ACCUPLACER ESL Listening study guide
ACCUPLACER ESL Listening · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ACCUPLACER ESL Listening test is one component of the ACCUPLACER ESL suite of placement assessments published by College Board. It is intended for students whose first language is not English and who are entering, or preparing to enter, a college or university where English is the language of instruction. Results help an institution decide which English courses, developmental sequence, or support services match a student's current listening ability at the moment of testing. The test is delivered in a multiple-choice format and is organized around two skill areas: literal comprehension of spoken English and inference and interpretation of spoken English. Topics on this exam: Literal comprehension of spoken English and Inference and interpretation of spoken English. The ACCUPLACER ESL Listening study guide has 2 sections and about 658 words.
01Literal Comprehension of Spoken English
Literal comprehension asks you to retrieve information the speaker actually states. The most common targets are the main topic, a supporting detail (a time, price, name, place, or number), the order of events, and a speaker's explicitly stated reason or purpose. You do not need to interpret beyond the words, but you do need to hold several pieces of information in memory while the passage plays. Listen for signposts such as "first," "then," "because," "instead," and "the reason is," since these often mark the exact clause a question will test.
336 words, about 2 min02Inference and Interpretation of Spoken English
Inference questions ask what the speaker implies, suggests, or assumes rather than states outright. You must combine explicit clues-word choice, contrast, intonation, and the response of the other speaker-with everyday conversational logic. Common targets include the speaker's attitude or feelings, the reason behind a request, the relationship between speakers, the meaning of an idiom, what will probably happen next, and what a pronoun refers to. The correct answer is always supported by the passage; it is a conclusion the speakers would accept, not a guess from outside knowledge.
322 words, about 2 min