General Tips for TOEIC

Preparing for the Test

Tip 1

The TOEIC test focuses on English communication, so the best way to prepare for it is to listen to and read as much real English as possible. Listen to radio and books on CD or cassette¹, watch TV and videos, talk to native English speakers — and listen to their conversations with each other! Read books, magazines, newspapers, websites, and any other examples of real English you can find.

Tip 2

The topics covered in the TOEIC test are connected with the working world. For example, general business, manufacturing², finance³, personnel⁴, purchasing, technology, property, offices, travel, dining out, entertainment, and health. You do not need to have specialist knowledge of any of these areas, but it will help you prepare for the test if you get used to this type of material. Read a wide variety of business texts like catalogs⁵, training manuals⁶, application forms, train schedules, and menus.

Tip 3

Improving your vocabulary will help you to achieve the scores that you need for the TOEIC test. Every time you read something in English, pick three words or expressions that you do not know. Write them down and then look them up in a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Keep a vocabulary notebook of new words, with their meaning, their pronunciation, the sentence you found them in, and any other useful information such as similar words and opposites. It is also a good idea to create a sentence of your own with these words too. This will help you to remember them.

Tip 4

The English you will hear in the Listening Comprehension section of the test will be U.S. English, spoken at the normal speed of native speakers. Some of it will be informal and include idiomatic⁷ language. You will also hear contractions⁸ like I'll (I will), she's (she is), gonna (going to), and yea (yes). Get as much practice as you can of listening to this type of English from radio, TV, and native speakers.

Tip 5

When you listen to English, get into the habit of asking yourself questions like: Who is talking? Who are they talking to? What are they talking about? Where are they talking? Why are they talking? These are the type of questions you will often be asked in the Listening Comprehension section of the test.

Tip 6

Make yourself a study schedule. Try to get into a routine⁹ where you study at the same time every day. Do not study for too long. It is better to study for 10 minutes a day and learn something really well, than study for 2 hours once a week and try to learn too much at one time. This will keep English constantly in your head too! Also, vary¹⁰ what you do each day — do not just study grammar.

Tip 7

Although your writing skills are not tested in the TOEIC test, practicing writing in English will help you to learn and improve your grammar and vocabulary. Find a friend that you can communicate with regularly by email. Keep a journal¹¹ too of what you have done and your thoughts.

Tip 8

Always keep your goal in your mind. Why are you taking the TOEIC test? Is it for your career? What score do you need? If you keep this in your mind, it will really help to motivate you to study and practice.

Tip 9

Be positive! Tell yourself that you will do well in the TOEIC test and get the score you need. Sports people use this technique. If you believe you can do something, it is much more likely to happen!