Lesson 39 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Take an Interview, Speaking. In Take an Interview you answer four questions on one theme, each played once, with no preparation time and a 45-second practice window (on test day, follow the on-screen timer).
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Take an Interview (Speaking)
English focus
Fluency devices and self-correction (let me think, I mean, or rather, describing a missing word); broader-opinion language (generalizing with care, naming causes and trends, the real issue isn't … it's …)
Task skill
Four answers of 45 seconds each: recognizing each question type, opening with the matching frame and pacing the set to the last answer
Time
About 55 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
In Take an Interview you answer four questions on one theme, each played once, with no preparation time and a 45-second practice window (on test day, follow the on-screen timer).
This lesson teaches the English that keeps you talking under that pressure: short time-buyers, quick one-word corrections and ways to describe a word you can't find.
Then it teaches the language of broad questions (a position with a limit, one named cause, one real example and a contrast close) and shows you how to hear each question's type, open with its frame and pace all four answers, including the last.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Keep speaking under pressure: buy time with one short phrase that leads straight into the answer, correct a slip in a word or two (I go— I went), and describe a missing word instead of stopping (the thing you use to…).
Answer broad questions about people and society with a clear, limited position (I don't think it's simply…, but…), a named cause (One big factor is…) and one specific example, and make general statements correctly (People are…, not The people is…).
Recognize the four interview question types from their first words, open each answer with the matching frame, and save enough energy for the fourth answer to use the full 45 seconds.
What’s inside
Around the 3 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 39
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Keep talking: time-buyers and self-correction
7
Cycle 2
English
Broader-opinion language
7
Cycle 3
Task skill
Four questions in a row
8
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
pass the time phrase
to do something so that waiting feels shorter
On long flights, I do crossword puzzles to pass the time.
Goes with:
read / chat / do puzzles to pass the time
Word family:
passed the time, passing the time (verb forms)
catch up on phrasal verb
to do something you had no time for before, such as work or sleep
After the conference, I spent Saturday catching up on emails.
Goes with:
catch up on sleep / work / the news
Word family:
caught up on, catching up on (verb forms); catch-up (noun): a quick catch-up
concentrate verb
to give all your attention to something
I can't concentrate on a crossword when the TV is on.
Goes with:
concentrate on + noun or -ing; lose your concentration
Word family:
concentration (noun); concentrated (adjective)
guarantee verb / noun
to promise that something will happen or work
The repair shop guarantees its work for six months.
Goes with:
guarantee that…; come with a guarantee
Word family:
guarantee (noun): a two-year guarantee; guaranteed (adjective)
enforce verb
to make sure people obey a rule
The pool has a strict no-running rule, and the lifeguards enforce it.
Goes with:
enforce a rule / a law / a deadline
Word family:
enforcement (noun); enforced (adjective)
urgent adjective
very important and needing attention right away
The dentist's office left an urgent message about my appointment.
Goes with:
an urgent message / call / problem
Word family:
urgency (noun); urgently (adverb)
annoy verb
to make someone a little angry
It annoys me when a meeting starts ten minutes late.
Goes with:
It annoys me when…
Word family:
annoyed (adjective): how you feel; annoying (adjective): the cause; annoyance (noun)
take up phrasal verb
to use a certain amount of space or time
The new printer takes up half my desk.
Goes with:
take up space / time / a seat
Word family:
takes up, took up, taken up (verb forms)
make room for phrase
to create space for something
We cleared a shelf to make room for her textbooks.
Goes with:
make room for someone / something / new ideas
Word family:
made room for, making room for (verb forms)
aware of adjective + preposition
knowing about something; noticing it
Most drivers are more aware of cyclists than they were ten years ago.
Goes with:
be aware of; more aware of; fully aware
Word family:
awareness (noun); unaware (opposite); aware that + clause
The takeaway: Four questions, four fresh starts: answer in the first sentence, keep moving with a short phrase instead of silence, and give the last answer the full 45 seconds.
In the full course
Four questions, 45 seconds each is part of the full TOEFL course
Unlock all 41 lessons with the TOEFL plan, or try one of the free lessons first.
✓All 3 teaching cycles of this lesson, with 22 drills and feedback on every answer
✓The 10-word bank, each word with a recall drill
✓A walk-through, guided practice and a Check on Take an Interview