? can you share any experience or feelings you got during the exam? i am so curious about the process. thank you
  
mwayi kalonga

november 22, 2015

iam interested.

muluken

november 22, 2015

i need toefl help

1. maqsood ur rahim
  
  november 13, 2016
  
  i am maqsood i live in pakistan and my qualification mba marketing.
  
gebremedhin

november 23, 2015

i am applying different scholarship university for master degrees that all have the requirement to submit toefl test,there fore this could help me and guides me how to handle,and coupe up with my english knowledge at all.

1. hard
  
  february 27, 2018
  
  i like it
  
ada

november 23, 2015

it’s very helpful article, the toefl is not only test the silk of english but also time management.

abhishek dhungel

december 16, 2015

hi. i have heard so much about magoosh. i would love you to help me with the preparation of toefl.

1. abhishek dugal
  
  june 17, 2020
  
  i guess u can try the free trial, if u like it, then register for the whole plan.
  it’s a great program!
  
fatmawati

december 27, 2015

thank you

nini

january 11, 2016

hi, i would love to practice more speaking and listening skills. i love magoosh, it really helps. frankly speaking, yesterday it helped me more than my professor 🙂

1. rachel wisuri
  
  january 11, 2016
  
  glad we could help. 🙂 happy studying, nini!
  
2. ahmed
  
  may 28, 2016
  
  you should try listenning to 6 minutes english by bbc, it really helps with pronunciation and they usually speak clearly about familiar topics.
  
subash kandel

april 4, 2016

hi ,
i’m from nepal
how can i improved my english speaking in toefl-ibt examination?
plz help me with supporting gudelinens..

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  april 4, 2016
  
  well, a lot of that depends on your personal strengths and weaknesses. one general piece of advice i can give is this: remember that the structure of your response– in terms of organization, details, supporting ideas, and so on— is as important as more general aspects of english speech such as pronunciation, intonation, and grammar. true toefl speaking success comes when you can perform well in every aspect of speaking that you see in the official toefl score guides.
  
2. ishu sherpa
  
  october 10, 2016
  
  how was your toefl exam?
  
ishu sherpa

october 10, 2016

is it possible to prepare toeflin just 4 days??

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  october 11, 2016
  
  hi ishu,
  
  if you’re already highly confident in english and just need to learn the toefl test style and expectations, yes! focus on learning what the toefl will ask of you and how it will ask–these hurdles are not hard to overcome quickly. there won’t be time to learn new reading strategies or master spoken english, but you can come up with a plan of attack for the test day, including learning some general answer styles for writing and speaking. good luck! 🙂
  
İbrahim hakkı

march 20, 2017

actually ı wanna correct a statement about the official practice test.it does exist ! i hope you ll be more honest in the future.

https://toeflpractice.ets.org/

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  march 20, 2017
  
  hi ibrahim,
  
  i believe there may be a slight misunderstanding here. please note that this blog post is discussing the lack of a free official toefl practice test (unlike it’s gre counterpart who does have free content). please note that we are not claiming that there is no official content. however, as you can see in the link you’ve provided, each mock exam costs $45.95. sorry for any confusion–i hope this clarification helps! 🙂
  
bona

april 9, 2017

hello ! if you are not sure about an answer , is better to not answer ( are there penalties?) or to just give it your best shot? thank you !

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  april 9, 2017
  
  hi bona,
  
  for the toefl, there is no penalty for guessing, so it’s better to give it a shot. please check out this blog post for reference! i hope this helps! 🙂
  
linda

april 22, 2017

sorry to bother you with an other question 🙂 . during the integrated speaking session , questions 3and 4, will i be able to see the reading passage during the time that i’m speaking , or i read it once during the time frame they give you and i need to take notes ? also during the integrated essay writing, i will be able to see the passage only in the 3 min frame , or i can go back and see it if i need too ? thank you !

1. david recine
  
  april 23, 2017
  
  great question, linda. for integrated speaking, you only get to see the passage once, before you listen to the audio and give your response.but in integrated writing, the passage is presented to you before the lecture, but then appears back on screen again after the lecture is over. so in writing task 1, you’ll be able to look at the passage while you write your essay.
  
  1. linda
    
    april 23, 2017
    
    thank you ! very useful to know it before the test ! thanks for your time and your answer 🙂
    
  2. finn
    
    march 1, 2018
    
    very useful to know, thank you!
    
    will we get paper to take notes on or do they provide it?
    
    1. magoosh test prep expert
      
      march 1, 2018
      
      hi finn,
      
      the testing center will provide scratch paper and a pencil when you are taking the test 🙂
      
linda

april 23, 2017

thank you ! and the questions continue 😂. will i be able to stop the timer after each speaking task ( to clear my head and catch my breath ) ? same question for the listening , will i be able to stop the timer after the recording then start it to answer the questions ? or stop the timer after each listening task ( or the whole listening goes as a time block ?) ? thank you ! appreciate your clear and quick answers so far 😊

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  april 24, 2017
  
  hi linda,
  
  unfortunately you have no control over the timer, so you have to be calm and ready to tackle the test as it comes. you can do it, though! 🙂
  
  1. linda
    
    april 24, 2017
    
    good to know ! thank you! appreciate it !
    
    1. linda
      
      may 8, 2017
      
      thank you ! thank you! i did it !
      
bona

april 26, 2017

hello ! do we need to give a title , a head , or something on the independent essay , or start straight with the introduction ? thank you for your help.

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  april 27, 2017
  
  there is no need to worry about a title or a heading; you can just dive right in. 🙂
  
  1. bona
    
    may 8, 2017
    
    thank you ! i got the results back ! i did great! thank you for your help . i will highly recommend your page ( www.catharsisit.com) mto anyone who is thinking about taking the test 🙂
    
    1. magoosh test prep expert
      
      may 8, 2017
      
      hi bona,
      
      congrats! that’s great to hear, and thank you for sharing! time for some celebration 😀
      
      best of luck on your applications! 🙂
      
anshul

june 5, 2017

i have signed up for toefl test preparation: the insider’s guide. but i dont know how to use it to practice. can you help?

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  june 5, 2017
  
  hi anshul,
  
  we have a blog series that goes through the information from this 6-week course. you can find the first blog post here: //www.catharsisit.com/toefl/2016/edx-official-toefl-course-ets-week-1/. you can find the entire series linked in the final installment: //www.catharsisit.com/toefl/2016/ets-official-toefl-course-online-week-6/. david’s post each will help you navigate your way through the course and focus on the most important material. i hope this helps!
  
wondwosen kebede

august 28, 2017

hello!
i have signed on toefl test but i can’t participate because i dn’t understand how and when i get the test. can you help me?

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  august 29, 2017
  
  hello! i am confused. do you mean that you signed up for toefl lessons with us or that you registered for the actual toefl test?
  
khun maung song

november 17, 2017

great study page. thanks!

qais

february 15, 2018

i need a toefl test questions and answers anyone can help me please

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  february 16, 2018
  
  hi qais,
  
  there are plenty of places to find high-quality toefl test questions and answers! i recommend that you check out the following official materials from ets:
  toefl ibt interactive sampler
  test questions
  quick prep
  
  magoosh also has free practice questions give you a way to practice with material similar to the real exam.
  
  if you’re looking for high quality and affordable test prep that includes over 500 questions and 100 lessons to cover all of the strategy and information you need, you can check out our toefl premium product. try us out with a free 7-day trial!
  
norah fleur

december 10, 2018

hi, could you please tell me where i can get the audio resources for the magoosh sample practice test?

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  december 12, 2018
  
  hi norah!
  
  when you open the sample test pdf, there will be links to the audio recordings embedded within it. 🙂 once you get to the listening section, you’ll see blue links entitled “five-minute lecture,” “four-minute conversation,” and so on. clicking on the links will take you to a page where the audio will play. 😀
  
shamsuddin niazi

january 31, 2019

dear sir/madam
good afternoon! would you mind send me pdf the practice test of toefl.

kind regards
niazi

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  february 1, 2019
  
  hi niazi,
  
  you should be able to access the practice test by following this link: https://toefl.www.catharsisit.com/free-toefl-practice-test?utm_source=toeflblog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=blog-pdfs&utm_term=button&utm_content=practice&__hssc=188165751.1317.1549035717474&__hstc=188165751.3822b396daa7d6aeeb8cc29c7073a8fb.1510686196948.1548952923404.1549035717474.673&__hsfp=4058140573&hsctatracking=9d551bdb-8959-4fe2-acc1-59cf2dafd1f7%7cfc32200d-cd8d-45c8-8e37-7abfaaecda2b
  
  if that doesn’t work, send us an email at [email protected] and let us know that you are having trouble with the link. someone can attach the pdf to an email 🙂
  
nosheen

june 16, 2019

thank you, do magoosh provide speaking feedback? is it for free or not?

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  june 16, 2019
  
  hi nosheen!
  
  magoosh does not provide speaking feedback for the toefl at this time. 🙂 with that said, you’re absolutely welcome to try out our toefl prep with a free 7-day trial to see what we do include! 😀
  
teddy

august 31, 2019

i need a standard current toefl mock test. my exam is on the 7th of september. i need to have an idea of my performance level of a mock on the real new exam format and make some corrections before my exam. if i can get it done with my scores available immediately i will appreciate.

thanks in anticipation of an immediate response

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  december 7, 2019
  
  hi teddy! sorry for the late reply. i hope your exam went well! if you or anyone else is curious, here is the link to the free toefl practice test on the ets site: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/free_practice_test
  
charly arker

october 23, 2019

magoosh is very useful for toefl students. i was able to get a lot of materials all thanks to magoosh. i’m grateful for your help

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  october 25, 2019
  
  glad to hear you enjoyed studying with us, charly! thanks for the note 🙂
  
hermela mezgebe

december 15, 2020

hey i am called hermela and i am from ethiopia and i need help to take toefl test scholarship and i don know what to do

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  january 8, 2021
  
  hi hermela, i’m afraid that we don’t offer toefl scholarships here at magoosh. this blog post might help you find some scholarship resources. good luck!
  
neda

april 1, 2021

hi magnoosh
can you please help me to get the audio scripts of this practice?

1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  april 2, 2021
  
  hi neda, i’ll pass along this feedback to our content team.