What is TOEIC test?
TOEIC, the Test of English for international communication is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native speakers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOEIC#:~:text=The%20Test%20of%20English%20for%20International%20Communication%20%28TOEIC%29,skills%20of%20people%20working%20in%20an%20international%20environment.
TOEIC test is very famous in Asia as a certification of your English skills when you study abroad or apply for a job. It has two types which are speaking & writing test and listening & reading test. Listening & reading test is more popular in TOEIC.
Purpose for this article
Now, when you want to take TOEIC test, it is challenging to think about how to study by yourself. Therefore, in this article, I would like to tell how to improve your self study for TOEIC test especially Listening and reading section.
Tips for listening test
1. Repeat CD with your voice
In improving your listening skills, you have to listen English everyday. If you buy text book, you will get listening CDs. Listen it repeatedly. Let’s demonstrate how to make use of listening CD. Firstly after reading passage, listen the voice. Second, listen it again and read the passage shortly after CD’s voice. It is like you are running after the sound. You can practice how to pronounce the words and accent. This is called shadowing. Repeat it after you read the passage.
2. Read the question first
In the listening exam, I highly recommend to read the question first because you have no time to read whole things after you listen the contents. Firstly, you need to check what are you asked about and what point do you have to catch up. Then list up in your head. You can listen the sound calmly and you will not miss key words.
3. Practice reading out loud.
Don’t forget to practice reading after you studying. It means that reading by your self will help your listening skills. It will make you to listen the words clearly. Moreover, you will get to used to listen the English for a long time and understand meaning of the topics. Sound is very crucial when you learn language because we learn language with listening and speak with imitating the move of mouth and copying sound. So all you have to do is imitating the way to speak with the discs. This is a fundamental way to improve your listening skills.
Tips for reading test
1. Time management
When you tackle the reading task, I recommend to count time when you read the passage. You can not take too much time to read. You need speed, accuracy and vocabulary. Set timer when you practice and try to finish reading. Then, write down how many seconds you took to finish reading.
2. Vocabulary
To success in your reading test, you should improve your vocabulary. I recommend two tips for vocabulary. First one is read the vocabulary books every day and repeat all the words 5 times. Also, you can mark the word which you can not remember its meaning in the first round. And in the second round, you can also do the same things. Now what’s happening? You can clearly recognize words that you do not remember. You can check your weak point easily. Second way is to check the words that you don’t remember in the passage. And then write down with the right meaning. The most important thing is to make it clear which word do you remember and which word do you miss.