Hi everyone, my name is Alejandra Sanchez and I’m from Spain. I thought I would share some of my experiences of taking the TOEIC with the rest of the community here at ePrepz.
Below is a summary of my experience with the TOEIC and how I prepared for the TOEIC.
Background
I live in Madrid and work for a clothing company; my company is expanding and starting to sell products abroad. This opened up opportunities for the staff since we needed support/sales personal to be able to communicate in English with our new international customers.
This is where the TOEIC test comes in. My employees recommended me to take the TOEIC so I can get promoted to the new jobs created for the expansion. By taking the TOEIC I was able to move up in my company and be a supervisor for my group. I had 2 months to prepare for the test.
Preparing
So the first thing I did was to buy a book to prepare for the TOEIC exam, I was taking the both the listening & reading as well as the speaking & writing test. So I had a lot of studying to do in a short amount of time. I studied abroad in London for a year so I think that was a huge advantage for me.
The listening part was pretty easy for me, I watch a lot of movies and TV shows in English and I think that helped a lot when it comes to this part. The reading part was a little harder since I’m not used to reading in English. That’s something I really tried to do before taking the test, reading the news every day in English at bbc.com.
The book I bought didn’t give me any actual practice so I signed up with ePrepz TOEIC prep as well. By taking the TOEIC simulation tests I improved my reading comprehension and learned what to expect when taking the test.
The speaking part was the most difficult part for me; I had some trouble with my pronunciation. My advice for someone struggling with the speaking is to try to find people with who you can speak English repeatedly.
My boyfriend plays a video game and the people he plays with online often speak English, so I started talking with them in English. It does not matter where or with whom you speak English as long as you practice it.
The writing part is the same as speaking, you have to practice it and just not read the theory.
My top advice after my experience with the TOEIC would be:
- Have a clear strategy before taking the test
- Answer all the questions, even if you don’t know the answer
- Make sure you take plenty of practice tests before taking the TOEIC
Test day
When taking the test I was really nervous in the beginning, but after a while I noticed that all the questions and format was very similar to what I have practiced with ePrepz. So I just started relaxing and following the strategy I had set up before the test.
I’m very happy that I took the TOEIC exam and the ePrepz practice material really helped me get ready for the TOEIC!
I love my new job, and after receiving this promotion I hope I can continue to advance in my company.
Good luck on your TOEIC!
Sincerely,
Alejandra