What the exam asks
You are not tested on slang for its own sake. You are tested on whether you can understand everyday meaning quickly and choose or produce a natural response.
On this TOEFL iBT version, that means you may need to:
- understand an idiom or phrasal verb in a short spoken line
- catch reduced speech such as gonna, should’ve, or linked sounds at natural speed
- follow North American, British, and Australian accents in Listening and Speaking prompts
- infer meaning from brief replies such as Tell me about it or That’s tomorrow
- interpret informal language in Read in Daily Life texts like text chains, emails, and social media posts
- repeat exactly what you hear in Listen and Repeat, even when words blend together
Core ideas
Idioms, phrasal verbs, and colloquial replies
Learn meaning by function, not by isolated words. In TOEFL items, the key cue is usually the situation.
| Expression | Usual meaning | Common test context |
|---|---|---|
| take a rain check | postpone politely | declining an invitation |
| run out of | have none left | supplies, time, tickets |
| figure out | understand/solve | homework, schedules, technology |
| be up to someone | be someone’s decision | planning, permissions |