What is TOEFL Listen and Repeat?
Listen and Repeat is a TOEFL iBT Speaking task with seven sentences. You hear each sentence once, then repeat it after a pause. You have 8–12 seconds to record each response. The sentences become longer and more complex within one scenario. Your goal is to reproduce the wording and make it easy to understand.
It is part of the format introduced on 21 January 2026. The full Speaking section also includes four Take an Interview questions; its approximate base time is eight minutes. See the complete Speaking format guide for both tasks.
- Sentences
- 7 per task
- Listen
- Once per sentence
- Respond
- 8–12 seconds
- Aim
- Accurate and clear
Format source: ETS test overview, page 17. Follow the timer and instructions on your test screen.
Try three Listen and Repeat audio examples
Play an example once without opening its transcript. Repeat it out loud, then reveal the answer and coaching note. These are original PrepEx sentences from Michael Goodine’s Campus Tour Welcome set. They are learning exercises, not official ETS questions or a complete test simulation.
1. A short sentence
Show transcript and practice tip
The campus tour will begin soon.
What to notice: Keep the whole phrase “will begin”; do not replace it with “begins.”
2. Keeping time and place
Show transcript and practice tip
We'll have a short break for lunch in the cafeteria at noon.
What to notice: Retain both “in the cafeteria” and “at noon.” They tell the listener where and when.
3. Remembering a longer sentence
Show transcript and practice tip
You can ask them any questions you have about the university or the local area.
What to notice: Keep “any questions you have” together, then finish “about the university or the local area.”
Continue with 70 Listen and Repeat questions with audio and answer transcripts. To compare a recording with the target sentence, try the free AI feedback preview.
How to remember longer sentences
Listen for groups of words that belong together: who is doing something, what they are doing, and any condition, time or place. This gives the sentence a shape you can recall while keeping its actual wording.
- Hear the complete thought. Keep listening through the ending. Starting to rehearse the first few words in your head can make you miss the rest.
- Group the wording into phrases. In the third example, hear “You can ask them / any questions you have / about the university or the local area.” The slashes show a practice technique, not extra pauses you must insert.
- Speak at a steady, natural pace. Give each phrase enough clarity. Racing through the beginning often makes the final words harder to recover.
- Review the exact difference. After your attempt, compare your recording with the transcript. Mark the missing or changed phrase, practise it, then say the full sentence again.
If you lose a word, continue with the wording you can recall. Avoid spending the whole response window restarting. During review, separate a memory gap from a sound problem. If you omitted a phrase, practise recalling that phrase with the words immediately before it. If you remembered the words but they were unclear, slow down and practise the sounds in context. Finish with a new listen-once sentence so you can check whether the improvement carries over.
Does shadowing help?
Shadowing means speaking along with, or just behind, a recording. It can help you notice connected speech during study. For TOEFL Listen and Repeat practice, also rehearse the actual sequence: let the prompt finish, then repeat from memory. Speaking over the recording removes part of the memory challenge.
How is Listen and Repeat scored?
The reported TOEFL Speaking section score uses the 1–6 scale in half-point increments. ETS separately publishes 0–5 descriptors for individual Listen and Repeat responses. These are different scales; one repeated sentence cannot predict your section score.
The official response rubric considers how faithfully you reproduce the sentence and how understandable your speech is. An exact, clear repetition is stronger than one with altered meaning, missing phrases or speech that is difficult to understand. A fluent paraphrase still changes the task’s target wording.
Compare two attempts at the same sentence
Target: “We’ll have a short break for lunch in the cafeteria at noon.”
Attempt A: “We’ll have a short break for lunch in the cafeteria at noon.”
Attempt B: “We have lunch at the cafeteria.”
Attempt B keeps the lunch idea but drops the short break and the time, and changes “we’ll have” to “we have.” A useful next step is to practise “a short break for lunch” and “at noon,” then repeat the whole sentence. These written comparisons illustrate accuracy; a score also needs the actual recording.
PrepEx’s AI preview provides a 1–6 practice estimate, not an official ETS score, with feedback on content match, pronunciation, fluency and completeness. Use it to choose a specific improvement, then check your recording yourself.
Common mistakes and what to practise next
| What you notice | Try this next |
|---|---|
| You remember the idea but change the words | Compare your attempt word by word after speaking. Repeat the original phrase without replacing words with synonyms. |
| You miss the last part | Practise the ending on its own, then add the phrase before it. Return to a full listen-once attempt. |
| Small words or endings disappear | Listen again for articles, prepositions, plurals and verb endings. Say the whole phrase so those sounds remain connected. |
| You hesitate between every word | Rehearse a meaningful phrase at a time, then connect the phrases with natural rhythm. |
| The transcript is accurate but the recording is unclear | Replay the difficult word in context. Slow down enough to make the sounds distinct, then return to a comfortable pace. |
A ten-minute Listen and Repeat practice routine
- First three minutes: work through a new seven-sentence set in the audio question bank. Listen once and respond before revealing each answer.
- Next four minutes: choose two difficult sentences. Compare wording, practise the missed phrases, and repeat the full sentences.
- Final three minutes: try fresh sentences or use the recording preview. Write down one thing to work on next time, such as keeping final consonants or remembering a condition.
Keep replays for review after the first attempt. Familiar recordings help you practise pronunciation; new sentences show whether the listening and recall skill is carrying over. Keep a short error log with one exact omission or substitution and one action to try on the next set. Compare first attempts across different sets; a familiar sentence alone is not evidence that your recall has improved. For the complete exam, continue to a TOEFL 2026 practice test.
Listen and Repeat questions, answered
How many Listen and Repeat sentences are on TOEFL 2026?
Seven, becoming longer and more complex within a scenario. They are followed by the separate Take an Interview task in the Speaking section.
How much time do I have to repeat each sentence?
ETS’s current overview specifies 8–12 seconds per response. Listen to the prompt, wait for the response cue and follow the on-screen timer.
Can I listen again before answering?
On the test, listen once and repeat once. On these learning pages, replay is available so you can study mistakes after your first attempt.
Should I copy the speaker’s accent?
Focus on accurate wording and speech that is easy to understand. Practise clear sounds, word stress and connected phrases; do not force an imitation that makes your speech less natural.
Can I practise for free without an account?
Yes. The audio question bank is freely readable, and the recording preview offers one free AI-scored attempt without signup. Further graded practice follows the Practice Hub’s access limits.
Sources and editorial review
Format and scoring checked on against the ETS Speaking overview, ETS test overview (pages 4 and 17), Speaking response rubrics and official score guidance. The practice explanations are from PrepEx; the example sentences retain Michael Goodine’s authorship.