TOEFL 2026 Practice Questions and Answers (All Question Types) | TOEFL 2026 New Format
The TOEFL iBT was overhauled on January 21, 2026, with new question types, a shorter format, and a new 1 to 6 score scale. This guide gives you one real example of every question type on the new test, each with a worked answer, so you know exactly what to expect on test day.
Below you will find practice questions and answers for all 12 TOEFL 2026 question types across Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Use them as a quick TOEFL practice test, or jump to the section you want to work on. Each example reflects the new format, and the writing and speaking samples are written to the top of the official ETS scoring guide.
Reading: Complete the Words
In the passage below, some words are missing letters. Each word shows its first few letters, and every blank stands for one missing letter. Use the context to complete each word.
Modern cities are increa _ _ _ _ _ _ adop _ _ _ _ the circular economy model to manage waste more effec _ _ _ _ _ _. Unlike the tradi _ _ _ _ _ _ lin _ _ _ approach, where items are used once and discarded, a circular sys _ _ _ aims to keep mate _ _ _ _ _ in use for as long as poss _ _ _ _. Municipalities encourage residents to separate org _ _ _ _ waste for composting, which transforms food scraps into nutr _ _ _ _-rich soil. Additionally, repair cafes and community workshops help ext _ _ _ the life _ _ _ _ of household goods. By minimizing land _ _ _ _ use, cities can lower their environmental imp _ _ _ and conserve valuable reso _ _ _ _ _.
Show answers
Answers:
increasingly, adopting, effectively, traditional, linear, system, materials, possible, organic, nutrient, extend, lifespan, landfill, impact, resources
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Reading: Read in Daily Life
Read the email and answer the questions.
From: Chloe Vance
To: Sam Reyes
Subject: Internet Upgrade Tomorrow
Hi Sam,
The property manager emailed today to say that the building's telecommunications provider is upgrading our apartment's router tomorrow afternoon between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. I have my chemistry lab during that time, so I won't be around. Could you make sure you are at the apartment? The technician needs access to the living room wall panel to install the new wiring.
Also, the manager mentioned that the Wi-Fi will be completely down for about an hour while they swap the equipment. Since you usually study at home on Tuesdays, you might want to download any articles or readings you need for your afternoon study group beforehand.
See you this evening,
Chloe
1. Why did Chloe write the email to Sam?
a) To complain about the building's slow internet speed
b) To ask Sam to be present for a technician's visit
c) To remind Sam about an upcoming chemistry lab
d) To schedule a time for their afternoon study group
Show answer
Answer: b
2. What must the technician access during the visit?
a) Sam's personal computer
b) The building's main office
c) The living room wall panel
d) The chemistry laboratory
Show answer
Answer: c
3. What does Chloe suggest Sam do before the technician arrives?
a) Save required study materials to his device
b) Call the property manager to confirm the appointment
c) Move the living room furniture away from the wall
d) Purchase a new router for the apartment
Show answer
Answer: a
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Reading: Read an Academic Passage
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
Illuminating the Night
For thousands of years, human activity was strictly dictated by the rising and setting of the sun. The earliest attempts to conquer the darkness relied on open fires and rudimentary oil lamps, which date back to at least 15,000 B.C.E. These early lamps consisted of hollowed-out stones or shells filled with animal fat, utilizing a simple plant-fiber wick. While they provided a modest glow, they were highly inefficient, producing copious amounts of soot and requiring constant maintenance.
A significant leap in illumination technology occurred with the invention of the candle. Historians believe the ancient Egyptians used early rushlights, reeds soaked in animal fat, but the true dipped candle emerged later during the Roman era. Tallow, derived from beef or mutton fat, was cheap and accessible, though it burned quickly and emitted a foul odor. Beeswax, conversely, burned cleanly and brightly but was prohibitively expensive, remaining a luxury reserved for the wealthy and the church. [A] Despite these material drawbacks, candles as a whole represented a distinct advantage over open oil lamps because they were highly portable. [B] They allowed individuals to navigate unlit corridors and enabled scholars to read long after dusk. [C] The demand for candles spurred a flourishing trade, with guilds of candlemakers becoming prominent in medieval European cities. [D]
The true revolution in artificial lighting, however, arrived in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries with the advent of gas lighting. By distilling coal, inventors were able to capture a flammable gas that could be piped directly into homes and streetlamps. When ignited, this gas produced a brilliant, steady flame that vastly outshone candles and oil lamps. The widespread installation of gas streetlights transformed urban landscapes, reducing crime and allowing social and economic activities to extend well into the night.
1. The word "rudimentary" in the passage is closest in meaning to
a) basic
b) decorative
c) efficient
d) massive
Show answer
Answer: a
2. According to the passage, what was one disadvantage of tallow candles compared to beeswax candles?
a) They were much more expensive to produce.
b) They produced a bad smell when burned.
c) They were harder to ignite.
d) They were only available to the wealthy and the church.
Show answer
Answer: b
3. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the impact of gas lighting on urban society?
a) It made nighttime travel within cities safer for citizens.
b) It caused the coal mining industry to become obsolete.
c) It encouraged people to work shorter hours during the day.
d) It was immediately adopted by rural communities.
Show answer
Answer: a
4. Why does the author mention that "guilds of candlemakers becoming prominent in medieval European cities"?
a) To argue that medieval European cities were poorly lit compared to Roman cities.
b) To emphasize the economic importance and widespread demand for candles.
c) To explain the complex manufacturing process of beeswax candles.
d) To contrast European candlemakers with those in ancient Egypt.
Show answer
Answer: b
5. Where would the following sentence best fit in paragraph 2? "Consequently, most ordinary citizens had to settle for the pungent, fast-burning alternative."
a) Choice A
b) Choice B
c) Choice C
d) Choice D
Show answer
Answer: a
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Listening: Choose a Response
You will hear:
"Man: Are we supposed to submit the paper online or bring a hard copy to class?"
a) Class starts at ten, so try not to be late.
b) The professor mentioned uploading it to the portal.
c) I need to go buy more printer paper later.
d) It was a really difficult topic to write about.
Show answer
Answer: b
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Listening: Listen to a Conversation
You will hear:
Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and a campus theater employee.
Man: Hi, I bought two tickets for the opening night of the spring play this Friday. But I just found out my chemistry professor scheduled a mandatory review session at the exact same time. Is there any way I can exchange these for Saturday's performance?
Woman: Oh, that's rough timing. Let me check the system. Friday is opening night, so it's sold out, which means we can definitely resell your tickets. Saturday, however, is filling up quickly.
Man: Really? I didn't realize the campus productions were that popular.
Woman: Yes, the theater department heavily promoted it this semester. Let's see... I do have two seats left for Saturday evening, but they aren't next to each other. One is in the front row, and the other is way up in the balcony.
Man: Yikes. I'm supposed to be taking my little sister. She's visiting from out of town, so sitting apart wouldn't be much fun. What about Sunday's matinee?
Woman: Let me look. You're in luck! I have two seats together in the middle section for Sunday at 2:00 PM. Do you want to swap for those?
Man: Yes, please. That actually works out perfectly. We can grab lunch downtown before the show.
1. What is the main purpose of the conversation?
a) To purchase tickets for an upcoming chemistry lecture
b) To request a refund for a canceled campus play
c) To exchange theater tickets for a different performance date
d) To inquire about auditioning for the spring production
Show answer
Answer: c
2. Why does the man reject the tickets for Saturday's performance?
a) The performance on Saturday is completely sold out.
b) The available seats are not located next to each other.
c) He has a mandatory chemistry review session on Saturday evening.
d) He plans to go out to lunch downtown instead of watching the play.
Show answer
Answer: b
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Listening: Academic Talk
You will hear:
Narrator: Listen to a talk in an archaeology class.
Speaker: When we think of archaeological discoveries, our minds usually jump to grand monuments, sparkling gold artifacts, or royal tombs. But today, we're going to talk about something far less glamorous, though arguably just as valuable to researchers. We're talking about ancient trash. Specifically, we'll be looking at what archaeologists call "middens." A midden is essentially a prehistoric dump site, a localized patch of dark, nutrient-rich soil that contains the everyday waste of past human communities. This can include animal bones, botanical remains, broken pottery, and, very commonly, shells. In fact, shell middens are some of the most prominent features at coastal archaeological sites worldwide. Why are we so interested in ancient garbage? Well, grand monuments tell us how the elite lived and what a society aspired to, but middens tell us how everyday people actually survived. They are essentially time capsules of daily life. By analyzing the layers of a midden, we can reconstruct a community's diet, their seasonal movement patterns, and even the local environment at the time. For instance, if we find a layer thick with certain types of fish bones, we know they had the technology to catch those specific fish. If the next layer shows a sudden shift to smaller shellfish, it might indicate that the fish population declined, or perhaps the climate changed, forcing the community to adapt their foraging strategies. Furthermore, middens are fantastic for preservation. The calcium carbonate from discarded shells actually neutralizes the acidity of the surrounding soil. This creates a highly alkaline environment that preserves organic materials, like bone tools or delicate animal remains, that would otherwise completely decay in normal, acidic soils. So, the next time you hear about an archaeological dig, remember that the most profound insights often don't come from the treasure chests, but from the trash heaps.
1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?
a) To explain the archaeological significance of ancient waste sites
b) To describe the process of excavating ancient royal tombs
c) To compare the diets of coastal and inland prehistoric communities
d) To discuss the environmental impact of modern waste disposal methods
Show answer
Answer: a
2. According to the professor, how do discarded shells aid in archaeological preservation?
a) They create a hard physical barrier that keeps predators away.
b) They bind with broken pottery to form a protective layer over artifacts.
c) They release calcium carbonate, which neutralizes soil acidity.
d) They absorb moisture, keeping the surrounding soil completely dry.
Show answer
Answer: c
3. Why does the professor mention a sudden shift from fish bones to smaller shellfish in a midden layer?
a) To argue that early humans preferred shellfish over regular fish
b) To illustrate how middens can reveal changes in a community's environment or behavior
c) To explain why shell middens are typically found exclusively on coastlines
d) To demonstrate how quickly marine populations can recover from overfishing
Show answer
Answer: b
4. What does the professor imply about grand monuments compared to middens?
a) Grand monuments are generally easier to locate than middens.
b) Grand monuments provide a less accurate picture of how ordinary people lived.
c) Grand monuments contain more well-preserved organic materials than middens do.
d) Grand monuments were often built directly on top of older middens.
Show answer
Answer: b
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Listening: Announcement
You will hear:
Narrator: Listen to an announcement in a university dining hall.
Announcer: Attention students. As part of our campus-wide zero-waste initiative, University Dining Services is thrilled to announce the launch of the Green Box checkout program, starting next Monday. To help reduce the thousands of single-use paper containers thrown away each semester, we are introducing durable, reusable takeout containers. Here is how it works: when ordering your meal to go, simply ask the server for a Green Box. A one-time, five-dollar deposit will be charged to your student account. Once you finish your meal, just give the box a quick rinse and drop it off at any of the designated collection bins located at the entrance of all campus dining facilities. When you return it, you can either swipe your student ID card to have the deposit fully refunded, or you can instantly swap the used box for a clean one for your next meal. Let's work together to make our campus greener!
1. What is the main purpose of the announcement?
a) To announce an increase in the cost of dining hall meal plans
b) To introduce a new environmentally friendly takeout system
c) To explain a change in the dining hall's operating hours
d) To recruit volunteers for a campus recycling center
Show answer
Answer: b
2. According to the announcement, what can students do when they return a used Green Box to a collection bin?
a) They can exchange it for a clean container for their next meal.
b) They will receive a discount on their next takeout order.
c) They must wash it thoroughly with soap before dropping it off.
d) They can keep the box permanently without any further charges.
Show answer
Answer: a
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Speaking: Listen and Repeat
Scenario: You are at the main campus library. A librarian is explaining the facility's rules and services to a group of new students.
Listen carefully to each sentence and repeat what you hear. You will hear each sentence only once. There is no preparation time. Speak clearly into the microphone.
Sentence 1:
"Welcome to the main campus library."
Sentence 2:
"Please keep your voice down at all times."
Sentence 3:
"You may borrow up to fifteen books for a three-week period."
Sentence 4:
"Private study rooms can be reserved online in advance."
Sentence 5:
"Late fees are applied directly to your student account."
Sentence 6:
"If you need a laptop, you can check one out at the technology desk on the first floor."
Sentence 7:
"Remember to bring your student ID card whenever you want to print a document."
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Speaking: Take an Interview
Scenario: You have volunteered for a social psychology study regarding gift-giving customs and their impact on relationships. You will have a brief video interview with a researcher who will ask about your personal experiences and opinions on exchanging gifts.
You will answer four questions. You have 45 seconds to respond to each question, with no preparation time.
Question 1: Hello, and thanks for joining this study. To start, could you tell me about a particularly memorable gift you have received in the past? What was the item, and why did it mean so much to you?
Sample Answer:
Thanks for having me. So, the one that really stands out is a small notebook my grandmother gave me when I left for university. It wasn't expensive at all, just a plain leather journal, but she'd written a short note inside the cover wishing me luck. The reason it meant so much is that she passed away a couple of years later, and it ended up being one of the last things she gave me personally. I still keep it on my desk, and honestly I've never written a single page in it. I just like having it there. For me it's less about the object itself and more about the fact that she was thinking of me.
Question 2: When it comes to selecting gifts for others, people often have different approaches. Some prefer to give practical items that are useful in daily life, while others prefer to give sentimental or decorative gifts. Which approach do you usually take, and why?
Sample Answer:
Honestly, I usually lean toward practical gifts, though I do try to add a personal touch. The thing is, I've received plenty of decorative items over the years, little ornaments and that kind of thing, and a lot of them just end up in a drawer somewhere. So I'd rather give someone something they'll actually use, like a good kitchen tool or a book I know they've been wanting. That said, I don't just hand over a gift card and call it done, because that feels a bit impersonal. I guess my approach is to pick something useful but still tied to what that particular person likes, so it doesn't feel generic.
Question 3: Gift-giving is often seen as a way to show appreciation, but it can also feel like a requirement. Do you think the social pressure to exchange gifts during holidays or birthdays strengthens relationships, or does it create unnecessary stress? Why do you think so?
Sample Answer:
I'd say it cuts both ways, but on balance the pressure probably creates more stress than connection. When you're giving something freely because you saw it and thought of someone, that genuinely strengthens the relationship. But the obligation side, like feeling you have to spend a certain amount or match what someone spent on you, that turns it into a sort of transaction. I've definitely felt that low-level anxiety around the holidays, worrying whether a gift is enough. And when money's tight, that pressure can actually strain a relationship instead of building it. So the gesture itself is lovely; it's the expectation attached to it that I think does the damage.
Question 4: Finally, let's look at the bigger picture. Critics argue that modern holidays have become too focused on consumerism, buying and exchanging expensive goods, rather than connection. Do you believe that this focus on material gifts has negatively impacted the way we celebrate special occasions?
Sample Answer:
Yeah, I think there's a real argument that it has, at least to some extent. The thing that gets me is how much the focus has shifted to the buying itself, the deals, the wrapping, the spending, rather than the time you actually spend with people. I notice that around big holidays a lot of folks, including me, end up more exhausted than connected, just from the rush of shopping and organising everything. That said, I don't think it's ruined celebrations completely, because the people who care will still make space for connection. But if we stripped a lot of the material side away, I honestly think the occasions would feel warmer, not emptier.
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Writing: Build a Sentence
Context: "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"
Arrange these words into a sentence: would rather / eat at / the cafeteria / because / it / is / cheaper
Extra words (do not use): than
Answer: I would rather eat at the cafeteria because it is cheaper.
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Writing: Write an Email
Scenario: You are an undergraduate student who was recently accepted into a university study abroad program in Madrid for the upcoming fall semester. However, due to a sudden change in your family's financial situation, you need to work part-time during the fall to save money. You want to delay your participation in the program until the spring semester.
To: Mr. Henderson, Study Abroad Coordinator
Subject: Request to defer Madrid study abroad program to spring semester
Your email must:
1. Clearly explain the reason why you need to change the semester of your study abroad program.
2. Ask if it is possible to defer your acceptance to the spring without having to submit a completely new application.
3. Inquire about the strict deadline for finalizing this change and submitting any necessary paperwork.
Sample Response:
Dear Mr. Henderson,
I am writing about my acceptance into the Madrid study abroad program for the upcoming fall semester. My family recently had an unexpected change in our finances, so I will need to work part-time this fall to save the money I need for the program. Because of this, I am hoping to delay my participation until the spring semester instead.
Would it be possible to defer my acceptance to the spring without submitting a completely new application? My documents and recommendation letters are already on file, so I am hoping the original materials can still be used.
Could you also let me know the strict deadline for finalizing this change and turning in any paperwork? I want to make sure everything is submitted on time.
Thank you for your help with this.
Best regards,
Jordan
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Writing: Write for an Academic Discussion
You have 10 minutes to read the online discussion and write your response. A good response is usually at least 100 words.
Professor Lin: This week, we are looking at a controversial area of biotechnology: de-extinction. Scientists are actively working on ways to bring back extinct species, such as the woolly mammoth or the passenger pigeon, using advanced cloning and genetic techniques. Supporters argue that bringing back these species could help restore damaged ecosystems and make up for past human mistakes. Opponents, however, worry that this process is unpredictable and diverts resources away from currently endangered species. I would like to know your thoughts. Do you believe we should pursue de-extinction research, or should we avoid it?
Mateo: I think de-extinction is a fascinating and worthwhile pursuit. Many of these species went extinct because of human hunting and habitat destruction, so we have a moral obligation to bring them back if we possess the technology. Furthermore, animals like the woolly mammoth played crucial roles in their environments. Restoring them could help revitalize certain ecosystems, like the Arctic tundra, which would actually benefit the planet's biodiversity.
Sarah: I have to disagree with Mateo. While it sounds like an amazing concept, the reality is that conservation funding is already incredibly limited. Every dollar spent trying to resurrect a mammoth is a dollar taken away from saving the rhinos or tigers that are currently alive but struggling to survive. Plus, the habitats those extinct animals lived in have changed drastically. Where would we even put them safely?
Sample Response:
I come down on Sarah's side here, though for a reason her post only hints at. My main worry is not just that de-extinction is expensive; it is that bringing an animal back is the easy part compared with keeping it alive once it exists. A revived mammoth is not really a wild animal yet. It would have no herd to learn from, no parent to teach it where to feed or how to survive a hard winter, and the tundra Mateo mentions is not the tundra those genes evolved for. So we could spend a decade producing a handful of animals that then need permanent human care, which is closer to an expensive zoo exhibit than a restored ecosystem. Mateo is right that we caused many of these extinctions, and I feel the pull of that argument. But I would rather spend that money and expertise keeping the rhinos and tigers we still have from following the mammoth.
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How the TOEFL Is Scored in 2026
The TOEFL iBT changed its score scale on January 21, 2026. Score reports now use a 1 to 6 scale in half-point steps (for example 4.5 or 5.5) for each section and for the total, aligned to the CEFR levels. For a two-year transition period, your report also shows a comparable total on the old 0 to 120 scale, so schools that still list a 0 to 120 requirement can read your result. After the transition, the 0 to 120 score is phased out. Old scores you earned before 2026 are still valid on the 0 to 120 scale; they were not rescored. For the official scale and the comparison table, see ETS, Understand Your TOEFL iBT Scores.
Want focused practice on the new question types? See our deeper sets with answers: Build a Sentence practice questions and Complete the Words practice questions.