Even after years of study, many second language (L2) learners have difficulty comprehending proficient speakers in real-world settings. This difficulty stems partly from the inauthentic nature of the spoken texts learners are exposed to in foreign language (FL) classrooms--scripted, simplified, and overenunciated "textbook texts." This study compared the performance of intermediate university FL Spanish learners on a listening comprehension test using scripted vs. unscripted spoken texts. An experimental design was used where learners were assigned to an unscripted group (n?=?85) or a scripted group (n?=?86). The groups listened to the same texts, except that the scripted texts were modified to resemble traditional textbook texts. Results indicated that the scripted group scored significantly higher than the unscripted group. Implications for the teaching and testing of L2 listening are discussed.