What is the fee of registering for the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition?

Applicants who choose to take the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition must pay an amount of INR 16,900 for registering, which is the same for TOEFL iBT.

How many times is the TOEFL iBT Home Edition conducted in a month?

The TOEFL iBT Paper Edition is offered once or twice every month.

As the TOEFL iBT exam is conducted in two sessions, do I have to book two dates or one?

You need to schedule two appointments when you register: one at your neighbourhood testing facility and the other at your house.

In some places, why is the duration of the first session of TOEFL iBT Paper Edition written as three and half hours? What is the actual duration?

The test duration at a centre is three hours. An additional thirty minutes is allocated for test administration tasks, such as admitting examinees, allowing them to input identifying information, and managing test materials.

Are there any special requirements for the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition?

As the Speaking section is conducted from home, please ensure that you have the required setup for both the equipment and environment before registering. You will get the details from the official website.

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Studying for TOEFL Listening Section: Passive Listening vs Active Listening

Studying for TOEFL iBT® Listening: Passive Listening vs Active Listening

Akanksha Tripathi

5 min read

Updated On January 27, 2025

"Passive listening helps you get used to English and its accents, while active listening focuses on understanding and recalling details. Learn how Passive and Active Listening are essential for TOEFL."

Key Highlights

Meaning of Passive and Active Listening in TOEFL
Importance of Passive Listening in TOEFL
Importance of Active Listening in TOEFL
Difference Between Passive and Active Listening in TOEFL
How to Practice Passive and Active Listening for TOEFL

In TOEFL, passive and active listening serve distinct purposes. Passive listening familiarizes you with English, aiding in general comprehension, while active listening hones your skills for capturing detailed information and engaging with the material. Let’s delve into the meaning, significance, and differences of these two listening strategies to enhance your TOEFL iBT® performance.

Meaning of Passive and Active Listening in TOEFL

Passive Listening involves absorbing information without deep engagement or interaction. It’s useful for familiarizing yourself with the content but not for detailed understanding.

Active Listening requires focused attention and interaction with the material. It’s essential for answering specific questions and comprehending detailed information in TOEFL Listening tasks.

Tackle the listening section with confidence!
Explore our TOEFL Listening Practice Tests and improve your listening accuracy today.

Importance of Passive Listening in TOEFL

Here are some reasons why passive listening is important in TOEFL:

1. General Comprehension: Passive listening can help to develop a general comprehension of the main ideas and overall content that is useful in answering questions on general comprehension of the listening material

2. Background Information: It helps allow you to have English in the background environment and contributes to general listening skills and general comfort level of the language.

3. Familiarization: Listening passively to English audio helps you get used to different accents and speaking speeds, making it easy to understand various speakers in the exam.

4. Less Stressful Practice: Passive listening is less stressful and flexible as it works on the integration of English into your daily life without the pressure of the engagement phase.

Importance of Active Listening in TOEFL

Here are some reasons why active listening is important in TOEFL:

1. Comprehension Questions: Active listening will allow you to capture both details and themes when listening to a passage; this is crucial when answering comprehension questions.

2. Note-Taking Skills: Engaging yourself actively in what you are learning enables you to write an effective note, much needed in the Listening section, where there is given information in which you are expected to remember what it said.

3. Summarizing: The active listening skill helps you to easily make summaries and paraphrases of listening passages; this is often required on the TOEFL speaking section.

4. Get details: Through active listening, you are in a position to get some of the subtle details and key points that can enhance your performance in questions that probe for an understanding of particular information.

Check out - TOEFL iBT® Test Listening Score Calculation: Grading Criteria, Score Interpretation

Difference Between Passive and Active Listening in TOEFL

Here are some key differences between passive and active listening that can impact your TOEFL performance. Understanding these differences will help you enhance your listening skills for better exam results:

Aspect	Passive Listening	Active Listening
1. Engagement	In passive listening, the listener communicates less while receiving information from the speaker. They simply receive information without much interaction.	Active listening means complete engagement with the speaker in terms of responding and asking questions.
2. Focus	Focus in passive listening is often limited to hearing the words without delving into the details or meanings.	Interest is created in active listening on the subject matter, and focus is given to the content and underlying messages.
3. Feedback	Provides minimal feedback, often just acknowledging the speaker with brief responses like “okay” or “I see.”	Provides constructive feedback through verbal cues and responses, such as summarizing or clarifying.
4. Empathy	Does not show any empathy for the speaker's feelings or the message that is being delivered.	Shows empathy by recognizing the speaker's feelings and reacting with sensitive feedback.
5. Participation	Involves reception of the message without contributing to the conversation.	Encourages a two-way interaction where the listener actively participates and contributes to the dialogue.
6. Note-Taking	Note-taking is infrequent and not systematically used, leading to less retention of details.	The listener should often and strategically take notes, capturing the vital information of the conversation.
7. Non-Verbal Cues	Limited use of non-verbal cues such as eye contact or nodding, which may indicate disinterest.	Utilizes non-verbal cues like nodding, eye contact, and facial expressions to show attentiveness and interest.

Check out - Top 5 Hacks to Crack TOEFL iBT® Exam in First Attempt

How to Practice Passive and Active Listening for TOEFL

Here are the top strategies to practice passive and active listening for TOEFL and enhance your listening skills:

Passive Listening Tips:

1.Background Listening: Put on some English audio and do something else while it's playing. It will help your brain get accustomed to the sound of the language.

2.Varied material: The more types of intonation, accents, and talking speeds you have become exposed to, the more capable you will be of picking up what a person is saying.

3.Routine Integration: Make sure to fit English listening into your routine, much like during commutes or while exercising, so it kind of becomes second nature to you.

4.Listening to Different Genres: Listen to various genres like interviews, documentaries, and casual conversations to get a feel for the different contexts.

5.Get exposure to media: Watch TV programs, movies, or YouTube channels in English with subtitles first and eventually without to make it more challenging.

Check out - How to Keep Up with Fast Speakers in TOEFL Listening Tasks

Active Listening Tips:

1. Focused Practice: Keep specific time slots to listen to TOEFL practice material and give it your undivided attention, and take detailed notes about key points.

2. Interactive Exercises: Practice the skill of summarizing or paraphrasing what is heard—it will make remembering and understanding the information easier.

3. Practice Questions: Use TOEFL listening practice questions to test comprehension as well as the ability to retain answers to details found in the passages.

4. Note-taking techniques: Develop good note-taking techniques, such as using abbreviations and symbols for quick capture of key information.

5. Active Participation: Take part in discussions or exercises in which you need to mention or explain what you heard, thereby enhancing your active listening abilities.

I hope this blog on Passive Listening vs Active Listening in TOEFL has been helpful for you in understanding the differences and importance of these two strategies. By integrating both into your preparation, you'll be better equipped to tackle the listening section with confidence. Keep practicing and refining your skills to ensure success in your TOEFL exam!

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