TOEFL Take an Interview
One of the 2 task types in the Speaking section. 72 practice questions in the bank, across 20 sets.
Take an Interview asks about four questions on a single topic, with roughly 45 seconds for each answer. There is no reading or listening source to synthesise — the integrated speaking tasks were removed — so what is tested is fluency, content and intelligibility under a live clock.
What it looks like
A real item from the practice bank:
You hear: “Talk about a time when you had to change your plan at the last minute. What happened, and what did you do?”
You answer out loud; there is no single correct wording.
*Explanations in the PrepScore bank are written for a Chinese-speaking audience, so the reasoning on this page is ours rather than a translation of the bank’s.*
How to approach it
- Pick a side in your first sentence, even on a question you have no opinion about.
- Give one reason and one example. That fills 45 seconds without planning a shape.
- Stop when you are done. Trailing into filler costs more than ending early.
How much practice there is
The bank holds 72 questions of this type across 20 sets. 75% sit in the basic layer and the rest in the advanced layer, which unlocks once your basic-layer accuracy passes 60% — the same two-stage shape the real test uses in Reading and Listening.
Practise Take an Interview free
Ten questions a day at no cost, with the reasoning on every answer.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I speak for in Take an Interview?
Roughly 45 seconds per question, across about four questions on one topic.
Is silence penalised?
Silence itself is not, but filling it with "uh" or a repeated word is exactly what reads as disfluent. Starting plainly beats starting perfectly.
Keep reading
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