Free TOEFL practice questions, sample tests and reading practice

ETS, the maker of the TOEFL, lists a free Interactive Sample and two free full-length practice tests on its own prep page. Start there. This page then explains how Writing and Speaking are marked and adds an original reading set and prompts of ours.

ETS, the company that makes the TOEFL, gives away three practice items on its own prep page. They are the place to start, because they come from the test's owner and ETS describes the first of them as a preview of the real test. These are the free items it lists.

ETS also describes a shorter sample.

One practical thing: the sample page asks for a short form first. When we looked, it asked for an email address and a country before it would launch the sample. We did not complete the form, so we cannot tell you what the sample itself contains. The form also says ETS will send marketing emails unless you tick the opt-out box.

ETS also sells prep. Its prep page shows these three prices among its results, and describes a portal called TOEFL TestReady.

ETS does not print a currency beside these prices, and the page lists Canada as a separate region, so check the price on the version of ETS's page you will actually pay on. We read the page with its region set to United States.

ETS's Information Bulletin warns that once you place an order for prep products, it cannot be cancelled, and there are no refunds or returns. Try the free items first, so you know what you still need before you pay.

The prep page also points to independent tutors. This is ETS's wording, not ours.

Before you drill, know what ETS says each section measures. It changes how you practise. ETS now calls the test the updated TOEFL iBT, and its new score scale started in January 2026, so check the date on any older practice book.

This set is ours. It copies nothing from ETS or any other test owner, and it does not predict a score. It follows the shapes ETS describes: a short everyday notice, then a short academic passage. Read it, answer, then check the key below.

Part A. A notice

Greenfield Community Pool: notice to members. From Monday the pool will close at eight in the evening instead of nine, so the team can finish cleaning before the early swimmers arrive the next morning. Lane swimming moves to the mornings only. Evening sessions will be open to families and casual swimmers. Members who booked an evening lane can move their booking to any morning session at the front desk, or by replying to this email before Friday. Locker rentals are not affected.

• Question 1. Why is the pool closing earlier in the evening? (A) Fewer people come in the evening. (B) The cleaning team needs time to finish before the next morning. (C) The staff are being trained. (D) The lockers are being repaired.
• Question 2. What should a member with an evening lane booking do? (A) Cancel the membership. (B) Reply to this email before Friday, or visit the front desk, to move to a morning session. (C) Turn up on Monday evening as usual. (D) Rent a locker.

Part B. A short academic passage

Why cities are warmer than the countryside. On a calm summer night, the centre of a large city can be several degrees warmer than the fields around it. Scientists call this the urban heat island effect. Part of the cause is the materials cities are built from. Dark roofs and paved roads absorb sunlight during the day and release it slowly after sunset, so streets stay warm long after the sun has gone. Natural land behaves differently. Soil and plants hold water, and as that water evaporates it takes heat away from the surface, which cools the air nearby.

Tall buildings add to the problem. They block the wind that would otherwise carry warm air away, and their walls reflect heat back toward the street. Heat from cars, air conditioners and factories adds more. To reduce the effect, many cities now plant trees along streets, paint roofs in light colours, and build green roofs covered in plants. Early studies suggest these measures can cool a neighbourhood noticeably, though they work best when used together.

• Question 3. What is the passage mainly about? (A) How summer weather is forecast. (B) Why city centres can be warmer than nearby countryside, and what can be done about it. (C) The history of building materials. (D) How trees grow in cities.
• Question 4. According to the passage, why do dark roofs and paved roads keep streets warm at night? (A) They produce heat from inside buildings. (B) They block the wind. (C) They absorb sunlight by day and let it go slowly after sunset. (D) They hold water.
• Question 5. The word "release" in the passage is closest in meaning to: (A) give off. (B) take in. (C) store. (D) hide.
• Question 6. What does the passage suggest about the measures cities are trying? (A) They work best when several are used together. (B) They work only in summer. (C) They have been proved to remove the effect completely. (D) They are used only on roofs.

Answer key

Count what you got right, then look at the wrong ones. If you chose the wrong answer on Question 6, check whether you picked an option that said more than the passage did. Words like only, completely and proved are warning signs in options on any reading test.

ETS describes two reading task sizes. Short daily-life texts are about 15 to 150 words and have two or three questions. Academic passages are approximately 200 words and have five questions about facts, vocabulary in context, inferences, the relationship between ideas and purpose. Our set above is shorter than ETS's longest passage, so use it as a warm-up and then move on to ETS's own free practice tests for full-size practice.

1. Read the questions first, so you know what to look for.
2. Read the text once at a steady pace. Do not stop on a word you do not know.
3. Answer from the text only. ETS says all the information you need is in the text and that you do not need prior knowledge of the topic.
4. Mark any question you are unsure about, finish the rest, then come back.
5. After checking the key, write down why each wrong option was wrong. That is where the learning is.

ETS publishes scoring guides for the Writing and Speaking tasks in its Test Overview. You cannot get a score from us, but you can read the descriptors and compare your own practice with them. Each of these tasks is scored from 0 to 5. Here is how ETS describes the top three levels for the email task.

For the academic discussion task the descriptors are in the same style. A response at one of the higher levels is described like this.

For Speaking, the Listen and Repeat task is about accuracy, and the interview is about fluency and clarity. At the top of the Listen and Repeat scale ETS says the response exactly repeats the prompt. The next level down captures the meaning but is not an exact repetition.

For the interview, ETS says a fully successful response fully addresses the question and is clear and fluent, with good conversational pace, natural pauses, and pronunciation, rhythm and intonation that carry the meaning.

ETS also says that pauses and fillers such as um and uh are natural and do not interfere with meaning in its top-scoring sample responses. So do not stop to apologise or start over when you hesitate. Keep talking. ETS's lower score descriptors do mention frequent or lengthy pauses and frequent filler words, so keep them occasional.

ETS gives 7 minutes for the email task and 10 minutes for the academic discussion task. Set a timer, type your answer, and then check it against the descriptors above. The prompts below are ours. ETS's sample academic discussion prompt tells you to make a contribution in your own words and says an effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Write an Email: three prompts

• You rented a bicycle for a weekend and the front brake was loose on the second day. Write an email to the shop. Say what you liked about the service, describe the problem, and ask what the shop can do.
• You missed a lecture because you were ill. Write an email to your professor. Explain why you were absent, say what you have already read, and ask whether you can meet to catch up.
• A friend from another city is visiting for a weekend. Write an email inviting a classmate to join you for a day out. Say where you will go, what it will cost, and how to get there.

Write for an Academic Discussion: three prompts

• Professor: Should universities replace some exams with projects? Student A: Yes. Projects show what you can actually do, and they are less stressful. Student B: No. Exams are fairer because everyone does the same task under the same conditions. Write a post that adds your own view, in your own words.
• Professor: Should first-year students be required to live on campus? Student A: Yes. You meet people faster and you settle in. Student B: No. Rent is often cheaper off campus and some students want to live at home. Write a post that adds your own view, in your own words.
• Professor: Is it better to take a gap year before university or to go straight in? Student A: A gap year helps you decide what to study. Student B: A gap year can break your study habits. Write a post that adds your own view, in your own words.

Check each response with these questions: did I do everything the prompt asked, did I stay on topic, did I give a reason or an example for each point, and did I leave time to fix spelling and punctuation?

ETS says the Listen and Repeat task has seven sentences in a campus scenario, with a maximum of 8 to 12 seconds to record each one. In the interview you answer four questions and have 45 seconds for each. Our prompts copy that shape. Record yourself on a phone, then listen back.

Listen and Repeat: seven sentences for a friend to read aloud

1. The library is on the second floor.
2. Quiet study rooms are available on the third floor.
3. You can borrow up to six books at a time.
4. Please keep your phone on silent while you are inside the building.
5. If you need a laptop, you can borrow one from the front desk with your student card.
6. The computer lab is open until midnight during exam weeks, but food and drink are not allowed inside.
7. Before you leave, please return your books to the desk, or use the box outside if the library is already closed.

Ask your friend to read each sentence once only, at a natural pace. Pause, repeat it back exactly, and see how many you can match word for word. Note that the sentences get longer, the way ETS says its sentences do.

Take an Interview: two sets of four questions

• Set one, a community project. Tell me about a time you helped in your community. What did you enjoy about it? Some people say schools should require community work. What do you think? Do you think online volunteering is as valuable as working in person?
• Set two, a trip. Tell me about the last place you travelled to. What did you notice about the people there? Some people prefer holidays that are planned in advance. Do you agree? Should tourists pay a fee to enter busy natural parks?

Answer each question out loud for the full time. The first two questions in a set ask about you. The last two ask for an opinion with a reason, so practise saying "I think ... because ..." and then adding one example.

We do not supply audio, because writing original recordings is not something a web page can do well. You can still train the skills ETS says the Listening section tests.

• Listen to short talks in English with different accents. ETS says speakers have accents from North America, the United Kingdom and Australia.
• Practise taking notes. ETS says you can take notes while listening, and at a test centre scratch paper and pencils are provided.
• For Listen and Choose a Response, stop an audio clip after a question, write three possible replies, then play on and compare. The skill is picking the reply that fits the tone as well as the words.
• After a talk, say aloud the main idea in one sentence and two supporting details. That is what the questions ask for.

These plans use ETS's free material first and our prompts second. They assume you can study most days.

Common questions