Take an Interview is the second half of the TOEFL Speaking section. An interviewer asks you four questions on one theme, and you answer each one aloud as soon as it ends. There is nothing to read and no time to plan, so the skill being measured is the one you use in a real conversation: saying something clear and relevant straight away, then backing it up.
The task opens with a line of context: you are taking part in a research interview about, say, public transport or local history. Then the questions arrive one at a time. Each is played once, and you will not see it written on screen, so your listening during the question matters as much as your speaking after it.
The four questions usually travel outward, from your own life to the wider world. A common pattern is an experience or habit first (“How do you usually…?”, “Have you ever…?”), then a preference (“Would you rather…?”), then a claim to agree or disagree with, and finally a broad question about people, society or the future. The order and mix can vary. The questions are prerecorded, so a later question will not react to what you actually said, but it often stays on the same theme, so keeping the situation you chose makes later answers easier to build.
Many questions begin with a sentence or two of setup before the actual request. That setup gives the theme; the work you must do comes after it, often in two parts joined by and or a second question such as “and why?”. In this course we practice with 45 seconds per answer; on test day, follow the timer on the screen.
Take an Interview checks whether you can hold up your end of a real conversation in English, under the pressure of no planning time. In practice that means:
The listener’s first question is simply whether you answered. Long openings such as “That’s a really interesting question” or general remarks about the topic use up seconds and give nothing back. Aim to have your answer out within the first five seconds.
A quick way in is to borrow the key words of the question as your opening frame. “What’s the hardest part of moving to a new city?” becomes “The hardest part of moving here was…”. The frame gives you a correct sentence while your mind picks the detail. Then add one thing the listener can picture: a time, a place, a number. A bare “Yes” is an answer; “Yes, I have — I set up a book exchange in my building last summer” is a response.
Treat each question word (what, which, how, why) and each content instruction (describe, explain, tell me about) as one job. Words like think of or imagine only choose your topic. Most questions have two jobs, and the second one — after and, or in a follow-up question — is the one that disappears when the first part runs long.
Listen for the time signal too, because it sets the tense of your opening line. Usually asks for your routine now (present simple). Ever asks about experience up to now (“Yes, I have…”), after which a named time switches you to past simple. Suppose or how would you asks for an imagined plan with I’d. Always or every marks a strong claim you should test rather than accept.
At a comfortable pace, 45 seconds holds roughly five or six sentences. A reliable shape is: answer the first job, add one or two details, answer the second job, then close. If you reach about thirty seconds and the second job has not started, finish the sentence you are in and bridge with the question’s own words: “As for what helped most, …”.
Cut detail when time is short, never the second job. With about ten seconds left, start a closing line that restates your answer rather than a new story that will be cut off mid-sentence. Speaking clearly at a pace you control is worth more than squeezing in extra words.
Preference, claim and broad-view questions want your position first, then proof. Think of it as a chain: your position, the reason behind it, an example in which that reason plays out, and a brief line that ties back to the question. Give each link its own sentence so your grammar stays simple.
Avoid reasons that only restate the opinion (“It’s useful because it’s helpful”). And resist listing five causes in one breath; one reason with a concrete case — your chemistry course, your cousin, last Tuesday’s train — is far more convincing. Open with a frame that matches the question type: I’d rather… for a preference, I partly agree: for a claim, I don’t think it’s simply…, but… for a broad question.
Everyone needs a second to think, but a pause that stretches past two or three seconds can sound as if you have run out of things to say and eats your time. A short phrase that leads straight into an answer — “Let me think — probably…”, “Well, I’d say…” — sounds like thinking instead. Use one per answer at most.
When you slip, fix the word and keep going: “Last year I go — I went to Lisbon.” Don’t restart the sentence and don’t apologize for your English; both cost more than the mistake. If you can’t find a word, describe it (“the little card that opens your hotel room”). And treat each question as a fresh start: never go back to add something to the previous answer.
These habits cost the most time and clarity in the interview, each paired with a better move.
Mistake: Opening with general comments about the topic and reaching the actual answer half a minute later.
Better: “Yes — last spring I ran a trivia evening for everyone on my floor.”
Why: The listener judges whether you answered from your first sentence. A slow start leaves too little time for detail.
Mistake: “I have visited Lisbon in 2022.”
Better: “I visited Lisbon in 2022.” or “I’ve visited Lisbon twice.”
Why: A finished time such as in 2022 needs past simple. Present perfect is for experience with no time named.
Mistake: Answering “No.” to “Is the first month always the hardest? Why or why not?” and stopping.
Better: “Not in my case. The third month felt harder, because by then the novelty had worn off.”
Why: A one-word answer leaves the why job unanswered and most of the time unused.
Mistake: “Both have advantages and disadvantages, so it depends on the person.”
Better: “I prefer deciding on the spot, although I understand why someone with little time would plan ahead.”
Why: A concession after your choice shows balance. A concession instead of a choice is not an answer.
Mistake: “If I would live nearer the coast, I would swim every day.”
Better: “If I lived nearer the coast, I’d swim every day.”
Why: Would belongs only in the result clause; the past form in the if clause already marks the situation as imagined.
Mistake: “Sorry, about the last question, I forgot to say…”
Better: Answer the new question in its first sentence.
Why: Going back spends this answer’s time on one that is already finished.
Two interview sets from our free practice bank. For each question you can hear the interviewer, read the question, and compare a model answer with a note on why it works. Models are one good response, not the only one: your own experience and opinion are what count.
You are taking part in a research interview about growing food in cities.
Thanks for talking with us. Have you ever grown any plants or food yourself, even just herbs on a windowsill? Tell me about it.
Q1Listen to the interviewer, then answer aloud.
Model answer (one possible response — yours can differ)
Yes, a couple of years ago I started growing tomatoes and basil on my balcony. I didn't have any real experience, so the first summer was mostly trial and error. I overwatered the basil and it turned yellow, and the tomato plants got so tall that they fell over in a storm. The second year went much better, because I bought proper stakes and learned to water only when the soil felt dry. I didn't grow a lot, but picking tomatoes I'd grown myself was surprisingly satisfying, and it made me pay more attention to where the rest of my food comes from.
The response gives a specific first-hand account with concrete setbacks and what was learned, ending with why the experience mattered to the speaker.
That's interesting. Some people believe every school should teach children how to grow their own food, even if it means less time for other subjects. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Q2Listen to the interviewer, then answer aloud.
Model answer (one possible response — yours can differ)
I mostly agree, as long as it's done in a practical way. Growing food teaches things that are hard to learn from a textbook: patience, responsibility, and how weather and soil actually affect what we eat. It also connects to other subjects. Measuring plant growth is math, and understanding how plants use sunlight is science, so I don't think it has to take much time away from academics. My one concern is schools without outdoor space. For them it'd have to be something small, like growing seedlings in the classroom, but even that's better than kids thinking vegetables just appear in supermarkets.
The response agrees with a condition, gives reasons tied to learning, answers the 'less time for other subjects' part of the claim directly, and addresses a practical limitation.
Audio in these samples uses AI-generated voices.
You are taking part in a research interview about how people use museums.
Interesting. When you visit a museum, would you rather join a guided tour or explore the exhibits on your own? Why?
Listen to the interviewer, then answer aloud.
Model answer (one possible response — yours can differ)
I'd usually rather explore on my own. I like to move at my own pace, which means skipping rooms that don't interest me and spending twenty minutes in front of one painting if I want to. On a guided tour, you're stuck with the group's speed and the guide's choices. That said, I've noticed that when I go alone, I often walk past things without understanding why they matter. So for a museum on a topic I know nothing about, like ancient coins, I'd probably join a tour for the first hour and then wander around by myself.
The response states a preference, supports it with the value of controlling pace, concedes a drawback, and proposes a context-dependent choice.
Audio in these samples uses AI-generated voices.
Our free Take an Interview practice page has all 6 sets (24 questions) from the same bank as the examples above, with answer checking and an explanation for every option. For a short mixed session each day, try the Speaking questions of the day.
The strategies on this page come from the Take an Interview module of the Test Ninjas TOEFL course. Each lesson teaches the English behind the task, then drills it:
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