TOEFL iBT and ITP Study Guide, Section by Section

TOEFL preparation starts before any practice book is opened, with the requirement document from the university, scholarship provider or employer that wants the score. The TOEFL ITP is a paper-and-pencil test widely used in Indonesia for graduation requirements, domestic postgraduate admissions and institutional purposes. The iBT is sat at a screen and tests Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing; most overseas universities and international scholarships name this version in their requirements. The two tests run on different scales, so a score on one is rarely accepted in place of the other.

Once the test type is settled, the same document usually answers three more questions: the minimum total score, any minimum per section, and the deadline by which the score must arrive. An iBT certificate counts for two years after the day the test was sat. That means booking the test close enough to the deadline for the certificate to still count, and early enough to leave room for a retake. Many learners start preparing three to six months before their application deadline.

The iBT needs one extra check. ETS updated the format in July 2023 and then changed the task list and score reporting again from 21 January 2026. Books and question banks printed before that change are still everywhere, complete with older tasks such as Integrated Writing and speaking tasks with preparation time. They remain useful for building academic reading, listening and writing, while full mock tests should follow the official task list in force on your test date.

Structure and Written Expression has 40 items in 25 minutes, roughly 37 seconds each. Two item types are mixed together. Structure items show a sentence with a gap and four options to fill it; Written Expression items show a complete sentence with four underlined parts, one of which is wrong. Telling the type apart at a glance, gap or underline, is the first decision on every item.

For gap items, learners drill a fixed routine: locate the subject, locate the main verb, then test each option against that frame. Distractors typically add a second verb, double up a conjunction or leave the sentence without a main clause. For Written Expression, the four underlined parts go through a short checklist. Does the verb agree with its subject in number? Does each word have the right form for its position? Is the tense correct? Are items in a list or comparison parallel?

The same patterns come back test after test: subject-verb agreement split by a long clause, parallel structure, word form, incomplete clauses, a word repeated for the same function, and inverted order after negative words or in conditionals. Each mistake goes onto a personal pattern list, and that list shrinks as practice goes on.

For pacing, many learners work in three passes. The first pass takes every item whose answer is obvious, the second returns to flagged items, and the third makes sure no box is left empty, since the ITP does not deduct points for wrong answers. A useful midpoint check is reaching item 20 when half the time has gone.

Across every form of the TOEFL, Listening audio plays a single time. Get stuck on one unfamiliar word and the next sentence slips past. So listening practice starts with 20 to 30 minutes a day of academic English: open university lectures, science podcasts, short talks on educational channels. In the first week it is enough to listen without questions, then listen again while reading the transcript to connect sounds with spelling. Keep the audio at normal speed from the start.

Useful notes capture the outline of what is said. A common layout splits the page into two columns, topics and main points on the left, examples and details on the right. Abbreviations stay fixed, for instance b/c for because and w/ for with, with arrows for cause and effect and a star for anything the speaker stresses more than once. Signpost phrases such as however, for example and on the other hand get written in capitals, since that is where answers tend to sit. A good set of notes can be reread in five seconds with the line of thought still clear.

The ITP has one extra wrinkle. Rules on note-taking vary between test administrators, and some do not allow notes at all. ITP candidates should also build short-term recall through about ten minutes of shadowing per session: play one sentence, pause, and repeat it exactly as heard. After each practice set, answers are checked against the transcript, and every miss is labelled misheard, misunderstood or misread question so the pattern shows up week by week.

Since 21 January 2026, iBT Speaking has two tasks: Listen and Repeat, with seven short sentences to echo back, and Take an Interview, with four questions from a recorded interviewer. Neither gives preparation time. Raters listen for accuracy of repetition, clarity, fluency, logical development, grammar and intonation.

For Listen and Repeat, practice begins with campus-themed sentences of five to eight words. Hear the sentence once, say it back while recording, then compare the recording with the original. Breaking a sentence into chunks of subject, verb and the rest helps the sound stick in memory. The same drill works on sound pairs that Indonesian speakers often mix up, such as p and f, or long and short vowels.

Take an Interview allows about 45 seconds per question. A three-layer pattern fills that time well: the main point, one reason, one example from your own experience, then a short closing line. The habit of starting immediately is built with a three-second countdown followed by speaking, helped by natural openers such as Well or In my experience. Many learners prepare three or four flexible personal stories that can be adapted to many topics, because one memorised script used for every question sounds stiff in an interview format.

Weekly recordings are reviewed with three questions: is the speech clear, is the pace steady, does the idea develop? Fix one aspect per session. If a word goes missing mid-answer, carry on calmly, because stopping dead does more harm to fluency.

Practice by question type builds accuracy, and full mock tests build stamina. Plenty of learners follow the first lecture well and then drift by the third, or move smoothly through the first 20 Structure items and rush the rest. A mock is done in one sitting, with the timer running from start to finish and the audio never paused, even when you feel behind.

The mock should look like the real test. ITP candidates use a paper answer sheet and a 2B pencil to get used to transferring answers, and make sure every number is filled. iBT candidates sit at a computer with headphones, because the screen layout, voice recording and typed answers are all part of the test experience. A common rhythm is one section mock every week and one complete mock every two to three weeks.

The value of a mock shows up when you take it apart. Every wrong answer gets a reason: wrong strategy, ran out of time, vocabulary gap, misheard, or misread the question. The three most frequent reasons become next week's priorities. Also note the minute when concentration started to fade and how many items were left in each section, since those two numbers point to where stamina needs work.

In the last seven to ten days, cut back on new material. Review the error log, the idiom list, grammar patterns, speaking and writing frameworks and academic vocabulary instead. Prepare identity documents to the administrator's rules well before test day, and put a full night's sleep ahead of late-night study.