TOEFL Speaking Section FAQ

First of all — there ARE no Questions In The TOEFL Speaking Section.  There are only Tasks.  Even though the makers of the exam refer to them as “Speaking Question 1, 2, 3, & 4” — they are Tasks…  Not “Questions”.

That being said…

No.  TOEFL Speaking Section Tasks are NOT repeated.  Every Task in The TOEFL Speaking Section is completely new with Every Exam.  This is also true with the questions and tasks in every other section of the TOEFL Exam.

There may be tasks that are similar to ones that you have seen or practiced before — but trying to memorize responses to specific tasks is completely useless because the chances that you would get one that you “know” is almost impossible.

Also — you will be graded down in The TOEFL Speaking Section if you give a response that sounds “rehearsed”.  (Which shows the ignorance of the makers of the exam, because if the questions and tasks are always different, then it is not possible to rehears ANY response.)

But the fact that the tasks in The TOEFL Speaking Section will always be different, makes practicing with past examples of TOEFL Speaking Section Tasks only beneficial for practicing your delivery, and your timing.  As for the content of what you will say…  You can’t really practice that if you don’t know what the task will be.

To be successful on The Speaking Section — and ALL Sections of The TOEFL Exam — you need to know how to fulfill each task-TYPE.  Not to memorize responses to specific tasks.

If you prepare in that way, it will not matter WHAT the task IS about.  You will know HOW to respond to it.

And the best way to learn that is with The TOEFL Excellence Training System.

The TOEFL Speaking Section lasts for a total of 20-30 minutes.

The best way to get help to prepare for The TOEFL Speaking Section — and ALL sections of The TOEFL Exam, PROPERLY, is to sign-up and get started with The TOEFL Excellence Training System by GiveMeSomeEnglish!!!

There are other courses and text-book available.  But none of them are as up-to-date as TOEFL Excellence.  And none of them will teach you EXACTLY how to answer and fulfill EVERY Question and Task on the entire TOEFL Exam.  But TOEFL Excellence teaches you EXACTLY that!

Contrary to popular belief — and even the statements by the makers of The TOEFL Exam — there are actually NO Questions in The TOEFL Speaking Section.  There are only Tasks.

This may be considered to be a matter of semantics, but since The TOEFL Exam is supposed to be for measuring one’s level of English skills — then it would seem to be only logical that the correct word is used for what is actually IN the exam…  Especially by the people who actually made it!

There are 4 Tasks in The TOEFL Speaking Section.  There may be questions WITHIN the tasks — but ultimately you are asked to perform 4 different tasks — NOT to answer four questions.

1.  To speak about your preference on a particular subject
2.  To summarize a conversation between two people
3.  To combine information from a spoken lecture and a written text about the same subject
4.  To summarize a spoken lecture

As you can see — none of the things that you are asked to do in The TOEFL Speaking Section could, in any way, be considered to be “Answering A Question”.

So if you read about, or hear people (even the makers of The TOEFL Exam!) refer to “Speaking Question 1, 2, 3, or 4” — then (after reading this) you will know that you are now smarter than they are 😉

The TOEFL Speaking Section tests your ability to comprehend spoken Lectures & Conversations — and the information given in both.  And then your ability to report about what you have learned from those Conversations & Lectures — as well as related texts about them — by speaking a clear & concise response to that information.

The purpose of The TOEFL Speaking Section is to determine if you have the level of English Speaking Skills that will be necessary in an English-Speaking environment, like a university classroom, or campus situation.

You will receive all the help that you need to PROPERLY prepare for The TOEFL Speaking Section — as well as the rest of The TOEFL Exam with The TOEFL Excellence Training System by GiveMeSomeEnglish!!!

YES!  You WILL See The Timer Throughout The Entire Speaking Section AND Throughout The Entire TOEFL Exam.

You will not be able to start, stop, or pause the timer.  But you will be able to use it to see how much time you have left you have to give your responses to each task in The Speaking Section.