PREPARE FOR THE TOEIC LISTENING AND READING TEST

5 Tips to Prepare for the TOEIC® Listening and Reading Test

Are you planning on taking the TOEIC® Listening and Reading test soon? With more than 14,000 businesses, organizations and government agencies in more than 160 countries trusting the TOEIC® test, a TOEIC® score is a great addition to any resume. Indeed, many test-takers add their scores to their resume to apply for international jobs or graduate from university. This two-hour test combines reading and listening skills, and like every test, it can be quite challenging. To help you in your preparation, here are 5 tips to prepare for the TOEIC® Listening and Reading test.

1 – Evaluate your English proficiency level

Get to know yourself first. Before anything else, it is always good to evaluate your English proficiency level to determine which test preparation would be best for you. 

​

2 – Practice, a lot!

As with every test, there is no better way to prepare for the TOEIC test than exercising your English language skills every chance you get. Never forget: practice makes perfect. There are many ways to practice for the test, so you can easily find online the one that suits you best. In addition, many daily habits can also help you improve: listen to music, focus on the lyrics, watch movies and series in English without subtitles. Immerse yourself in the language as frequently as possible and in as many ways as possible. Remember that the listening part of the test reflects real-life situations, so you should get used to dialogue at conversational speed.

​

3 – Get to know the test beforehand

The TOEIC Listening and Reading test is a two-hour, multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions evenly divided into two timed sections: Listening Comprehension and Reading Comprehension. It is important to get to know the test and what you will be asked to accomplish. If you already know what types of questions will be asked and how to best approach them, you will feel more at ease before and during the test.

The Examinee Handbook provides information about the test and allows you to familiarize yourself with the content and format of the test. It is recommended, even essential, to read the handbook before the test. You should also remember that the test was developed to assess the workplace English language proficiency of those for whom English is, or will be, needed for their career and professional development. Therefore, it was not designed as a measure of achievement.

​

4 – Be confident!

This might be the most important tip anyone can give you. Remember that this is just a test. Also, you should know that if you practice well and enough, you’ll know the format of the test, you’ll know the exercises, you’ll be more comfortable with them, therefore you won’t stress out as much. Knowing the test beforehand will make you confident in the test. The more you practice, the more confident you will be, a better score you will get! 

5 – You only need your knowledge of English

The TOEIC test is not based on the content of any particular English course or textbook. It is a measure of your overall ability to communicate in English. It is important to remember that the test uses workplace settings, situations and formats, but no business knowledge is needed. For instance, you won’t need to know any specialized business or technical vocabulary. Knowing that will allow you to focus your preparation only on what matters the most for this test: English, and English only.