Tips for Toefl Listening
Not getting your ideal score on your
listening section and looking for concrete ways to improve it? The
listening section on the TOEFL exam can be overwhelming for many students with its
complicated lectures and at times lengthy conversations. Here are some proven
tips to up your score – guaranteed!
(1)
Keep it
simple. Remember:
you don’t have to write everything down. The TOEFL listening section does
not want or expect you to write down every single detail – such a feat would be
impossible, even for a native speaker. When taking notes for
conversations, differentiating by columns what the male speaker
says versus the female is quite useful, as there will more than likely be
questions regarding opinions and statements from each speaker. With lectures, make sure to write down
key words and not get bogged down with too many details. You don’t want
to lose track of the lecture or conversation because you’re so concerned with
specifics.
(2)
Organize
your notes. It’s
always a smart idea to number or letter your notes by section, particularly if
the speaker gives examples. Be aware
that when any sort of process is described in a lecture or conversation there
will be questions later on in the test regarding what order the process comes
in. Organizing your notes as you hear them will save you time later and
be invaluable when answering “rhetorical function” questions, which are very
common on the listening section.
(3)
Pay attention to the speaker’s tone of voice. For instance, whether the speaker sounds excited, sad
or confused can help you answer questions that are about the speaker’s attitude
or opinion.
(4)
If you are unsure of
the correct response, try to figure out which choice is most consistent with the main idea of the conversation or lecture.
(5)
Listen to
academic audio recordings. If you
can, go to your library or search online for academic lectures; specifically,
history, science, philosophy or the arts. The lectures presented on the TOEFL exam are lectures that would be typically heard by
freshmen or sophomore students at a university. Challenge yourself by
seeking these types of audio recordings out so you can be familiar with the
structure and language. If you can’t find academic recordings, then try
listening to the news online, which is usually spoken in Standard American
Dialect and uses advanced vocabulary words, all of which are applicable to the
TOEFL.
(6)
Watch
TV. Yes – believe it or not, you’re being given advice to
watch TV to study for the listening section on the TOEFL. Not just any type of TV program, either: sitcoms
and hour-long dramas. Why? These are useful to the conversations
presented to you in the TOEFL listening section because they are spoken in
dialogue and deal, ultimately, with problems and solutions. When
watching a sitcom or hour-long drama, take notes and make sure to identify the
problem and the solution.Research any idioms or slang you might hear – this
will also come in handy, as many rhetorical function questions deal directly
with idiomatic expressions.
(7)
Listen to
less music and more spoken words. Download news articles from the BBC or Business English
from I-Tunes and try to listen to them instead of music for thirty minutes a
day. Pick topics that interest you – there are a wide variety of podcasts
to choose from. This will sharpen your listening skills and expand your
vocabulary, not to mention make you more well-informed.
Remember, listening skills can be improved just as your
reading, speaking and writing skills. And keep in mind – the TOEFL does
not expect you to have a preconceived knowledge of any of the material based in
the lectures or conversations, so don’t feel overwhelmed when you are given a
lecture on cellular division in plants or the geographical history of a
particular nomadic tribe.
