# TOEFL Listen to an Announcement: 2026 Guide | topin

TOEFL guidesListen to an Announcement

Where

Listening: the first module and the easier second module

Per module

3 in the first module, 2 in the easier second module

Audio

One speaker, about 40–85 words, played once

Questions

2 per announcement, four options each

Topics

Schedules, directions, rules, events and news

## How it works

A professor, a librarian or a campus office gives a short spoken notice. The two questions ask about its purpose, a detail such as a time or place, what can be inferred, or what listeners should do.

## Worked example

You hear (a professor): "Before you go, a quick change. Next Tuesday's lab is moving from room 210 to the new building across the car park, room 3B. We'll start fifteen minutes later than usual, at ten fifteen, because the room is being set up that morning. Please bring your safety glasses, since the new lab doesn't have spare ones yet." Question: What should students bring to next Tuesday's lab?

1. AA map of the new building
2. BTheir own safety glasses
3. CA key to room 3B
4. DNotes from room 210
Show the answer

Their own safety glasses

The professor says "Please bring your safety glasses" and gives the reason. The other options use places from the announcement but nothing else was asked for.

## A method for Listen to an Announcement

1. 1  
### Catch the purpose in the first sentence  
Announcements usually say what they are about straight away: a change, a reminder, a new rule. Note it in a few words.
2. 2  
### Write down numbers and places  
Times, dates, room numbers and buildings are the details most often tested. Note the new value when something changes.
3. 3  
### Listen for instructions  
Phrases such as "please", "make sure" and "don't forget" mark what listeners should do. One question often asks exactly this.
4. 4  
### Note reasons  
Words such as "because" and "since" introduce why something is happening. Inference questions often build on the reason.

## Traps to avoid

* Choosing the old time or room when the announcement gives a new one.
* Options that reuse a place or object from the audio without matching what was said about it.
* Mistaking a reason for an instruction, or the other way round.
* Missing the purpose because the speaker opens with a greeting or small talk.

## Listen to an Announcement FAQs

Are announcements a separate task in TOEFL Listening?

Yes. Listen to an Announcement is its own task type, alongside Choose a Response, conversations and academic talks.

How long is a TOEFL listening announcement?

Short: about 40–85 words from a single speaker, with two questions.

Do announcements appear on the harder path?

In topin's mocks, which follow the 2026 blueprint, announcements appear in the first module and the easier second module; the harder module has academic talks instead.

## Try Listen to an Announcement under real timing

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