TOEIC Guide Sheet

What is the TOEIC?

The TOEIC is the Test Of English for International Communication. The TOEIC is used by
businesses, schools and governments in recruiting personnel. The Test Score indicates how
well a candidate can function in a professional business communication context.
What does this test examine?
It examines the skills of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You will only do the
Reading and Listening tests.
How long are the Listening and Reading tests? How many questions are there in each test?
The listening test is 45 minutes long, while the reading test will take 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The Listening and the Reading tests both have 100 questions each.
How many sections are there in the Listening test?
There are four sections in the Listening test. They include:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

Photograph Description 10 questions. These questions ask you to choose the

best description of a picture.
Question Response 30 questions. These questions ask you to choose the best
response to a question or statement.
Conversations 30 questions. These questions will be about conversations
between two people. There are 10 conversations, each with 3 questions.
Short Talks 30 questions. There will be a set of short talks given by one speaker
and you will answer a few questions for each talk.

How many sections are there in the Reading test?

There are four sections in the Reading test. They include:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

Incomplete Sentences 40 questions. These questions require you to choose the

best word to complete a sentence.
Text Completion 12 questions. These questions require you to choose the best
word to complete a text.
Single Passage 28 questions. There will be a reading passage and you will
answers questions related to it.
Double Passage 20 questions. There will be two reading passages and you will
answer questions related to both of them.

What should TOEIC preparation focus on?

The preparation should focus on five main areas. These include:
i)

ii)

iii)

iv)

v)

Familiarity with the different Listening and Reading question types. Since the
Listening and Reading tests both have four different types of questions, it is
essential that you are clear about them. For example, the first part of the
Listening Test involves the description of photographs, while the second part
involves responding to different questions and statements.
Familiarity with different strategies to answer the questions. Once you are
familiar with the different question types, you will need to select the correct
answer from a variety of options. For example, a strategy for answering the
Photograph Description questions in the Listening Test is to work out what is
happening in the picture before you actually hear it and to eliminate distracters
or answers that are aimed to create confusion.
Reviewing and developing vocabulary by linking it to topics. The TOEIC requires
a good understanding of vocabulary. The best way to review and develop
vocabulary is by understanding it in relation to a topic. For example, a topic like
Travel will have specific vocabulary that you should be familiar with. Some online
learning tools can help you review and remember new vocabulary.
Improve by practicing test questions. By practicing the Listening and Reading
Tests you should be able to improve your understanding of the test and increase
your score. You will become aware about the areas that you are finding difficult
and also find out the areas that you are doing well in. Once you complete a
Practice Test and review your score, you should try to do another Practice Test.
Continue your general listening and reading activity. As you prepare for the test
try to continue your general listening and reading. You may want to access a
news site in English and listen to the news or a short interview. You may want to
read online news or read about a topic that you are interested in. Again there are
many resources online.

What books are useful for the TOEIC preparation? How should I organise my revision
time?

There are many useful books and materials available from publishers that focus on the
TOEIC. It is a good idea to be familiar with at least one particular book that reviews the
Listening and Reading sections of the exam. These books will usually have a lot of test
review questions and specific Practice Tests, usually at the end of the book.
You should organise your revision by first doing a Diagnostic Test that will tell you what your
strengths and weaknesses are. After that, you should review the areas you are finding
difficult. Your preparation plan should leave at least a few weeks to do Practice Tests.
In the last few days leading up to the Test, do not cram information, rather start your
revision many weeks before the Test and ensure that by the final week you are ready for the
Test.