In today’s blog post we are going to dive in to the writing section of the TOEIC test and give you a few useful TOEIC writing tips that will help you get a better score on your TOEIC test.

The TOEIC writing section consists of 8 questions and has a time limit of approximately 60 minutes.

The first five questions will ask you to write a short sentence describing a picture.
Tip: Key factor when describing the pictures will be how relevant your sentence is to the picture and to write with proper grammar.

The two following questions will ask you to respond to a written request.
Tip: Key factor when answering to the written request will be how well you’re able to demonstrate your vocabulary knowledge and write a response that answers the request made.

The final question will ask you to write an opinion essay.
Tip: Always support your opinion with examples that your opinion is based on. Organize your opinion essay with an introduction, body paragraph and conclusion.

TOEIC Writing Practice Tips

• Practice your writing skills based on TOEIC questions before taking the exam.

• Practice summarizing articles and work on paraphrasing and switching up your vocabulary when writing.

• Write opinion essays on topics that are similar to you, remember to support your opinion with examples and evidence.

• Write a summary of an article with a 30-minute set time limit.

• Improve your vocabulary and practice applying it to your writing.

• Use phrases that give the reader an idea on what section of the essay they are reading. For example a common phrase to write in the introduction paragraph is “on one hand”.

• Join an online forum that discusses topics you are interested in.

These are just a few things you can do to improve your score on the TOEIC writing section.

Best of luck on your TOEIC exam!

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is an English exam for professionals who do not have the English language as their native language. It measures the English skills and proficiency of employees in the workplace. Every year around 5.5 million TOEIC exams are processed and the TOEIC exam is widely used as a credential within the Business world.

Benefits of taking the TOEIC exam

• It’s easy for your employee to determine your level of English
• A TOEIC certification helps you gain access to work that requires English knowledge
• Gives you a competitive edge over other candidates who claim to comprehend English
• Shows that you are willing to develop your skills and continue being a valuable asset to your company

These are few reasons why you should take the TOEIC exam and how it can help you advance your career.

Today we are going to go over some useful TOEIC listening tips and strategies.

Photographs

The first section of the TOEIC listening test will ask you to look at photographs and select the sentence that best describe the image.

Tip: Make sure you look over the four different options closely.

Tip: Be aware of small details on the picture and words that are emphasized on the recording.

Tip: Scan the image and try to answer the questions who, where what, why?

Questions/Answers

The second section of the TOEIC listening exam will ask you questions on various topics.

Tip: You might also be given a yes/no as answer options, if so look at the possibility that neither of them are right

Tip: Be aware of tricky questions and answers, it’s important to look closely on the different answers

Tip: If you are unsure of the answer you should always guess, as you don’t lose any points for a wrong answer.

Conversations

The third section of the TOEIC listening test will be based on conversations. You will listen to a short dialogue and then ask questions on the conversations you just heard.

Tip: Make sure you read the question and the answers before you begin listening to the conversation

Tip: Be aware of the speaker’s tone and words

Tip: Do not rush when selecting your answer
Tip: Once again ask yourself who, why, what, where

Talk

The fourth and last section of the TOEIC listening test is based on a monologue (one person speaking).

Tip: Like the previous section, try to read the questions and answers before you listen to the conversation.

Tip: Focus on key details when listening to the talk

Tip: Stay within the time frame as you will have a hard time catching up if you fall behind. So don’t get stuck on a question if you are unsure about the answer, take a guess and then move on.

That concludes are TOEIC listening tips, to get some practice in before taking the TOEIC exam sign up with ePrepz TOEIC practice!

We wish you the best of luck on your test!

The TOEIC speaking section includes 11 different questions and you will have around 20 minutes to complete the section. The score scale is 0 to 200. The key factors in this section are to speak clearly and answer each question.

Let’s take a look at the type of questions you will see when taking the TOEIC speaking section.

The first two questions will ask you to read a text out loud based on the text you will be provided on your computer screen. You will have 45 seconds to complete the reading.

Tip: Calmly read the text you are given, do not rush when reading the text. It’s a good idea to prepare reading out loud and record yourself before taking the exam.

Third question will ask you to describe an image; you will have 45 seconds to complete your speech.

Tip: You will be given 30 seconds to prepare your response, make sure you study the image during this time and look for key details.

Fourth, fifth and sixth question will ask you to respond to different questions You are given 15 seconds to complete the first and second question and 30 seconds for the remaining question.

Tip: You will not have any preparation time for these questions so speak without hesitation on whatever comes to your mind regarding the question. Remember there is no right or wrong answer, what matters is how well you are able to answer the questions.

Question seven, eight and nine will ask you to respond to questions using information provided from the test. You will be given 30 seconds to look over the information before answering the questions. The time limit to answer is 30 seconds for question 7 and 8. The last question (9) will have a time limit of 30 seconds.

Tip: The key to these questions is to back up any statements you make with the information has been provided

Question ten will ask you to propose a solution to a problem. You will be given 60 seconds to share your solution.

Tip: Make sure you show that you have recognized the problem and keep your solution simple enough that you can share it within the time frame

The last question (11) will ask you to give your opinion on a topic. You will be given 60 seconds to share your opinion.
Tip: There is no right or wrong answer, just make sure you that you provide your reasoning for your opinion.

That covers the TOEIC speaking test, we hope our guide has helped you feel more familiar on what to expect from the TOEIC speaking section.

We wish you best of luck on your TOEIC exam!

A common challenge with the TOEIC reading section is running out of time. Doing a couple of timed practice tests before the exam will help with this problem. The reading practice tests will give you an idea on how long it will take to skim and scan specific information.

A common strategy for the TOEIC reading section is to: start with skimming, read the question and then scan for the answer of the question.Skimming is used when we want to understand the main idea of a text., you quickly look through the text and gather key information. Scanning is used when we need to find a particular piece of information.

Make sure to read the questions carefully before you start reading the text. It’s important to have a clear strategy on how to tackle those questions. By taking the practice tests beforehand you will be able to develop a strategy you are comfortably with.

When taking a practice test make sure that you are completely focused on the task at hand. Turn off TV’s, music or other distractions. It’s important that you practice as realistic as possible. When answering multiple choice questions you will be given four possible answers. Three of them may seem likely; one answer may even be deliberately confusing, so make sure you read the sentence or question carefully.

Being that the TOEIC exam is focused on English for a professional environment reading Business newspapers in English can improve your reading comprehension significantly before taking the TOEIC. It won’t happen over night but every month you should see some progress in your ability to understand the text.

These are few TOEIC reading tips that can help you succeed on the TOEIC reading section. Best of luck on the test!