Free TOEFL ITP Exam Flashcards

Level 1 has Listening Comprehension (50 Q / 35 min), Structure & Written Expression (40 Q / 25 min), and Reading Comprehension (50 Q / 55 min), 140 questions in 115 minutes. All items are four-option multiple choice with no penalty for guessing, so never leave a blank.

Level 1 targets intermediate-to-advanced learners (140 Q, score 310-677); Level 2 targets high-beginner-to-intermediate learners (95 Q, score 200-500). Both share Listening and Structure & Written Expression, but Level 1 has Reading Comprehension while Level 2 has Reading and Vocabulary.

ETS reports scaled section scores plus a total score; there is no universal passing mark. Each institution sets its own placement, progress, exit, or admissions cut score, and reports stay valid for two years. Know your target institution's required band before you test.

Sentence-completion items give an incomplete sentence with one blank and four choices, testing the right structure to insert. Error-identification items underline four parts of a complete sentence and ask which one is wrong. Recognize which format you face before you read the choices.

On sentence-completion items, identify the grammatical role of the blank (subject, verb, modifier, connector) before scanning the four choices. Most distractors are grammatically impossible in that slot, so locating the needed part of speech eliminates them quickly.

In error-identification items, scan the four underlined parts for the classic traps: subject-verb agreement, verb form/tense, word form, parallelism, pronoun reference, and singular/plural nouns. The error is grammatical, not stylistic, so you are choosing the one part that breaks a rule.

A common Structure trap is a clause with no main verb (only a participle or infinitive) or no subject. If the choice or underlined part leaves the sentence without a true subject-verb core, it is wrong. Verify the independent clause has both.

The verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, not with a noun in a phrase between them. In 'The box of nails is heavy,' the verb matches 'box' (singular), not 'nails.' TOEFL ITP inserts prepositional phrases to hide the true subject.

Indefinite pronouns like each, every, everyone, everybody, neither, and either are singular and take a singular verb: 'Each of the students has a book.' Error-ID items pair these with plural verbs to test you.

When a sentence starts with 'there' or with an inverted structure, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it: 'There are several reasons.' Watch for the verb appearing before its real subject, a frequent agreement trap.

Expressions like 'the number of' take a singular verb, while 'a number of' takes plural. 'The majority/percent of + plural noun' usually takes a plural verb. TOEFL ITP tests whether you match the verb to the controlling quantity word.

Use the simple past for a finished action at a definite time ('in 1990') and the present perfect for an action linked to now or with 'since/for/already/yet.' 'Since' signals present perfect; a finished time marker signals simple past. ITP uses time words to test this choice.

After 'when, before, after, until, as soon as, by the time,' use the present tense even for future meaning: 'When she arrives, we will start.' Putting 'will' inside the time clause is a tested error.

Modals (can, will, should, must, might) are followed by the base verb with no 'to' and no -s: 'She must go.' An infinitive uses 'to + base verb.' A choice that adds an ending or 'to' after a modal is wrong.

The passive is formed with be + past participle ('was written,' 'is being built'). Error-ID items drop the past participle ending, swap in the base form, or omit 'be.' Confirm both the correct form of 'be' and the participle are present.

Real future: 'If it rains, we will stay.' Unreal present: 'If I had time, I would help' (past + would). Unreal past: 'If she had known, she would have called' (past perfect + would have). Mismatched verb forms across the clauses are the tested error.

Many errors swap an adjective for an adverb, a noun for a verb, or a noun for an adjective: use 'economic growth' (adjective + noun), not 'economy growth.' Determine what part of speech the slot needs, then check the suffix (-tion, -ly, -ous, -ment).

Adjectives modify nouns ('a careful driver'); adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs ('drives carefully'). After linking verbs (be, seem, become, taste, feel) use an adjective: 'The soup tastes good,' not 'tastes well.'

Items joined by 'and, or, but' must share the same grammatical form: 'reading, writing, and speaking,' not 'reading, writing, and to speak.' Faulty parallelism is a high-frequency error-ID trap, especially in three-item lists.

Paired conjunctions (both...and, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also) must connect the same kind of structure: 'not only fast but also accurate.' The error is usually a noun on one side and a verb phrase on the other.

Use the comparative (-er/more) for two things and the superlative (-est/most) for three or more: 'the taller of the two,' 'the tallest of all.' Never combine forms ('more taller'). 'Than' signals a comparative; 'the...est' signals a superlative.

Equality uses 'as + adjective + as' ('as tall as') and 'the same + noun + as' ('the same height as'). Dropping the second 'as,' or mixing 'than' with 'as,' is a tested structure error.

Use 'a/an' for a non-specific singular count noun and 'the' for something specific or already mentioned. 'A/an' depends on sound: 'an hour,' 'a university.' Singular count nouns cannot stand alone with no article, a common ITP error.

Use 'many, few, fewer, number of' with count nouns and 'much, little, less, amount of' with noncount nouns: 'fewer cars,' 'less traffic.' 'Less items' for 'fewer items' is a classic tested mistake.

Use 'in' for months, years, and longer periods ('in July'), 'on' for days and dates ('on Monday'), and 'at' for clock times ('at 3:00'). For place: 'in' an enclosed area, 'on' a surface, 'at' a point. Wrong prepositions in these fixed phrases are tested.

Many words require a specific preposition: 'depend on,' 'consist of,' 'interested in,' 'capable of,' 'responsible for.' These collocations have no logical rule, so memorize common pairs; an unexpected preposition is the underlined error.

Use 'who' for people, 'which' for things, 'that' for either in defining clauses, and 'whose' for possession. The relative pronoun replaces a noun, so the clause should not also repeat that noun ('the man who he came' is wrong).

A noun clause introduced by 'what, that, whether, how, why' uses statement word order, not question order: 'I know where she lives,' not 'where does she live.' Reversed subject-verb order inside an embedded clause is a tested error.

'Because' + clause vs. 'because of' + noun; 'although' + clause vs. 'despite/in spite of' + noun. ITP tests whether you follow the connector with the correct structure: a full clause after the conjunction, a noun phrase after the preposition.

English uses one subject per clause and one connector per link. 'My brother he is a doctor' (double subject) and 'Because she was late, so we left' (because + so) are both tested errors. Delete the redundant word.

A reduced clause uses a participle: 'The man standing there is my uncle.' Use the present participle (-ing) for active meaning and the past participle for passive ('the book written by her'). Choosing the wrong participle voice is a frequent structure error.

An introductory -ing or -ed phrase must describe the subject right after the comma: 'Walking home, I saw the moon' (I was walking). 'Walking home, the moon was bright' is wrong because the moon was not walking. Match the modifier to the correct subject.

Some verbs take a gerund (enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest, consider), others an infinitive (want, decide, hope, agree, plan). 'After a preposition, always use a gerund' ('good at swimming'). Choosing the wrong complement form is a tested error.

A pronoun must agree with its noun in number and gender and refer to a clear antecedent: 'Each student brought his or her book.' Error-ID items mismatch a singular noun with 'they/their' or leave the reference ambiguous.

Adjectives precede the noun ('a large old house'); adverbs of frequency (always, often, never) go before the main verb but after 'be': 'She always works'; 'She is always late.' Misplaced frequency adverbs are tested in both sections.

In the short-conversation part, the answer often restates or infers the second speaker's meaning rather than repeating words you heard. Listen for idioms, tone, and implied conclusions; the choice with matching vocabulary is usually a trap.

Some items ask why a speaker says something or how they feel. Use intonation and stress cues, not just the literal words, to detect surprise, doubt, agreement, or sarcasm. Decide the purpose before choosing among similar-sounding options.

In academic talks and longer dialogues, track the main idea, supporting details, and the speakers' likely next action. Note signposting words ('first, however, as a result') that mark structure, and predict the answer before reading choices.

Wrong choices frequently reuse words that sound like what was said or repeat a word out of context. Match the meaning of the conversation, not a single recognizable word; a choice that echoes the audio is often the planted distractor.

Main-idea questions ask for the passage's central point, which is broader than any single detail. Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph; reject choices that are true but too narrow or that mention information not in the passage.

Detail questions are answerable directly from the text, so scan for keywords. Negative-factual items ('Which is NOT mentioned?') flip the logic: three choices appear in the passage and the correct answer is the one that does not. Check each option against the text.

Inference items ask what is implied, not stated. The right answer must be supported by the passage with a small logical step and never contradict it. Avoid choices that go too far beyond the text or rely on your outside knowledge of the topic.

Reference items ask which noun a word like 'it, they, this, such' points to. Substitute each candidate noun into the sentence and pick the one that keeps the meaning grammatical and sensible. The antecedent is usually the nearest matching noun.

Some questions ask why the author included an example, or how the passage is organized (cause-effect, comparison, chronology, problem-solution). Identify the function of a sentence within the argument, not just its content, to answer purpose questions.

When a question asks the meaning of a word as used in the passage, replace it with each option and check whether the sentence keeps the same meaning. The correct synonym fits this specific context, even if the word has other dictionary meanings.

If a word is unfamiliar, infer meaning from definitions, examples, contrast words ('but, unlike'), or cause-effect signals near it. The passage usually contains enough context to narrow the choices without prior knowledge of the term.

Every reading answer must be grounded in the text, not in what you already know about the topic. A choice can be factually true in the real world yet wrong because the passage does not support it. Verify each answer against a specific line.

Level 1 gives 55 minutes for 50 reading questions, so spend roughly a minute per item. Skim the passage for structure first, then answer; do not over-read. Because there is no guessing penalty, fill every answer even when time runs short.

Level 2 replaces Level 1's Reading Comprehension with Reading and Vocabulary (40 Q / 31 min), emphasizing word meaning from context and shorter, simpler campus and academic texts. Expect more sentence-level vocabulary items and fewer dense academic passages.

Work steadily, eliminate impossible choices, and never leave blanks because guessing carries no penalty. For Structure, find the needed part of speech; for Listening, focus on meaning over sound; for Reading, ground every answer in the text. Track your error patterns by section while studying.