TOEIC Test

http://www.toeic.com.

Outline

The TOEIC Test

The Format of the TOEIC Test
Who takes the TOEIC Test
Who uses the TOEIC Test
The way the TOEIC is scored
The way the TOEIC is interpreted
Contexts for TOEIC questions
Keys to Higher Scores on the TOEIC Test

The TOEIC Test

Test of English for International Communication

A standardized test created by ETS (Educational

Testing Service)

Designed to test a persons ability to

understand English as it is used in international
business situations

What format does the TOEIC

follow?
1.
2.
3.
4.

All multiple choice questions

Four answer choices in most parts
Three answer choices in part 2
Two sections:
Listening Comprehension and Reading
(Speaking and Writing)

Two Sections

The TOEIC Listening Section

45minutes

100 questions

The TOEIC Reading Section

75minutes

100 questions
___________________________________________
Total: 200 questions
Approximately: 2 hrs

The TOEIC Listening Section

Picture Description
Questions and Responses
Short Conversations
Short Talks

10 questions
30 questions
30 questions
30 questions

_____________________________________________________
Total:
100 questions
Approximately:
45 min

The TOEIC Reading Section

- 40 -

Incomplete Sentences

40 questions

-12

Incomplete Texts

12 questions

- /

Reading Comprehension
48 questions
_______________________________

Total: 100 questions

Approximately: 1 hr 15 min

Who takes the TOEIC Test?

Anyone who travels abroad on business

Any one who has contact with international visitors
All types of employees of international organizations

Managers

Marketing experts

Sales representatives

Customer service agents

Flight attendants

Hotel employees

Customs officials

Others (e.g. job applicants : test scores + resumes)

Who uses the TOEIC Test?

Trading and manufacturing companies

Government agencies
International banks
Hotel chains
Airlines
Universities / academic institutions
A wide variety of employers

How is the TOEIC Test scored?

3 scores are reported:

A (raw) score for Listening Comprehension

A (raw) score for Reading
A comprehensive score 2 raw scores

2 raw scores
scaled scores

a comprehensive
score

How is TOEIC scores interpreted?

805-900
655-800
555-650
405-550
305-400
205-300
10-200

High advanced
Advanced
High intermediate
Intermediate
High beginner
Beginner 2
Beginner 1

What contexts are used for TOEIC

questions?

Travel

Business situations

Marketing
Sales
Meetings
Contract negotiations

Entertainment

airlines
Taxis
hotels
Restaurants
Movies
Plays
museums

Health and fitness

Doctors
Dentists
Exercise programs

The TOEIC Listening Section

Part 1 Picture Description

Question Types
1.
2.
3.
4.

Location Questions
Action
Questions
Situation Questions
Similar-Sounding Word Questions

Location questions

Questions deal with the location of

one person or thing related to
someone or something else
Pay attention to the prepositions

The woman is sitting next ___ the boy.

The airplane has arrived ___ the airport.
The car is parked ___ the sidewalk.

Action Questions

Questions can be in either the active or

the passive form
Active: V-ing talking/packing/speaking

The rider is riding his motorcycle.

The man is opening the door.

Passive: be-Ved washed/cleaned/set

up

The motorcycle is being ridden by a man.

Some toys are being picked up by the boy.

Situation Questions

Questions about the condition of

things in the picture
Past participle forms used as adj.

The glasses are broken.

Adjectives

The car tire is flat.

The water is hot.

Similar-sounding word questions

Incorrect choices often include words that sound

similar to the key words of the correct answers.
Words with the same root, prefix, or suffix

agree /disagree ; reread / relayed ; undrinkable/unthinkable

The man is sitting on a couch.
The man is coaching the woman.

Words that have little sound difference

The man is selling watches. vs. The man is sailing.

The man is waiting for a train. vs. The is weighing a
train.

The TOEIC Listening Section

Part 2 Questions and Responses

Question Types
Information questions 1-6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Who
Questions
When
Questions
Where
Questions
What
Questions
How
Questions
Why
Questions
Yes/No Questions
Choice
Questions
Statements

Information questions

Whos your favorite novelist?

Who didnt attend the meeting this morning?
When did he get that message?
When will she like to have lunch?
Wheres her new office?
What is he going to tell Mrs. Wang when she
calls?
How much time did he finish?
Why do you think he didnt support our plan?
Why was he late for work?

Yes/No Questions

Is he going to attend the conference?

Didnt she go to the book fair?
You are coming with us, arent you?

Choice Questions

Will she be arriving tonight or

tomorrow?
Has she finished the report, or is she
still working on it?
Which does your boss prefer, the
yellow one or the blue one?

Statements

Hes put the accounting files on his

desk.
Ive arranged the meeting for three
oclock on Thursday.
Im afraid I cant hear you.

The TOEIC Listening Section

Part 3 Short Conversations

Question Types

(dialogues between 2

people)
1.
Who
Questions
2.
When Questions
3.
Where Questions
4.
What
Questions
5.
How
Questions
6.
Why
Questions
7.
Which Questions

Part 3 Short Conversations

Strategies

Before the dialogue begins, read the

question along with the answer choices
Try to find key words and main idea
Questions asked:

The topic / relationship between speakers

The place where the dialogue takes place
The activity speakers are engaged in
A specific time / a length of time/ frequency
Reason / intention / conclusion

Question Types

Who will the woman call?

When does the conference start?
Where did the man go next Sunday?
What does her boss decide?
How are they going to try to improve
sales of their products?
Why isnt the man staying at the hotel?
Which bag will the man check?

The TOEIC Listening Section

Part 4 Short Talks

Question Types
1.
2.
3.
4.

( )

Main Idea
Fact and Detail
Inference
Cause and Effect

Questions
Questions
Questions
Questions

The Forms of Short Talks

Public announcement
Telephone message/ recorded phone
message
Weather report
Message
News report
Public service advertisement

Test-taking Tips

Only use the information given in the

talk
Answer the question while listening to
the talk because the questions are
organized in the order in which the
information is given in the talk
Read as many questions as you can
before you hear the statements

Announcement

I hope youve all enjoyed tonights dinner.

It is no time to welcome this evenings
guest speaker,
Attention___ customers: If you want a
great deal on _______,
Youre listening to _____ Radio. Well, not
Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to
welcome you aboard the ____ Express, the
only no-stop service to ______...
Attention, all employees.

The TOEIC Reading Section

Part 5 Incomplete Sentences

1.

Question Types
Vocabulary Questions
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Verbs
Nouns
Modifiers
Conjunctions
prepositions

2. Grammar Questions
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)

h)

Verbs
Auxiliary verbs
Subject-verb Agreement
Gerunds and Infinitives
Nouns and pronouns
Conjunctions
Comparatives and
Superlatives
Negation

Strategies

Vocabulary

Think of the meaning

of the whole sentence

Make correct use of

words and phrases

Grammar

Parts of speech,
tenses, agreement,
positions of frequency
adv., needed for the
blanks

e.g.

Under the new contract, everyone will get a

5%....
(A) praise (B) rise (C) access (D) raise
I am -----my supervisor with job interviews.
(A) help (B) will help (C) helped (D)
helping
All ---- are asked to show up by noon.
(A) personnel
(B) personnels
(C) personalities (D) personal

The TOEIC Reading Section

Part 6 Incomplete Texts

Vocabulary Themes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Banking and Finance

Marketing
Hospitality
Office
Shopping
Transportation

7. Health
8. Telephone
9. Travel
10. Mail
11. Insurance
12. Meetings

The TOEIC Reading Section

Part 7 Reading Comprehension

Question Types
1.
2.
3.
4.

Main Idea Questions

Fact and Detail Questions
Inference Questions
Cause and Effect Questions

The Reading Comprehension

Reading passages about a variety of topics and in a
variety of formats, in a variety of topics and in a
variety
of
formats, including

Memos
Chart and memo

Memorandum
Agenda + Memo
Schedule + fax (a
memo)
Fax
Letters
Information (e.g.
using city buses)
and letter (a letter
about the info.)
Charts

Chart and letter

Graphs
Indexes
Tables
Articles (e.g. article
about a resume)
E-mail
E-mail A v.s. E-mail
B

The Reading Comprehension

Reading passages about a variety of topics and in
a variety of formats, including

Advertisement and
e-mail
e.g. an e-mail
about the
advertisement
e.g. contest
advertisement
e.g. job
advertisement

Advertisement and
memo
Announcement
Message
Order form

Notice
Agenda and minutes
Chart and report
promotional
information
Product information
Application form
News report
Complaint and
response
Faxes (Fax A v.s. Fax
B)

Part 7 Reading Comprehension

Main Idea Questions

What is the purpose of the e-mail /

note?
What is the letter/message about?
What is the main idea of the passage?
Why did the writer send this fax?
Why did ___ write this letter?

Part 7 Reading Comprehension

Fact and Detail Questions

Who is ___?
What time is the flight leaving?
Where can they get a permit?
Which of the following should NOT be
on your resume?
What is true about a resume?

Part 7 Reading Comprehension

Inference Questions

Where did the man use to live?

It can be inferred from the passage
that
Based on the information in the
passage, to which holiday does the
advertisement refer?

Part 7 Reading Comprehension

Cause and Effect Questions

What may happen because of the

___?
What caused ___ to..?
What has been the result of the ?
Why is _____?

Eight Keys to High Scores

Increase Your General Knowledge of English

Learn Your Strengths and Weaknesses and Work on
Areas Needing Improvement
Make the Most of Your Preparation Time
Be Familiar with TOEIC Format and the Directions for
Each Section
Know How to Mark Your Answer Sheet
No Matter What, Always Guess!
Use the Process of Elimination to Make the Most of Your
Guess
Learn to Control Test Anxiety

Source from: Complete Guide to the TOEIC Test, 3rd edition by Bruce Rogers Publisher: Christopher
Wenger

Increase Your General Knowledge of

English

A knowledge of the format of the test

The tactics used by good test takers
A general command of English (which
must be built up over a long period of
time)

Use English whenever you can

Look for opportunities to speak English,

especially with native speakers

Take English language classes

Read newspapers and magazines in
English
Listen to English language news
programs and talk show on the radio
Attend lectures and movies in English

Sources from:

ELTS www.elts.com.tw TOEIC

Complete Guide to the TOEIC Test, 3rd edition
by Bruce Rogers Publisher: Christopher Wenger
TOEIC Analyst, 2nd edition
by Anne Taylor
Publisher: Compass Publishing
Longman Preparation Series for the New TOEIC Test,
Fourth Edition by Lin Lougheed, LOUGHEED
( Introductory-advanced)
Suggested websites:
1)
http://www.onlinenglish.net/TOEIC.html

TOEIC Speaking and Writing

2)
http://www.toeic.com.tw/

More suggested websites:

1)

http://www.de.toeic.eu/toeic-sites/toeic-germany/t
oeic-vorbereitung/toeic-sample-test/

TOEIC Sample Test http://

www.examenglish.com/

2)

http://www.focusenglish.com/

3)

4)
5)

Focus on Speaking:ESL Conversation

http://
www.etweb.fju.edu.tw/yueh/toeic/ttest.h
tm
http://www.1-language.com/materials/toei
c/
http://www.youtube.com

TOEIC
TOEIC
TOEIC
TOEIC

Listening Test Practice Lesson

Sample test part 1/part 2/part 3/
listening test Practice 1/2/3/4
Reading part V/VI/part VII/

www.elllo.org
www.esl-lab.com
BBC English learning
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