Test structure

The TOEIC listening test is made up of 4 parts. Most students find the first part easier than the
last part:

Part 1 of the TOEIC listening test asks students to match 6 recorded descriptions of images to
the 6 images they describe. This segment lasts about 10 minutes. The images are printed in your
test booklet but the descriptions are not. They are only recorded.

Part 2 of the TOEIC listening test asks students to listen to very short questions or statements
and choose an appropriate answer or response for each one. There are 25 recordings and 25
questions in this part. The questions and possible answers are not printed in your test booklet.
They are only recorded.

Part 3 of the TOEIC listening test asks students to listen to 13 dialogs and answer 3 questions
about each one for a total of 39 questions. Both the dialogs and the questions about the dialogs
are recorded. The questions are also printed in your test booklet, along with the 4 possible
answers. You will have about 8 seconds to choose your answer before the next dialog question is
asked.

Part 4 of the TOEIC listening test asks students to listen to 10 short monologs (single speaker)
and answer 3 questions about each one. This is again a total of 30 questions. As in part 3, the
questions are both recorded and printed in your test booklet. The monologs are only recorded.
The 4 possible answers to each question are only printed in your test booklet.

Strategy
In all parts of the TOEIC listening test, the recordings are played only once. Once started, the
recording will be played straight through, without pauses or repeats. Because of this imposed
rhythm, it’s important to listen carefully to each recording, pick the best answer you can, then
move on. Do not get stuck thinking about a previous question and miss the next recording.

You will not be allowed to take any notes during the listening test. Blank answers on the TOEIC
listening test are counted as incorrect answers, so it is always better to guess when you are not
sure of the answer. Recordings on the TOEIC listening test can be with American, British,
Canadian, or Australian accents.