TOEFL Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield TOEFL facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. In TOEFL Listening, what does it mean when a professor's voice rises in pitch at the end of a statement (not a question)? → The professor may be uncertain or is checking whether students are following
2. What is the purpose of 'REPLAY QUESTIONS' in the TOEFL Listening section? → To ask about a specific short audio clip that is replayed for the student
3. When taking notes during TOEFL Integrated Speaking tasks, which strategy is MOST effective? → Use abbreviations and symbols to capture key points and supporting details
4. A response that is well-organized but stays completely off the professor's question would most likely receive: → A low score because relevance is essential
5. Japanese houses are made of wood, so they easily______. → catch on fire
6. A TOEFL Listening 'inference' question asks you to: → Determine what can be logically concluded based on what was said
7. Which word choice is most appropriate for formal academic writing? → children
8. What is the recommended minimum word count for a TOEFL Academic Discussion response? → 100 words
9. Would you mind _____ the window, please? → closing
10. The committee decided to _____ the meeting until next week due to low attendance. → adjourn
11. When answering TOEFL Listening detail questions, which type of answer is MOST likely to be a distractor? → An answer that uses exact words from the listening but in a misleading combination
12. The TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing task replaced which older TOEFL Writing task? → The Independent Writing Task (30-minute essay)
13. If it _____ tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic. → rains
14. What does the phrase 'in the long run' mean in the context of the passage? → After a considerable period of time.
15. In the TOEFL Writing section, what is the recommended length for the Independent Writing Task essay? → At least 300 words, ideally 400–500 words
16. Which word means 'to give up power or a position'? → abdicate
17. The transition 'Therefore' indicates that the sentence it introduces is: → A logical conclusion drawn from prior information
18. Original: "Not only did the policy reduce traffic, but it also lowered air pollution." Which sentence best simplifies it? → The policy both reduced traffic and lowered air pollution.
19. Which sentence correctly uses a noun clause as the subject? → That he had failed the exam was difficult to accept.
20. How does answering questions in order, while flagging hard ones mentally, help time management on Reading? → It keeps a steady rhythm so you don't waste time deciding which question to do next
21. The TOEFL Speaking section uses how many integrated tasks in total? → Three integrated tasks
22. Engineers________ for work on the new space program. → are needed
23. To 'mitigate' the damage means to _____ it. → reduce
24. Read the sentence: "The researcher's findings were seminal in shaping modern theories of cognition." The word "seminal" is closest in meaning to: → Influential and foundational
25. Which transition would be most effective for engaging with a classmate's argument in the Academic Discussion task? → While [Name] raises an important point about X, I would argue that...
26. In TOEFL Independent Writing (Task 2), which of the following essay approaches is explicitly supported by ETS scoring guidelines? → Choosing one position and supporting it with specific reasons and examples
27. Which sentence would best follow an insertion point where the preceding text discusses the declining population of a species? → As a result, conservation efforts have intensified in recent years.
28. Which transition word best signals a contrast between two ideas? → However
29. What is the best way to show strong argumentation in a TOEFL Academic Discussion post? → State a clear claim and support it with a specific, developed example
30. Which of these is a sign of overly memorized, formulaic writing that graders may penalize? → Generic sentences that ignore the actual prompt