Four Useful TOEFL Listening Tips

1. Watch and Listen to English News
One great way to improve your listening skills is to watch English-language news stations, such as BBC.

You can also start with English news websites for  English-language learners - For example, VOA Learning English, which provides news audio clips at a slightly slower pace.

BBC Learning English is another helpful resource that breaks down news stories into clear steps and offers audio clips as well as definitions of relevant vocabulary words.

2. Listen to English Podcasts
English podcast allow you to hear how native speakers talk in English. They’re especially helpful because they don’t use videos or transcripts to guide you, meaning you must rely entirely on your listening skills in order to understand what’s being said.

3. Be Able to Understand Different English Accents
On TOEFL Listening, most speakers will have a North American accent, but you will also hear at least one non-North American accent, which could be a UK, Australian, or New Zealand accent.

If you primarily studied American English, you won’t need to worry too much about this. But you should still expose yourself to non-American accents. The best way to prepare is to speak with native English speakers who are not from North America. Additionally, you can try listening to non-American news stations and podcasts.

On the other hand, if you studied UK, Australian, New Zealand, or a different (non-American) form of English, you’ll definitely need to familiarize yourself with the North American accent. One easy way to do this is to watch movies and TV shows from the US and Canada. You can also listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos, or chat with native English speakers from North America.

4. Pay Close Attention to Replayed Audio Clips
On Listening, sometimes a small clip from a lecture or conversation you listened to will be replayed before you answer a particular question. In these cases, always pay close attention to the replayed clip. This is because the clip will for sure contain the answer to the question that comes after it.

Even if you’ve already taken detailed notes on the full audio clip, listen closely to the replayed clip—you might catch something important you didn’t hear the first time around!