TOEFL Speaking Practice Questions Mock Test 3 – With Answers

by Schule Study Time | May 5, 2025 | TOEFL Speaking Questions

Try this TOEFL Speaking Practice Questions Mock Test 3, which includes all 4 TOEFL Speaking Tasks with sample answers to help you get ready for the TOEFL Speaking Exam.

TASK 1 – INDEPENDENT SPEAKING TASK

For this task, you will be asked a question about a familiar topic.

Your timings for this question are as follows

Preparation Time: 15 seconds
Response Time: 45 seconds

Task 1 Question:

If you were given the choice of spending a weekend in the mountains or at the beach, which would you choose and why?

Use reasons and examples to support your answer.

Task 1 High-Scoring Sample Response:

You can download a high-scoring sample response for this question here for FREE

Task 1 – High-Scoring Sample Response Download

TASK 2 – CAMPUS SITUATION QUESTION

For this task, you will read a short passage about a situation on campus and then listen to a conversation. You will asked a question based on what you have read and heard.

Your timings for this question are as follows:

Preparation Time: 30 seconds
Response Time: 60 seconds

TASK 2 QUESTION:

First, read the article from the campus newspaper. You have 50 seconds to read the article:

Reading Passage (Campus Newspaper Article – Benefits Only)

Campus Newspaper Article: New Weekend Workshops Proposed

The university has proposed offering academic workshops on weekends to give students extra support outside their regular class schedules. These workshops would be optional and cover subjects such as writing, time management, and research skills. According to the administration, weekend sessions would allow students to focus without the pressure of weekday classes and deadlines. The university believes this initiative will help improve academic performance and allow students to strengthen important academic skills in a more relaxed, flexible setting.

Listening Conversation:

Now listen to 2 students discussing the article. The full conversation transcript can be found below:

Listening Transcript

Click to view full conversation transcript

Man: I read the article about those weekend workshops. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Woman: Really? I’m not so sure.

Man: Why not? They said the workshops would help students with things like writing and time management.

Woman: Yeah, but weekends are when a lot of students work part-time jobs. Adding school-related activities might put extra pressure on them.

Man: I guess that’s true. I hadn’t thought about students with jobs.

Woman: And also, the university says weekends are less stressful, but I think that’s the point—students finally get a break. Using that time for more academic work could lead to burnout.

Man: Good point. I usually catch up on sleep or just take time to relax on weekends.

Woman: Exactly. It’s not that workshops are a bad idea. I just think they’d be more helpful if they were offered during the week, maybe in the evening. That way students wouldn’t have to give up their time off to attend.

Click to hide conversation transcript.

Question:

The woman expresses her opinion about the proposed weekend workshops. State her opinion and explain how it relates to the ideas in the article.

Task 2 High-Scoring Response:

You can download a high-scoring sample response for this question here for FREE

Task 2 – High-Scoring Sample Response Download

Task 3: Academic Reading and Lecture Transcript

For this question, you will read a passage about an academic concept or topic, and then you will listen to an excerpt of a lecture about that same concept or topic.

Your timings for this question are as follows:

Preparation Time: 30 seconds
Response Time: 60 seconds

Task 3 Question:

You have 45 seconds to read this passage.

Reading Passage – The Spotlight Effect

The spotlight effect is a psychological phenomenon where people believe that others notice them more than they actually do. When someone makes a mistake or feels self-conscious, they often overestimate how much others are paying attention. In reality, most people are focused on themselves and may not even notice. Researchers believe the spotlight effect happens because people see the world from their own perspective and assume others are just as focused on them. This concept helps explain why people often feel embarrassed or judged in public situations, even when no one else is paying attention.

Listening:

Now listen to part of a lecture from a psychology course. The full lecture transcript can be found below

Lecture Transcript

Click here to view the full lecture transcript

A classic study helps illustrate the spotlight effect really well. In the experiment, researchers asked college students to wear a bright yellow T-shirt with a large picture of a famous singer on it—someone who was popular at the time but also considered a little embarrassing to wear on your chest in public.

After putting on the shirt, each student was asked to walk into a room full of strangers and complete a simple task, like filling out a form. Afterward, the researchers asked each participant to guess how many people in the room had noticed the shirt.

Most students believed that around half of the people in the room saw and recognised what was on their shirt. But in reality, when researchers asked the strangers in the room, only about 20% of them even remembered seeing the shirt, let alone what was on it.

So the students were sure that everyone was paying attention to them, when in fact, most people hadn’t noticed them at all. This shows how people tend to overestimate how much attention others are giving them, just like the reading describes.

Click here to hide the full lecture transcript.

Question:

Explain how the example of the T-shirt experiment in the lecture supports the concept of the spotlight effect described in the reading passage.

Task 3 High-Scoring Answer:

You can download a high-scoring sample response for this question here for FREE

Task 3 – High-Scoring Sample Response Download

Task 4: Academic Lecture Question

For this question, you will listen to an excerpt of a lecture on an academic topic.

Your timings for this question are as follows:

Preparation Time: 20 seconds
Response Time: 60 seconds

TOEFL Speaking Task 4 Question:

Now listen to part of a lecture from a cognitive psychology class. The full lecture transcript can be found below:

Lecture Transcript:

Click to view full lecture transcript

OK. So, have you ever made a to-do list or set a reminder on your phone? What you’re doing is called cognitive offloading. This term refers to when we rely on physical tools or other people to store or manage information instead of keeping everything in our heads.

There are different ways we offload our thinking. One very common example is writing things down. Say a student has to complete three assignments. Instead of trying to remember the deadlines, they write them in a planner. This frees up mental space, so they can focus on studying rather than worrying about forgetting something. By putting the task somewhere external—like paper—they reduce the pressure on their working memory.

Another example is using technology. People often set alarms, use calendar apps, or create shopping lists on their phones. Let’s say someone’s in a grocery store and they can’t remember what they need. But they’ve got a digital list they made earlier. They don’t have to recall every item—they just follow the list. That’s cognitive offloading, too. The phone is doing the remembering, not the brain.

Now, there’s also offloading onto other people. Think about when you ask a friend to remind you about something. You’re using their memory to help manage your task. This happens a lot in teams or group projects. People divide responsibilities so that no one person has to keep track of everything.

So, overall, cognitive offloading helps reduce mental effort. It lets us manage tasks more efficiently by using tools, technology, or others to support our thinking. We don’t always realise we’re doing it—but it plays a big role in everyday life.

Clcik to hide full lecture transcript.

Question:

Using points and examples from the lecture, explain what cognitive offloading is and how people use it in different ways.

Task 4 High-Scoring Answer

You can download a high-scoring sample response for this question here for FREE

Task 4 – High-Scoring Sample Response Download

Keep Practising with These TOEFL Speaking Practice Resources

Looking for more ways to improve your TOEFL Speaking skills? Check out these free resources on Schule Study Time:

TOEFL Speaking Task 1 Guide
Understand the three types of Task 1 questions and practise using sentence starters and examples.
TOEFL Speaking Task 2 Guide
Get comfortable summarising conversations and campus announcements under time pressure.
TOEFL Speaking Task 3 Guide
Learn how to combine information from a reading and a lecture with high-scoring response tips.
TOEFL Speaking Task 4 Guide
Practice summarising academic lectures with clear templates and examples.
ETS Scoring Rubric
If you are interested in learning how your speaking responses are scored, then have a look at the official TOEFL Speaking Scoring Rubric from ETS.

TOEFL Speaking Practice Questions Mock Test 3 – With Answers

TASK 1 – INDEPENDENT SPEAKING TASK

Task 1 Question:

Task 1 High-Scoring Sample Response:

TASK 2 – CAMPUS SITUATION QUESTION

TASK 2 QUESTION:

Reading Passage (Campus Newspaper Article – Benefits Only)

Listening Conversation:

Listening Transcript

Question:

Task 2 High-Scoring Response:

Task 3: Academic Reading and Lecture Transcript

Task 3 Question:

Reading Passage – The Spotlight Effect

Listening:

Lecture Transcript

Question:

Task 3 High-Scoring Answer:

Task 4: Academic Lecture Question

TOEFL Speaking Task 4 Question:

Lecture Transcript:

Question:

Task 4 High-Scoring Answer

Keep Practising with These TOEFL Speaking Practice Resources

More TOEFL Speaking Practice Questions:

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