Note-taking for the new TOEFL Listening section

You can take notes in the new TOEFL Listening section. ETS states that note-taking is allowed in every section of the TOEFL iBT, and you get scratch paper and a pencil at a test centre. Some prep websites say notes were removed in 2026. As of October 2026, the official ETS test content and policy pages say the opposite.

The real question is how much to write. The 2026 Listening section is built from short recordings, and the longest is an academic talk of about 100–250 words. Candidates who write as much as they did for the old 5-minute lectures often miss the next sentence while they are still writing the last one. This guide explains when notes help, what to write for each task, and gives an original talk with notes and questions to practise on.

Can you take notes in the new TOEFL Listening section?

Yes. As of October 2026, the ETS FAQ says: "Yes, you can take notes during each section of the TOEFL iBT test." The rules on materials depend on where you test:

• Test centre: scratch paper and pencils are provided. You can ask for more paper, and all paper is collected at the end.
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition: you write with an erasable marker on a small whiteboard or on paper inside a transparent sheet protector, and you erase it on camera at the end.

You cannot take notes out of the test, and you cannot bring prewritten notes in. Each recording is played once, so your notes are the only record you have.

If you are taking the test for an Australian visa, you need TOEFL iBT Australia at a test centre, which keeps the format used before 2026 with longer lectures, and notes matter more there. Our guide to TOEFL for Australian student visas explains the difference.

How long are the recordings in 2026?

According to the ETS Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview, the Listening section has four task types and runs for about 29 minutes:

A 250-word talk lasts under two minutes. That is long enough that you will forget a detail, but short enough that you can hold the main idea in your head. Notes are for the details, not for the whole talk. For a description of each task type, see TOEFL Listening in 2026.

When notes hurt your score

For Listen and Choose a Response, writing anything is a mistake. The whole task is one sentence, and you need its tone as much as its words. "Didn't I just see you in the library an hour ago?" is not really a question about the library; it invites an explanation. If you look down to write "library", you miss the intonation that tells you that.

For conversations, the ETS overview says questions test things like the speaker's purpose, implied meaning and what a speaker will do next. These come from how people respond to each other, not from facts you can copy down. Listen, and write at most a word or two for a time, place or decision.

The general rule: if you are writing while someone is speaking, you are listening less. Keep your eyes up for anything under 30 seconds.

What to write for an academic talk

For academic talks, the four questions usually cover:

1. The main idea or purpose of the talk.
2. One or two details, often an example and what it shows.
3. How the talk is organised, or why the speaker mentions something.
4. The speaker's attitude, or an inference.

Your notes should match those questions. Use a simple two-column layout:

• Left: the topic, then each main point as it comes.
• Right: the example or evidence for that point, and any opinion marker (✓ for agree, ✗ for doubt, ? for uncertain).

Write nouns and numbers, not sentences. Use arrows for cause (→), up and down arrows for increase and decrease, and the first syllable of long words ("bio", "temp", "pop"). Draw a line under the topic once you hear it. Most speakers say it in the first two sentences.

Signal phrases tell you when to write. "What I want to focus on today…" means topic. "Take, for instance…" means example. "But here's the surprising part…" means a contrast, and often a question. "I'm not entirely convinced…" means attitude. You can safely stop writing when the speaker is repeating or giving background you already know.

Example: an original talk with notes

This talk and the questions were written by AIL for practice. If you can, ask someone to read the talk aloud at a normal pace, and take notes without looking at the text.

Narrator: Listen to part of a talk in an ecology class.

Professor (woman): OK, so today I want to look at beavers, and specifically at why some ecologists now call them "ecosystem engineers". A beaver builds a dam across a stream using branches and mud, mainly to create a pond deep enough to protect its home from predators. That's the beaver's reason. But the effects go far beyond the beaver. The pond slows the water down, so sediment settles instead of washing away, and the ground around the pond stays wet for much longer in dry months. In one study in the western United States, streams with beaver dams kept flowing through a drought, while nearby streams without dams dried up. Now, here's the surprising part. Some land managers who spent decades removing beavers are now putting them back on purpose, because it's cheaper than building artificial structures to hold water. I should say, though, that it doesn't suit every location. In farmland, the flooding can damage crops, so it's not a solution everywhere.

Notes a strong candidate might take (in about 20 words):

beavers = "eco engineers" dam → pond (protect from predators) | beaver's reason slows water → sediment, wet ground | drought study W. US: dams = flow ✓ managers now reintroduce | cheaper than artificial ✗ farmland: flooding crops

Questions:

1. What is the talk mainly about? A. How beavers protect themselves from predators B. The wider effects of beaver dams on the environment C. Why beavers were removed from many streams D. How to build artificial structures that hold water

2. Why does the professor mention a study in the western United States? A. To show that beavers prefer dry regions B. To compare two methods of building dams C. To give evidence that dams help streams keep flowing D. To explain where beavers were first studied

3. Why have some land managers started reintroducing beavers? A. Beavers reduce the number of predators. B. Beavers are cheaper than artificial structures. C. Farmers asked for more ponds. D. Beavers stop sediment building up.

4. What is the professor's attitude towards reintroducing beavers? A. She thinks it should happen everywhere. B. She believes it has been a failure. C. She supports it but sees limits. D. She thinks more research is needed before trying it.

Answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 B, 4 C.

Look at how the notes map onto the questions. Question 1 comes from the underlined topic. Question 2 is an "example" question, and the note "drought study… dams = flow" answers it directly. Question 3 is a detail after the signal "here's the surprising part". Question 4 is attitude, and the ✗ next to farmland is what stops you choosing A. Option A in question 1 is the trap: it repeats the beaver's own reason, which the professor mentions only to set it aside ("That's the beaver's reason. But…").

Common note-taking mistakes

• Writing full sentences. By the time you finish one, the speaker has made the next point.
• Copying the first minute in detail. Introductions are usually background. The tested details tend to come after the topic is stated.
• Ignoring opinion words. "I should say, though…", "I'm not sure that…", "the more convincing view is…". Attitude questions come from these, and they are easy to miss if you are only writing facts.
• Taking notes on every task. It slows you down on the short items and costs time across the section. See TOEFL time management for pacing.
• Never practising without notes. Some candidates rely on notes so much that they lose the thread of a short conversation. Practise both ways.

A one-week practice routine

1. Days 1–2: Find university podcasts or short lectures of one to two minutes. Listen once and write no more than 20 words. Then summarise the talk aloud from your notes in 30 seconds.
2. Days 3–4: Same, but write your own four questions (main idea, example, organisation, attitude) and check whether your notes answer them.
3. Day 5: Short conversations with no notes at all. After each one, say the speaker's problem and decision.
4. Days 6–7: A full timed Listening section, adaptive if possible, so you practise switching between "no notes" and "notes" tasks under time pressure.

Our free TOEFL iBT style Listening practice on the practice test site includes all four task types with Australian, British and American voices, marked instantly. The practice tests are written by AIL and are not made or endorsed by ETS. AIL is also an ETS authorised TOEFL iBT test centre in Melbourne, so you can sit the real test with scratch paper on the desk.