Chapter 2:
The following diagnostic is a miniature version of the TOEFL. End to end, it will take you 70 to 75 minutes. The purpose of this short diagnostic is to expose you to the material and help you focus your studies, not to predict how you will do on the TOEFL. Do the best you can, of course. But interpret the results as guidance for your work, not as destiny.
Here is the format of the diagnostic:
| Section | Questions | Time |
| 1. Reading | One passage + 14 questions | 20 minutes |
| 2. Listening | One lecture + 6 questions One conversation + 5 questions |
20 minutes |
| 3. Speaking | One “Personal Choice” speaking task (type 2) One “Academic General/Specific” speaking task (type 4) |
5–10 minutes |
| 4. Writing | One “Integrated” writing task (type 1) | 25 minutes |
Set a timer for each section and do just that section. For Sections 1 and 2, write your answers down on a separate piece of paper. For Section 3, record your spoken response for later review (a smartphone is good for this purpose). For Section 4, type your response into a word processing program. Turn off spell-check and grammar-check features.
When you are ready, set a timer to count down 20 minutes. Turn to Section 1 and begin working.