Free TOEFL Practice Test 2 with Answers (2026 Format)
Work through the four sections in order, then mark yourself against the keys below them. The open responses — Email, Discussion and Take an Interview — have no key, because a 0–5 rubric answer does not have one; take those to the scored practice.
Section 1 — Reading
Approved Reading material, published with its questions, keyed answers and the reason each option was written.
Passage 1
Carrying Water Across Roman Valleys
Engineering History · Level 4 · 94 words · 10 questions
1. Complete the partially missing word gra____.
- A.gravityAnswer
- B.granular
- C.grateful
- D.gravel
Why A (gravity) is the answer: 'Gravity' alone kept the water flowing downhill.
- B. 'Granular' describes texture, not a force.
- C. 'Grateful' is an emotion and does not move water.
- D. 'Gravel' is small stones, not the force keeping water flowing.
2. Complete the partially missing word wat____.
- A.waterproofAnswer
- B.watering
- C.waterfall
- D.watchful
Why A (waterproof) is the answer: A 'waterproof' lining prevented leaks in the channel.
- B. 'Watering' is a verb form and misfits the noun phrase.
- C. 'Waterfall' is a falling stream, not a lining.
- D. 'Watchful' means alert and cannot describe a lining.
3. Complete the partially missing word int____.
- A.intern
- B.interruptedAnswer
- C.internal
- D.interested
Why B (interrupted) is the answer: A valley 'interrupted' the route, meaning it broke the path.
- A. 'Intern' is a trainee and is irrelevant.
- C. 'Internal' is an adjective and does not work as this verb.
- D. 'Interested' is an emotion and does not fit a valley.
4. Complete the partially missing word pre____.
- A.preventedAnswer
- B.preferred
- C.prepared
- D.presented
Why A (prevented) is the answer: The lining 'prevented' leaks, meaning it stopped them.
- B. 'Preferred' means chose and does not fit stopping leaks.
- C. 'Prepared' means got ready and does not mean stop.
- D. 'Presented' means showed and is illogical for leaks.
5. Complete the partially missing word lev____.
- A.levying
- B.levelingAnswer
- C.levitate
- D.levers
Why B (leveling) is the answer: 'Leveling tools' measure whether a surface is flat or sloped.
- A. 'Levying' means imposing a tax and is irrelevant.
- C. 'Levitate' means to float and does not fit.
- D. 'Levers' are bars for lifting, not slope-measuring tools here.
6. Complete the partially missing word con____.
- A.consent
- B.conduitAnswer
- C.concert
- D.conduct
Why B (conduit) is the answer: A 'conduit' is the channel the arches support high above ground.
- A. 'Consent' means permission and is irrelevant.
- C. 'Concert' is a musical event, not a water channel.
- D. 'Conduct' as a noun means behavior and does not carry water.
7. Complete the partially missing word gra____.
- A.grammar
- B.granite
- C.grateful
- D.gradientAnswer
Why D (gradient) is the answer: A 'gradient' is the calculated downward slope of the channel.
- A. 'Grammar' concerns language and is irrelevant.
- B. 'Granite' is a rock, not a slope value.
- C. 'Grateful' is an emotion adjective and does not fit.
8. Complete the partially missing word aqu____.
- A.aquarium
- B.aquifer
- C.aquatic
- D.aqueductsAnswer
Why D (aqueducts) is the answer: 'Aqueducts' are the water-carrying structures Romans built.
- A. 'Aquarium' is a fish tank, not a city water channel.
- B. 'Aquifer' is underground rock storing water, not a built structure.
- C. 'Aquatic' is an adjective and cannot be the object built.
9. Complete the partially missing word sur____.
- A.surveyorsAnswer
- B.surface
- C.surplus
- D.surrender
Why A (surveyors) is the answer: 'Surveyors' measured the slope using leveling tools.
- B. 'Surface' is a noun for the top of something, not the workers.
- C. 'Surplus' means excess and does not name people.
- D. 'Surrender' means to give up and is irrelevant.
10. Complete the partially missing word eno____.
- A.enormity
- B.enormously
- C.enormousAnswer
- D.enough
Why C (enormous) is the answer: 'Enormous heated baths' were the large public bathhouses citizens used.
- A. 'Enormity' is a noun and cannot modify 'heated baths' as an adjective.
- B. 'Enormously' is an adverb and cannot fill the adjective slot.
- D. 'Enough' is a quantifier and reads awkwardly before 'heated baths.'
Section 2 — Listening
Audio you can play here, the full transcript, and the questions with their keys — the transcript is printed open rather than folded away.
Recording 1
Banking the Seeds of Crop Diversity
Agricultural Science · Medium · 1 min 28 sec · 4 questions
Transcript
1. Why does the professor use the image of one key for every lock?
- A.To describe how breeders unlock stored traits
- B.To illustrate the danger of depending on similar cropsAnswer
- C.To explain how seed vaults are locked and secured
- D.To compare crops with metal tools
Why B (To illustrate the danger of depending on similar crops) is the answer: The one-key analogy dramatizes the vulnerability of genetically uniform fields.
- A. It illustrates risk, not the retrieval of traits.
- C. It is a metaphor, not about physical locks.
- D. The comparison is about vulnerability, not tools.
2. According to the professor, why is relying on a few crop varieties risky?
- A.Wild relatives crowd out the modern crops
- B.Breeders cannot access older varieties
- C.The seeds cannot be frozen for storage
- D.A single disease can sweep through genetically similar fieldsAnswer
Why D (A single disease can sweep through genetically similar fields) is the answer: The professor says a single new disease or pest can sweep through fields that are all genetically similar.
- A. Wild relatives are a stored resource, not a threat.
- B. Seed banks exist precisely so breeders can access older varieties.
- C. Freezing is part of storage, not the risk.
3. What can be inferred about maintaining a seed bank?
- A.It requires ongoing effort to grow and renew the seedsAnswer
- B.It eliminates the need for plant breeders
- C.It is cheaper than using modern crop varieties
- D.Once stored, seeds need no further attention
Why A (It requires ongoing effort to grow and renew the seeds) is the answer: The professor stresses that seeds don't live forever, so staff must periodically grow and harvest fresh seeds.
- B. Breeders use the bank; they are not replaced by it.
- C. Cost comparison is not discussed.
- D. The professor explicitly contradicts the freeze-and-forget idea.
4. What is the lecture mainly about?
- A.How to build a vault inside a frozen mountain
- B.Why seed banks are important for preserving crop diversityAnswer
- C.How modern farming increased crop yields
- D.Why freezers cannot store seeds at all
Why B (Why seed banks are important for preserving crop diversity) is the answer: The professor explains why seed banks matter as insurance for crop diversity.
- A. The vault image opens the talk but is not its subject.
- C. High yields are noted as the risky context, not the topic.
- D. Seeds are stored cold; the point is that they still need renewal.
Section 3 — Speaking
Seven Listen and Repeat sentences and four Take an Interview prompts, cut to the item counts the 2026 specification lists. Record your answers in the scored Speaking practice to get a band.
Listen and Repeat — 7 items
You hear each sentence once and say it back. The target text is what the recording says, so printing it withholds nothing.
1. 6 words
The library opens earlier during finals.
2. 10 words
The student counselor recommended two electives that fit my schedule.
3. 6 words
The chemistry lab smells like vinegar.
4. 6 words
Save your work before the outage.
5. 10 words
Please email the professor if the assignment link stays broken.
6. 10 words
The cafeteria staff will restock the salad bar around noon.
7. 13 words
Although parking near the stadium is limited, extra shuttles run during major events.
Take an Interview — 4 items
An interviewer sets a situation and asks a question; you answer aloud. Open responses, so there is no key — the eight items reserved for the scored mock are excluded from this bank.
8. Housing change
You can stay in your current dorm or move to a quieter room on the other side of campus.
Which option would you choose, and what is the main reason for your decision?
9. Intramural team
Friends want you to join their intramural soccer team that practices two evenings a week.
Would you sign up, and why or why not?
10. Hobby club
You are curious about photography, and a beginner-friendly photo club meets on weekends.
Would you try the club, and what would you want to learn there?
11. Preparing for exams
You have two weeks before a big exam and could study a little each day or wait and study intensely at the end.
Which plan would you follow, and why?
Section 4 — Writing
Ten keyed Build a Sentence items, one Write an Email prompt and one Academic Discussion board — the twelve items the Writing section lists.
Build a Sentence — 10 items
Arrange the given words into the sentence that answers the speaker. The keyed answer and the grammar rule behind it are printed under each item.
12. Basic SVO
Speaker: Where does your brother work?
- works
- the local
- been
- downtown
- He
- hospital
- at
AnswerHe works at the local hospital downtown.
Present tense SVO: Present simple uses Subject + base verb (+s for third person) + Object. This basic word order is the foundation of English sentence structure.
For he/she/it, add -s to the verb: She works, He plays.
13. Basic SVO
Speaker: What does he eat for breakfast?
- eats
- fresh
- and
- yogurt
- always
- was
- He
- fruit
AnswerHe always eats fresh fruit and yogurt.
SVO with adverbial modifiers: When adverbs modify the verb, they typically come before the main verb or after the object. Manner adverbs often follow the object.
Subject + adverb + Verb + Object, or Subject + Verb + Object + adverb.
14. Basic SVO
Speaker: What does your father collect?
- collects
- rare
- around the world
- passionately
- He passionately
- stamps
- vintage
- from
AnswerHe passionately collects rare vintage stamps from around the world.
Complex SVO with multiple modifiers: With multiple modifiers, adjectives precede nouns, adverbs go near verbs, and prepositional phrases come at the end of the clause.
Build outward: Subject + Verb + Object, then add modifiers around each part.
15. Relative Clauses
Speaker: What assignment is due?
- must be submitted
- which
- who
- The
- paper
- climate data
- analyzes
- Friday
AnswerThe paper which analyzes climate data must be submitted Friday.
Relative clause with "which": "Which" introduces a relative clause describing a thing or concept. Place it directly after the noun being described.
Use "which" for things: The item WHICH has a quality...
16. Relative Clauses
Speaker: Tell me about the documentary.
- important
- climate change
- prompted
- The film
- which
- global policy discussions
- explored
- film
AnswerThe film which explored climate change prompted important global policy discussions.
Relative clause with "which": "Which" introduces a relative clause describing a thing or concept. Place it directly after the noun being described.
Use "which" for things: The item WHICH has a quality...
17. Question Formation
Speaker: I missed the announcement.
- you
- said
- what
- did
- tell me
- the professor
- today
- Could
AnswerCould you tell me what the professor said today?
Indirect question formation: Indirect questions start with a polite phrase, then use a question word followed by statement word order (Subject + Verb).
Could you tell me + question word + Subject + Verb?
18. Question Formation
Speaker: I need scholarship information.
- you
- financial aid
- how
- are processed
- Could you
- applications
- each semester
- tell me
AnswerCould you tell me how financial aid applications are processed each semester?
Indirect question formation: Indirect questions start with a polite phrase, then use a question word followed by statement word order (Subject + Verb).
Could you tell me + question word + Subject + Verb?
19. Modal Verbs
Speaker: I want to travel.
- this summer
- several
- could
- European countries
- visit
- We
- should
- potentially
AnswerWe could potentially visit several European countries this summer.
Modal verb: could + base verb: "Could" expresses possibility or suggestion. Like all modals, it takes the base verb form. Adverbs go between modal and main verb.
could + base verb: We could VISIT (not "could to visit").
20. Modal Verbs
Speaker: I want to start a business.
- investing any capital
- should
- conditions
- before
- thoroughly
- You should
- research
- the market
AnswerYou should thoroughly research the market conditions before investing any capital.
Modal verb: should + base verb: "Should" expresses advice or recommendation and is followed by the base form of the verb, never past tense or infinitive with "to."
should + base verb: You should STUDY (not "should studied").
21. Perfect Tenses
Speaker: Why are you smiling?
- news
- just
- received
- I
- have
- has
- some great
AnswerI have just received some great news.
Present perfect: have/has + past participle: Present perfect connects past actions to the present. Use "have" (I/you/we/they) or "has" (he/she/it) + past participle.
have/has + V-ed/irregular: I have FINISHED, She has GONE.
Write an Email — 1 task
An open response scored on a 0–5 rubric. There is no answer key to print, so the prompt is published complete, with the requirement list it carries.
22. Inquiry
You applied for a membership at the University Film Enthusiasts Club two weeks ago, but you have not received any confirmation or further instructions. The club is known for organizing bi-weekly film screenings and monthly discussions with guest directors. You are eager to participate in the upcoming film festival they are hosting in November. Your friend, Alex, who is a club member, mentioned that you should have heard back by now, so you decide to follow up on your application status.
- Writing to
- Administration
- Subject
- Membership Application Follow-up
What your reply must cover
- Politely inquire about the status of your membership application
- Express your enthusiasm for participating in the upcoming film festival
- Ask if there are any additional steps you need to complete for your membership
Write for an Academic Discussion — 1 task
Also a 0–5 open response. The professor’s question is published in full, with the classmates’ posts wherever the bank records who said what.
23. Standardized Testing
Professor: Should universities continue to require standardized test scores for admission, or should they be optional? Defend your position.
Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT have long been used for college admissions in the United States. Recently, many universities have made these tests optional, arguing they favor wealthy students who can afford test preparation. Others maintain that standardized tests provide an objective measure of student readiness across different schools.
How to sit one of these
- 1Set a timer before you look at anything. The estimated whole-test time is in the blueprint below; a set you pause halfway through measures your reading speed, not your test readiness.
- 2Work top to bottom, section by section, without scrolling ahead to the answers.
- 3Only then read the keys and the rationales. On Build a Sentence and the Reading and Listening items, the key tells you whether you were right; the rationale tells you why the other options were written.
- 4The open responses — Write an Email, Academic Discussion, Take an Interview — have no key, because a 0–5 rubric response does not have one. Write or record yours, then take it to the scored practice to get a band and line-level feedback.
The 2026 blueprint each test is cut to
A numbered test here is not an arbitrary pile of questions. The Writing and Speaking sets are cut to the item counts the 2026 specification publishes, so the pacing you practice is the pacing the section actually has.
| Section | What the specification lists | What one numbered test carries |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 50 items, 35 raw points, two-stage adaptive | One approved passage with its questions and keys, where the sample catalog has one — otherwise the free Reading section |
| Listening | 47 items, 35 raw points, two-stage adaptive | One approved recording with audio, full transcript, questions and keys, where the catalog has one |
| Speaking | 11 items — 7 Listen and Repeat, 4 Take an Interview | 7 Listen and Repeat sentences and 4 Take an Interview prompts |
| Writing | 12 items — 10 Build a Sentence, 1 Email, 1 Discussion | 10 keyed Build a Sentence items, one Email prompt, one Discussion board |
What ETS states
The 2026 specification lists 120 total items, 145 total raw points, and an estimated total test time between 1 hour 23 minutes and 1 hour 29 minutes.
The times are estimated and the blueprint is subject to minor revisions until the official launch. The 120-item total includes non-scored Reading and Listening items, so it is not the number of scored points.
The current Writing section lists 12 items: 10 Build a Sentence items, one Write an Email task, and one Academic Discussion task.
The 2026 specification lists the Speaking section at 11 items and 55 raw points, with task types Listen and Repeat (7 items) and Take an Interview (4 items).
The specification is subject to minor revision until launch. Speaking carries no non-scored items.
The 2026 Reading and Listening sections use multistage adaptive designs; Speaking and Writing are linear.
That is why the two adaptive sections cannot be reproduced as a fixed printed form — what you get here is approved material from those banks, and the adaptive run itself lives in the free Reading and Listening sections.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, read (link confirmed ). Everything outside this box is Reach120’s own reading of it.
What ETS states
The 2026 specification lists the Reading section at 50 items and 35 raw points, with task types Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, and Read an Academic Passage.
These are published blueprint values, which the specification states are subject to minor revisions until the official launch. The item count includes non-scored items, so items do not equal raw points — the specification lists a maximum of 1 point per scored item.
The specification lists an estimated Reading time of an 18–21 minute router plus a 9 minute module, in a two-stage router-plus-module adaptive design.
The times are estimated. Reading prints a single 9 minute module for both routes, unlike Listening, which prints two discrete module lengths.
Reading items are machine-scored selected responses, evaluated by rule-based algorithms per the specification’s item-type notes.
Machine-scored is not exclusive to Reading and Listening — Build a Sentence is machine-scored too. This says nothing about how Reach120 scores your practice.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, read (link confirmed ). Everything outside this box is Reach120’s own reading of it.
What ETS states
The 2026 specification lists the Listening section at 47 items and 35 raw points, with task types Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, and Listen to an Academic Talk.
These are published blueprint values, which the specification states are subject to minor revisions until the official launch. The item count includes non-scored items, so items do not equal raw points — the specification lists a maximum of 1 point per scored item.
The specification lists an estimated Listening time of an 18 minute router plus a second-stage module of 7 minutes (lower) or 11 minutes (upper).
The times are estimated, and the two module lengths are discrete listed values — not a sliding 7-to-11-minute range.
Listening items are machine-scored selected responses, evaluated by rule-based algorithms per the specification’s item-type notes.
Machine-scored is not exclusive to Reading and Listening — Build a Sentence is machine-scored too. This says nothing about how Reach120 scores your practice.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, read (link confirmed ). Everything outside this box is Reach120’s own reading of it.
What gets scored, and by what
Two different things happen to two different kinds of answer, and it is worth being exact about which is which.
- Selected responses — Build a Sentence, and the Reading and Listening items — are checked against a stored key. That check is deterministic: the same answer gets the same result every time, and no language model is involved in deciding it.
- Open responses — Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion, Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview — are scored against the 0–5 rubrics in the scored practice, in the same sitting rather than queued for review. You can check that claim yourself on the free essay check, which scores a response with no account at all.
What ETS states
For TOEFL tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, official score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-band increments.
Per the 2026 specification, the maximum points per Build a Sentence item is 1.
The specification publishes the point allocation and the machine-scored framing. That an arrangement is therefore treated as correct or incorrect rather than graded on a rubric is Reach120’s reading of it, not an ETS statement.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, read (link confirmed ). Everything outside this box is Reach120’s own reading of it.
Free TOEFL practice tests: common questions
- Are these TOEFL practice tests really free?
- Yes. Every question, transcript and answer key on these pages is published in the page itself with no account, no email gate and no paywall. A free account is only needed for the scored practice, where your own writing and speaking are graded against the rubrics.
- Is this a full-length TOEFL test?
- The Writing and Speaking sets are cut to the item counts the 2026 specification lists — 12 Writing items and 11 Speaking items. Reading and Listening are two-stage adaptive sections in the 2026 test, so a printed page cannot reproduce them item for item; each test carries approved Reading and Listening material where the sample catalog has it, and the adaptive run itself is in the free Reading and Listening sections.
- Do the questions come with answers?
- Where the task has an answer, yes, and it is printed under the item along with why it is right. Build a Sentence carries a keyed arrangement and the grammar rule behind it; Reading and Listening items carry the key and the reason each distractor was written; Listen and Repeat prints the target sentence. Write an Email, Academic Discussion and Take an Interview are open responses scored on 0–5 rubrics, so there is no key to print and inventing one would misrepresent the task.
- How are these different from the full mock?
- These pages are the reading-and-marking version: fixed, printable, complete with keys. The full mock is the sitting version — it runs the four sections back to back, times you, scores your open responses and reports one combined practice estimate. Most people use both: the numbered tests to learn the item types, the mock to rehearse the day.
- Are these real TOEFL questions?
- These are Reach120 practice items written against the published 2026 blueprint. None of them is a real TOEFL test question, and nothing here is published, licensed, endorsed or reviewed by ETS.
- How is a practice band related to an official score?
- It is not an official score. Since January 21, 2026, official TOEFL score reports use a 1–6 scale in half-band increments; the bands Reach120 reports are practice estimates produced by our own scoring against the published rubrics, and the methodology page states how they are produced and what they are measured against.