Myths and Misconceptions about the TOEFL Listening section

The TOEFL iBT® test is one of the most widely recognised as an assessment to test your English proficiency. In this, the TOEFL Listening section is often said to be one of the most challenging modules of the test. As people started taking the TOEFL, myths and misconceptions around the exam have emerged along with it. 

The listening module has audios with the accents of people from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and North America. Hence, it is important to equip yourself by having an exposure to all of these accents as you prepare for your TOEFL test. 

In this blog, we are here to smash the 3 most common myths and misconceptions about the TOEFL Listening section for you. So, read ahead to bust the myths and misconceptions and then learn our expert tricks to ace the TOEFL Listening test in one go! 

Also Read: Top 5 Hacks to Crack TOEFL iBT® Exam in First Attempt

About the TOEFL Listening Module

The TOEFL Listening section will require you to listen to an audio that has different accents as mentioned earlier. The audios have the content based on a university setting. Take a look at the following table to get an overall view about the listening module of the TOEFL test.  

TOEFL Listening Section Myths and Misconceptions

Myth 1: The TOEFL Listening audios contain everyday casual conversations

Misconception: Most test takers think that the TOEFL listening involves hearing to audios based on casual and conversational English. Moreover, they expect audios to be informal like the ones used in movies and TV shows. 

Fact: The Listening module has audios relating to classrooms, lectures based in an academic setting, and conversations in a university setting. The contents in the audio is leaned towards a formal tone and a structured speech in academic environments. 

For example, the audios might have a professor giving lectures on different subjects or university students talking about internship opportunities offered by the campus.

Tip: To prepare, listen to academic podcasts, lectures, or TED Talks. This will help familiarise you with the style and tone of language typically used in the TOEFL Listening section.

Also Read: How to Send Your TOEFL iBT® Scores to Colleges?

Myth 2: You can only listen to the audio

Misconception: Some TOEFL test takers usually believe that in the Listening section, the test allows them to listen to each recording once and then they could do nothing about it. This thought can cause much anxiety to them, adding stress and pressure even before they begin listening to the TOEFL Listening audios. 

Fact: While it is a fact that you will be allowed to hear each TOEFL Listening recording only once, the test will allow you to simultaneously take notes while listening. You can easily use it as a reference while answering the given questions. Adding on, the questions that follow each recording clip are very specific and you can answer the questions with the notes you’ve gathered.

Tip: Focusing on the main points, supporting details, and the connection between the parts of the TOEFL Listening conversation or lecture. With consistent practice, you will be able to achieve all of this easily. 

Myth 3: You must understand and hear for every single word

Misconception: A common belief among the students who are preparing for their TOEFL test is that, in order to score higher in the Listening section, they must understand and listen for every single word that is spoken. Due to this, some become overly focused in observing every detail and eventually lose sight of the actual bigger picture of the audio. 

Fact: It is not that important to focus and try to understand every word in the audio. In fact, when you try to do it, it will slow you down and stand as an hindrance in front of your ability to grasp the key ideas.

Tip: Try practicing active listening and train your brain to focus on the important ideas with key words and then on the overall structure. Note, you should not get stuck on the words you don’t understand and keep moving forward by continuing to understand the overall context. To elaborate, when you don’t understand a word in the audio, we would encourage you to try understanding the whole context of the audio and then make notes. Even though details are important, focusing excessively on them will result in missing out on too much important information said in the audio.

To conclude, having misconceptions about a test that you are preparing is common. But with proper guidance, you can easily come across them and boost your confidence. The same happens with the TOEFL test. We hope that we have cleared your doubts on the top 3 most common myths and misconceptions about the TOEFL Listening section for you with this article. So why wait? Kickstart your preparations today!

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