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The 2026 test

TOEFL questions in 2026: every question type, with an example to answer

The 2026 TOEFL iBT has twelve question types. Here is each one, in the order you’ll meet them, with a question to answer right on this page and one trick to try. The exam facts are ETS’s; the tricks are our own advice.

GoodMocks teamUpdated 12 min read

The short answer

The 2026 TOEFL iBT has twelve question types in four sections. 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. Below, you’ll answer one of each.

Question types
12
Sections
4
You hear each recording
Once
Band for each section
1–6
On this page15 sections
  1. 01The 2026 test at a glance
  2. 02Reading 1: Complete the Words
  3. 03Reading 2: Read in Daily Life
  4. 04Reading 3: Read an Academic Passage
  5. 05Listening 1: Listen and Choose a Response
  6. 06Listening 2: Listen to a Conversation
  7. 07Listening 3: Listen to an Announcement
  8. 08Listening 4: Listen to an Academic Talk
  9. 09Writing 1: Build a Sentence
  10. 10Writing 2: Write an Email
  11. 11Writing 3: Write for an Academic Discussion
  12. 12Speaking 1: Listen and Repeat
  13. 13Speaking 2: Take an Interview
  14. 14Where to practice next
  15. 15Common questions

The 2026 test at a glanceLink to The 2026 test at a glance

ETS groups the twelve question types into four sections, and lists them in this order. Reading and Listening adapt to you: how you do in the first part decides how hard the second part is. Writing and Speaking are the same for everyone. If a list of TOEFL questions doesn’t name these twelve tasks, it was written for a different version of the test.

The four sections and their question types
SectionQuestion typesItems (ETS)Approx. base time (ETS)
ReadingComplete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage5030 minutes
ListeningListen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, Listen to an Academic Talk4729 minutes
WritingBuild a Sentence, Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion1223 minutes
SpeakingListen and Repeat, Take an Interview118 minutes
ETS, TOEFL iBT test content page, read on October 28, 2026. ETS adds that test time doesn’t include directions, and that items and time may vary as the test adapts.

Reading 1: Complete the WordsLink to Reading 1: Complete the Words

What it asks: a short paragraph with ten words cut in half, and you type the missing letters. ETS keeps the first sentence whole, then removes the second half of every second word. Each word is one point, and ETS lists 30 of these words in a test. Full guide: Complete the Words.

Try it

Finish the paragraph

Ten words to complete. Each underline is one missing letter.

Fill in the missing letters in the paragraph.

Walking is one of the simplest ways to stay healthy. It ne no spe equipment, a almost any can d it. A sh walk af a me can he your bo feel more relaxed. Many people also find that a walk clears their mind when they are tired or worried. Doctors often suggest walking to patients who want to become more active, because it is gentle on the body.

A word turns green as soon as it’s right.

0/10 words

Reading 2: Read in Daily LifeLink to Reading 2: Read in Daily Life

What it asks: a short everyday text, like an email, a notice or a text chat, followed by two or three multiple-choice questions. The text stays on screen while you answer. ETS lists 5 to 15 of these questions in a test, and each is one point. Full guide: Read in Daily Life.

Try it

Read the email, answer three questions

One everyday text, three questions: the purpose, a detail and what the text suggests.

Email

Subject: Your prescription is ready

Hello Ms. Okafor, Your prescription is ready to collect at Greenfield Pharmacy. We are open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are closed on Sundays. Please bring a photo ID. If you can’t come in person, someone else can collect it for you with a signed note from you and their own ID. We keep prescriptions for seven days, then they go back on the shelf. Greenfield Pharmacy Team

  1. Question 1 of 3

    Why did the pharmacy send this email?

0/3 questions

Reading 3: Read an Academic PassageLink to Reading 3: Read an Academic Passage

What it asks: a passage of about 200 words, followed by five questions. They ask about main ideas, details, the meaning of a word or phrase, what is implied, and how the text is built. The passage stays on screen. Below is the passage with three of the five questions. Full guide: Read an Academic Passage.

Try it

Read the passage, answer three questions

A detail, a vocabulary word and an inference: three of the five kinds of question a passage asks.

The Invention of the Stethoscope

Before the nineteenth century, doctors who wanted to hear a patient’s heart or lungs pressed an ear directly against the patient’s chest. The method was awkward, and it was not always possible, because many people thought it improper for a doctor to hold his ear to a patient’s body.

In 1816, a French doctor named René Laennec faced this problem with a young woman who had heart trouble. Knowing that sound travels clearly along a solid object, he rolled a sheet of paper into a tube, placed one end on her chest and held the other to his ear. To his surprise, he could hear her heartbeat more clearly than ever before.

Laennec soon replaced the paper with a wooden tube and gave the instrument a name, the stethoscope, from Greek words meaning “chest” and “to examine”. He then spent years comparing the sounds he heard in living patients with what he later found in those who had died, and so learned to link particular sounds to particular illnesses. His book on the subject, published in 1819, helped to spread the new tool across Europe. Later inventors added two earpieces and flexible tubes, producing the instrument doctors wear around their necks today.

  1. Question 1 of 3

    Why did Laennec roll a sheet of paper into a tube?

0/3 questions

Listening 1: Listen and Choose a ResponseLink to Listening 1: Listen and Choose a Response

What it asks: you hear one short question or statement, once, and it isn’t written on screen. Then you pick the most appropriate of four written replies. ETS lists 15 to 19 of these in a test, each one point. On the real test you only hear the line; here, read it as if you’d just heard it once. Full guide: Listen and Choose a Response.

Try it

Three lines, three replies

A polite question, an opinion question and a problem. Each wants a different kind of reply.

  1. Question 1 of 3

    You hear · Man

    Show the words

    “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

    Choose the best response.

0/3 questions

Listening 2: Listen to a ConversationLink to Listening 2: Listen to a Conversation

What it asks: you hear a short conversation between two people, once, and answer two questions about it. ETS lists 10 of these questions in a test, each one point. Expect to be asked why someone said something, what a speaker means, and what will happen next. Full guide: Listen to a Conversation.

Try it

A conversation and two questions

A student at the campus bookstore. One question about why, one about what comes next.

You hear

Listen to a conversation.

Show the transcript
Student

Hi. I bought this chemistry textbook last week, but my professor just told us we won’t need it. Can I return it?

Clerk

Sure, as long as nobody has written in it. Do you have your receipt?

Student

Oh no. I think I threw it away. I paid by card, if that helps.

Clerk

Unfortunately, our system only gives refunds with the receipt. But if you show me your student ID, I can give you store credit for the full price.

Student

Store credit? I was hoping to get my money back. But I do need a notebook and some pens, so I guess that works.

Clerk

Great. And if you find the receipt within a week, bring it in and we can switch it to a refund.

  1. Question 1 of 2

    Why does the student go to the bookstore?

0/2 questions

Listening 3: Listen to an AnnouncementLink to Listening 3: Listen to an Announcement

What it asks: you hear a short announcement of about 40 to 85 words, like one in a class or at a school event, then answer questions about it. ETS lists 6 to 10 of these questions in a test, each one point. Full guide: Listen to an Announcement.

Try it

An announcement and two questions

A lab instructor changes something. What changed, and where is it now?

You hear

Listen to an announcement in a science lab.

Show the transcript
Instructor

Good morning, everyone. Before you start today’s experiment, a quick change. From next week, safety goggles will no longer be kept in the cupboard by the door. You can collect a pair from the new lockers in the hallway outside the lab. Please also remember that long hair must be tied back during experiments. If you have any trouble finding the lockers, ask me after class. Now, let’s begin.

  1. Question 1 of 2

    Why is the instructor making the announcement?

0/2 questions

Listening 4: Listen to an Academic TalkLink to Listening 4: Listen to an Academic Talk

What it asks: you hear a short talk of about 100 to 250 words, like a lecture or a podcast, and answer four questions. ETS lists 8 to 16 of these questions in a test, each one point. Below is a talk with three of the four. Full guide: Listen to an Academic Talk.

Try it

A talk and three questions

The main idea, why the speaker uses an example, and a detail the speaker asks about out loud.

You hear

Listen to a talk in a physics class.

Show the transcript
Professor

Today I want to answer a question that children ask all the time: why is the sky blue? Sunlight looks white, but it’s actually a mixture of every color. As that light travels through the atmosphere, it hits tiny gas molecules in the air, and those molecules scatter some colors much more than others.

Think of small ripples on a pond hitting a tiny pebble. They bounce off in every direction, while long, slow waves roll past almost unaffected. Blue light behaves like the small ripples. So blue light is scattered all over the sky, and that’s the blue you see when you look up.

Now, you might ask: if blue scatters the most, why isn’t the sky violet? Well, violet light is scattered even more, but there’s less of it in sunlight, and our eyes are less sensitive to it. And at sunset? The light has a much longer path through the air, so most of the blue has been scattered away before it reaches you. What’s left is orange and red.

  1. Question 1 of 3

    What is the talk mainly about?

0/3 questions

Writing 1: Build a SentenceLink to Writing 1: Build a Sentence

What it asks: you see one sentence, then a reply with the words and phrases in the wrong order. You move them into place to make a correct sentence that fits. There are 10 of these, and each is one point. One tile can be left over. Full guide: Build a Sentence.

Try it

Build three replies

Tap the tiles into the blanks, then check. One tile in each doesn’t belong.

  1. Sentence 1 of 3

    Make an appropriate sentence.

    Did you finish the report before the meeting?

    Not yet. I blank 1 blank 2 blank 3 blank 4.

    Tap the tiles in order. Tap a placed tile to take it back.

0/3 sentences

Writing 2: Write an EmailLink to Writing 2: Write an Email

What it asks: you read a situation and write an email that does three things you’re given. You have 7 minutes. This page can’t read an email, so here you’ll practice the two moves that matter most, then you can write your own with the full guide. Full guide: Write an Email.

Try it

Two moves for an email that does its job

Read the prompt, then pick the sentences that do each task best.

You lost your student bus pass on the way home from class last Tuesday. The pass office can give you a new one.

Write an email to the pass office. In your email, do the following:

  1. Explain what happened and when.
  2. Ask how to get a replacement and how much it costs.
  3. Ask the office to cancel the old pass so nobody else can use it.

Write as much as you can and in complete sentences.

To:
passoffice@eastvalley.example.org
Subject:
Lost student bus pass

  1. Question 1 of 2

    You can’t write a whole email here, but you can practice the first move. Which opening sentence does the first task best?

0/2 questions

Writing 3: Write for an Academic DiscussionLink to Writing 3: Write for an Academic Discussion

What it asks: you read a professor’s question and two classmates’ answers, then write your own post in 10 minutes. ETS’s directions say an effective response contains at least 100 words. This page can’t read a post either, so here you’ll practice the two moves that matter most. Full guide: Write for an Academic Discussion.

Try it

Two moves for a post that adds something

Read the discussion, then pick the opening and the new idea.

Your professor is teaching a class on business. Write a post responding to the professor’s question. In your response, you should do the following: express and support your opinion, and make a contribution to the discussion in your own words. An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Dr. Mensah

Many companies now let employees work from home several days a week. Supporters say it saves time and helps people balance work and family life. Others say that teams work better when they are in the same office. What do you think? Should companies let employees work from home most of the time? Why or why not?

Lena · student

I think so. Commuting wastes hours every week, and at home I can focus without interruptions. Companies also save money on office space.

Omar · student

I disagree. New employees learn by watching colleagues, and good ideas often come from quick, unplanned chats at someone’s desk. That’s hard to get on a video call.

  1. Question 1 of 2

    You have 10 minutes for the real post, so the first sentence matters. Which opening shows a position and answers a classmate?

0/2 questions

Speaking 1: Listen and RepeatLink to Speaking 1: Listen and Repeat

What it asks: you hear seven sentences, one at a time and once, in a campus scenario. After each, you repeat exactly what was said, with a maximum of 8 to 12 seconds to record. The sentences get longer as you go. This page can’t hear you, so here you’ll practice the thing the task checks: noticing exactly what changed. Full guide: Listen and Repeat.

Try it

Spot the slip

Four sentences, each repeated by a student. What changed?

The situation: you’re at the orientation for a climbing gym, and a staff member explains the rules. On the test you would repeat each sentence out loud. Here, say each one out loud yourself first, then decide what a student changed.

  1. Question 1 of 4

    You hear · Staff member

    Show the words

    “Please keep your shoes in the locker by the door.”

    A student says: “Please keep your shoes in locker by the door.” What changed?

0/4 questions

Speaking 2: Take an InterviewLink to Speaking 2: Take an Interview

What it asks: a recorded interviewer asks four questions about a situation, and you answer each out loud in 45 seconds. The first ask about facts and your own experience, and the later ones ask for an opinion and the reasons for it. This page can’t hear you, so here you’ll practice what a strong answer does. Full guide: Take an Interview.

Try it

Which answer does the job?

Two interview questions, four possible answers to each.

The situation: a city newspaper is asking readers how they get their news. On the test you would answer each question out loud in 45 seconds. Here, answer in your head first, then pick the answer that does the job best.

  1. Question 1 of 2

    You hear · Interviewer

    Show the words

    “Tell me about how you usually get the news. Which websites, apps or newspapers do you use, and why?”

    Which is the best way to start your answer?

0/2 questions

Where to practice nextLink to Where to practice next

You’ve now met all twelve question types. The next step is meeting them together, under the clock, the way the real test does. A free Full Test takes you through all four sections in ETS’s order, and each section has its own free test too: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking.

Common questions

What kinds of questions are on the 2026 TOEFL iBT?

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

How many questions are on the TOEFL iBT in 2026?

ETS lists 50 items in Reading, 47 in Listening, 12 in Writing and 11 in Speaking. As the test adapts, the items and the time may vary, and some Reading and Listening items are unscored items ETS uses to test new questions.

What are the TOEFL Speaking questions like?

There are two tasks. In Listen and Repeat you hear seven sentences and repeat each one exactly. In Take an Interview you answer four interview questions out loud, with 45 seconds for each.

Where can I see real TOEFL questions?

ETS shows a sample of every task in its Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview. The examples on this page are new, so you can practice with both.

Should I answer every question, even if I’m not sure?

Yes. ETS’s blueprint gives every scored Reading item a maximum of 1 point, so a wrong answer earns nothing but doesn’t cost you more. An empty answer can never score.

Sources

Every exam fact on this page comes from ETS, checked on October 28, 2026. GoodMocks is independent from ETS.

Read next · Study & strategy

TOEFL templates for 2026: a structure for each task

No single template fits every prompt, but a structure does. Here are the moves, in order, for the three 2026 tasks where you answer in your own words, each with a worked example. The exam facts are ETS’s; the structures are our own advice.

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