Taking the TOEIC
Each term many people ask me for “tips” and “advice” on taking TOEIC. I have some good news and bad news for you. First the bad news: I don’t have any special or secret advice I can give you personally that will help you boost your score—there aren’t really shortcuts that allow you to cheat the test. But now the good news: Through systematic and smart study, you can sharply improve your score.
Here’s my overall advice for someone who seriously wants to improve their score to the maximum level.
Step 1 To get started, use the book TOEIC L&Pテスト 直前の技術、アルク、2018. ISBN 9784757430488
This book introduces you to the useful test-taking techniques, the types of questions and passages on the TOEIC, and also gives you important strategies for maximizing your score especially on the reading section where most test-takers lose a lot of points because they don’t have enough time to finish. Especially the reading section you need to approach strategically. This book prepares you all around for the test.
If you feel this book is too challenging, another very useful and somewhat more basic book (image just below) is はじめてのTOEIC LISTENIG AND READINGテスト 全パート教本、旺文社 2016、ISBN 978-4-01-094449-3. This TOEIC book is the most widely used among university students in Japan.
Step 2 After you have worked your way through the book or books above, begin taking practice tests. TOEIC(R) L&Rテスト 至高の模試600問 by ヒロ 前田、 テッド 寺倉 (2017) is quite good. There is also TOEIC Practice Test book coming out soon from Goken [more information coming soon] with 3 Practice Tests that has tests exactly like the TOEIC. Use the practice tests in these books to apply the skills and strategies from TOEIC L&Pテスト 直前の技術. Go to a quiet place, turn off your ketai, and take the practice tests in the exact same conditions as you will take the TOEIC while timing yourself with a clock. The answers and Japanese explanations and translations in these practice tests will help you understand the make-up of the tests and why you made any errors.
Step 3 To really achieve your maximum score, you will probably need to improve and expand your business-related vocabulary. Boost your business vocabulary with this book. 新TOEIC テスト900点超え900単語 ロバート・ヒルキ、 ポール・ワーデン (2013/12/10), 出版社: 語研 (2013/12/10) ISBN-10: 4876152756
新TOEIC テスト900点超え900単語 will have a lot of words you already know but several hundred that you don’t know. Since the words are divided into various areas it is especially helpful in identifying vocabulary that may be useful. Depending on your level, you may not need to work your way through the whole book. Quickly skim the vocabulary lists at the beginning of every chapter and just focus on the words you don’t already confidently know. These words may appear in either the Listening or the Reading sections, so they give you a good foundation for the test and they are also very useful to know for the rest of your life. Really.
If you have time, do the same thing with Super Course in TOEIC Vocabulary TOEICテストスーパー英単語 アルク(2018) 978-4-7574- 2687-0. Leaf through the book quickly page by page. I recommend you start at the end where the more difficult words are and go through the book backwards from the end to the beginning. Write down and learn the words that you don’t confidently know.
Possible Step 4 If you want to devote a lot of time to TOEIC study and get the highest possible score, I recommend you identify the skill areas you most need to improve and use one of the books below that focuses on particular skills and sections of the test (scroll down).
If you are an ICU student, all of the books I mention on this page are in our library.
Good luck with your study.
--Paul