TOEFL 2026 Sample Questions

Complete the Words

Some words in a short academic paragraph are missing their final letters. Fill in the missing letters.

Coral reefs are among the most div_ _ _ _ ecosystems on Earth. Although they co_ _ _ less than one percent of the ocean floor, they sup_ _ _ _ roughly a quarter of all marine spe_ _ _ _. Reefs are built slowly by tiny ani_ _ _ _ called polyps, which pro_ _ _ _ a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate. Rising ocean temp_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ are a serious thr_ _ _ to reefs, because warm water causes corals to lose the algae that pro_ _ _ _ them with food. Without these algae, the coral turns white and may even_ _ _ _ _ _ die.

Read in Daily Life

Read a short everyday text, such as an email or a notice, and answer the questions.

Read an Academic Passage

Read a short academic passage and answer the questions.

Urban Heat Islands

Cities are often several degrees warmer than the countryside around them, a pattern known as the urban heat island effect. The main cause is the replacement of vegetation with materials such as asphalt and concrete, which absorb sunlight during the day and release it slowly as heat at night. Tall buildings add to the problem by trapping warm air between them and blocking the wind that would otherwise carry it away. Waste heat from vehicles and air conditioners contributes as well, although its share is smaller than many people assume. Because the effect is strongest after sunset, city residents get less relief during heat waves than rural residents do. Planners have responded by planting trees, installing reflective roofs, and using lighter-colored paving, all of which reduce the amount of sunlight that surfaces absorb.

Listen and Choose a Response

You hear one short statement or question and choose the most appropriate reply.

Listen to an Announcement

You hear a short announcement and answer a question about it.

Attention students: the shuttle bus between the north campus and the science building will not run this Friday because of road repairs. A replacement bus will leave from the front of the student center every thirty minutes, starting at 7:30 in the morning. The regular shuttle will be back on Monday.

Build a Sentence

Arrange the words into a grammatically correct sentence.

Write an Email

Write a short email that responds to an everyday or campus situation.

You missed your group's project meeting yesterday because your bus broke down. Write an email to your group members. In your email, explain why you missed the meeting, apologize, and suggest how you will catch up on the work.

Write for an Academic Discussion

Read a professor's question and two classmates' posts, then add your own contribution.

Professor: Many universities now record every lecture and post it online. Does this help students learn, or does it encourage them to skip class? Explain your view.

Listen and Repeat (7 prompts)

You hear a sentence once — it is not shown on screen — and repeat it exactly. The sentences get longer.

1. The library closes at nine.
2. Please bring your student card to the exam.
3. The professor moved the deadline to next Thursday.
4. Students who register early can choose their own seminar group.
5. The results of the experiment were different from what the team expected.
6. Although the building is old, most of its classrooms were renovated last year.
7. Anyone who needs extra time on the assignment should email the instructor before Friday.

To practice properly, cover the list and have someone read each sentence once, or use our shadowing practice and dictation tool, which play the audio for you.

Take an Interview (4 questions)

Answer each question aloud for about 45 seconds, with no preparation time.

1. Where do you usually study, and why do you prefer that place?
2. How do you use technology when you are learning something new?
3. Tell me about a time when you had to manage a busy schedule. What did you do?
4. Some people prefer to study alone, others in a group. Which works better for you, and why?

Answer directly in your first sentence, then add a reason or a concrete example. See what changed in Speaking and the scoring rubric.

Is there a free TOEFL 2026 practice test?

This page gives free sample questions for every task type in the 2026 TOEFL iBT, with answers and no sign-up. ETS also publishes official practice materials, which are the best reference for the exact on-screen format.

What are the new TOEFL task types in 2026?

Reading: Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage. Listening: Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, Listen to an Academic Talk. Writing: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion. Speaking: Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview.

How long is the new TOEFL?

ETS lists approximate base times of 30 minutes for Reading, 29 for Listening, 23 for Writing and 8 for Speaking, and advises allowing about two hours in total. Because the test adapts, time and item counts can vary.

Are these official ETS questions?

No. We are not affiliated with ETS. The task names and section totals come from ETS's public test-content page; the sample questions are written by us to illustrate each task type.