In over 8 years as a TOEFL instructor, I have noticed that many students with very good English levels stumble when they start to prepare for the TOEFL because they don't understand the vocabulary of undergraduate university life. It's important that test takers understand that most of the scenes in the TOEFL take place in imaginary American colleges.
In the Listening section, all academic lectures are given by voice actors playing university professors. The speaking style mimics the style of a typical university professor. The content of the lecture is typical content from any undergraduate college course. This means there could be lectures that take place in an anthropology class, or perhaps a biology or literature class. Likewise, all texts in the reading section are written on subjects typically found in undergraduate college courses.
Conversations in the Listening and Speaking sections also take place in imaginary American universities. Test takers will hear students talking about an exam they have tomorrow, or a paper they have to write. But they won't only be talking about the academic aspects of college life. They might also talk about on-campus jobs they have, school sports they play or a college club they're in. A student might complain about his roommate or the food at the cafeteria. Other typical conversations involve students talking to faculty members; for example, a student discussing his tuition with his college financial advisor, or talking to someone in the housing department about changing to a different dorm.
It's important for test takers to be familiar with some of the many details about American university life, so they are prepared for what they're going to hear on the day they take the TOEFL.