What changed in 2026

Since 21 January 2026, the TOEFL iBT is shorter and has new task types. It still has four sections: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. Each section and the total score now use a scale from 1 to 6.

Many tasks now use short, practical texts: notices, emails, announcements and conversations on campus. This kind of English is full of phrasal verbs such as pick up, drop off and check in.

Where you meet phrasal verbs

Section	Tasks and what to expect
Reading	Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage. Daily-life texts use everyday verbs like pick up. Academic passages use more formal ones like break down and point out.
Listening	Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement and Listen to an Academic Talk. Speakers say things like I need to figure out or it turned out, often quickly.
Writing	Build a Sentence, Write an Email and Write for an Academic Discussion. In Build a Sentence, you must put the particle and the object in the right order.
Speaking	Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview. Repeating a phrasal verb correctly needs the particle, which is often stressed.

19 phrasal verbs from official practice tests

We read all five TOEFL iBT practice tests that ETS published for teachers in the new format. We recorded every phrasal verb with its own meaning, and left out ordinary verbs with a direction word, such as walk out of the room. The list starts with the verbs that appeared in the most tests.

find outA2 · in 3 of 5 tests
Discover information by inquiry, study or chance
“You can find out more at the information desk.”
pick upA2 · in 2 of 5 tests
Collect a person or thing, especially in a vehicle
“You can pick up your tickets at the front desk.”
check outC1 · in 2 of 5 tests
Look at or examine
“Let's check out those boots in the window.”
figure outB2 · in 2 of 5 tests
Understand or solve something by thinking
“I can't figure out how it works.”
turn outB2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Happen in a particular way or have a particular result
“It turned out fine in the end.”
act upB1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Behave badly or stop working properly
“My laptop is acting up again.”
call backA2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Phone someone again or return their call
“The hiring manager called me back about the job offer.”
check inA2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Register at a hotel, airport or event
“Sara checked in at the training event for her new job.”
drop offB2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Take and leave someone or something at a location
“My brother drops me off near the university library.”
get backB1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Receive something again that you had before
“I finally got my deposit back.”
go upB1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Rise in price or amount
“Rents have gone up again.”
look upB1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Search for information in a book or online
“Look up the train times before you choose a route.”
miss out onB2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Lose the chance to do or have something good
“Don't miss out on the discount.”
shut downB1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Stop operating completely
“They shut down the factory last year.”
turn onA2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Make a device, light, or machine start working
“How do I turn on this printer?”
turn downB1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Lower the volume, heat or intensity of a device
“Turn the music down.”
break downB2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Slowly change into simpler substances, as dead plants do
“Plastic doesn't break down quickly.”
point outB2 · in 1 of 5 tests
Show or tell someone something so they notice it
“The report points out two problems with the current plan.”
take onC1 · in 1 of 5 tests
Accept a responsibility or challenge
“Would you be willing to take on the team-lead role as well?”

ETS says these practice tests are adapted for paper and are not exact copies of the live test. The example sentences are from Sink In, not from the tests.

Practise campus English in Sink In

The TOEFL topic teaches these verbs in short campus scenes, with practice every day.

Word order: pick it up, not pick up it

Many common TOEFL phrasal verbs are separable. The object can go after the particle or between the verb and the particle:

You can pick up your tickets at the front desk.
You can pick your tickets up at the front desk.

With a pronoun such as it or them, the pronoun must go in the middle:

Correct: You can pick them up at the front desk.
Wrong: You can pick up them at the front desk.

The same rule works for look it up, turn it on, turn it down, figure it out and drop them off. This is exactly the kind of order that Build a Sentence checks.

A simple study plan

Start with the top of the list. Find out, pick up, check out and figure out appeared in more than one practice test.
Learn each verb in a campus situation. Think of the library, the dormitory, the front desk or a meeting with a professor.
Say the example out loud. It helps with Listen and Repeat, and it makes the particle easier to hear in Listening.
Practise the word order with it and them until it feels automatic.
Review a little every day. Short daily reviews help you remember more than one long session.

Ready for B2 and C1 English?

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Sources

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