LISTENING TIPS
PART 1: PICTURE DESCRIPTION
- 10 picture – based questions (Question 1 – 10)
- There is 95 seconds direction for part 1 before question 1 begins
- There is a 5 – second pause between every two questions
- At the end of one page, there is a 12 – second direction
1. Using the photo to predict what you will hear
- Determine the focus or main idea of the picture (person/ people, object, scene…), ignore the
minor elements of the picture
- Focus on nouns and verbs: most distractors (wrong answers) in the TOEIC test part 1 involve the
wrong noun or verb. Brainstorm nouns and verbs related to the pictures before you listen. Focus
on them while listening
- Predict the statement types: most statements are about: the activity (the man is writing an email);
the general situation (the meal is ready); spatial relationship (next to, between…)
2. Listening for the correct verb
- Listen carefully to check that the verb relates to the picture
- Select answers quickly
3. Listening for the correct prepositions: many TOEIC test part 1 statements talk about the position of
people or objects in the picture.
4. Be careful of similar sounds: if you hear a word that sounds similar to a word you can see or imagine
in the picture, it may be a distractor (pointing, painting…)
5. The tenses used are simple present or present continuous.
Question types:
- Location questions
- Action questions
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Situation questions
Similar-sounding word questions
PART 2: QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES
- 30 questions (Question 11 – 40)
- There is a 1 – minute direction for part 2
- There is a 5 – second pause between every two questions
- Approximately 10 – 15 questions begin with WH – question (what, when, who, where,
whose, why, which, where, how), others are yes/ no questions, choice questions and
statements.
1. Concentrate on the key words of the question
2. Focus on the purpose of the question
3. Listen for question word
- Attention to intonation to identify the type of question (yes/ no question: rising tone,
wh-question: falling tone)
- Attention to stress to identify key word (important word: stress, functional word:
unstress)
- Keep in mind that wh – question can not be answered by yes or no
- Yes/ no questions are not always answered by yes or no
- Check that there is no problem with tense and or subject – verb agreement
4. Pay close attention to words sound alike (fair, fare…)
Be careful with common distractors:
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- Same word  unrelated meaning
- Related subject  doesn’t answer the question
- Similar sound  different words
5. Don’t decide on the answer until listen to all the responses
Remember! Incorrect choices often contain a word or phrase from the question, so don’t be
misled by repetition of words or phrases.
6. Usually, the correct answers for the statements are “advice”
Question types:
- Who question
- How question
- When question
- Which question/ choice question
- Where question
- Yes/ no question
- What question
- Statement
- Why question
PART 3: SHORT CONVERSATION
- 30 questions based on 10 conversations (Question 41 – 70)
- There is a 30 – second direction for part 3
- After the question is read, test-takers have 8 seconds to answer it before they hear the
next one.
1. Skimming to predict the context before listening: use the key information in the
questions and answers choices to make a guess about what you are going to hear
2. Using vocabulary clues to infer the meaning: sometimes the answers are not
stated in the passage (before the listening, think of other words related to the
answer choices and listen to infer the general meaning.
3. Be aware of same word distractors: Answers to part 3 questions often use
different words from the recording; the correct choice sometimes uses different
words to say the same thing as the recording. All answer choices have been
mentioned in the text, so listen carefully to how they are used in the context.
4. Listen to who says what: often the answer choice will have key words used by
one of the speakers, but is may not be the speaker specified in the question.
Noticing this can help you spot distractors
5. Remember the following frequently asked questions: the conversation topic, the
relationship between people mentioned, the place in which the conversation takes
place, or the activity people are engaged in.
6. Try to listen for specific or suggested information: a specific time, a length of
time, frequency, reason, intention, or conclusion.
Question types:
- Who question
- When question
- Where question
- What question
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Why question
Which question
How question
PART 4: SHORT TALKS
- 30 questions based on 10 listening passages (Question 71 -100)
- There is a 28 – second direction for part 4
- Each listening passage is followed by 3 questions read to test – takers
- After the question is read, test-takers have 8 seconds to answer it before they hear the next one.
- Each listening passage is about 100-120 words, and is read in 25 – 35 seconds.
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1. Skimming to predict the context before listening. Before you listen, try to imagine other
ways the answer choice might be said. Picking out the key words from the answer
choices will help you to predict what you will hear, and focuses you on what you have to
listen for.
2. Becoming familiar with re-statements
- The correct answer choice often uses different words from what you will hear: be careful
of this and listen for meaning, not just the key word
- Specific information questions sometimes appear in the same order they appear in the
listening: focus on the questions in order. When you hear the answer, mark it and move
on immediately.
3. Be aware of same word distractors: Be careful with same word distractors: if you see the
same word in an answer choice as you heard the recording, think carefully if it is related
to the meaning of the question before making your choice.
4. Don’t be misled by your general knowledge, you should only use the information given
in the talk.
5. The question typically ask about the main idea, details information, cause and effect or
inference as in the following topics:
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Announcement & information
 What is the speaker doing?
 What are listeners asked to do?
 Where is this announcement most likely to be made?
 What time will the building reopen?
 What is the announcement about?
Advertisements
 What is the main purpose of the advertisement?
 What does the speaker invite customers to do?
 What is being advertised?
 What does the advertisement say about the product?
 What type os new products will be offered?
 What is the purpose of the videocassette?
 Who was the machine created for?
 What device is described in the report?
 When will the device be introduced to the market?
Recorded message/telephone or voice mail message
 On what day of the week was this message left?
 What reminder does the caller give?
 Why is the speaker calling?
 What does the speaker ask Mark Snapers to do?
 What kind of telephone did the customer order?
 What is the man calling about?
Event & meeting
 What will take place next weekend?
 Who is the speaker?
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 What is the main purpose of this talk?
 What is the purpose of the speech?
 What is the subject of the seminar?
 What event it the speaker describing?
 Where will the football tournament bo held?
 Where does the meeting take place?
 What is the subject of the mayor’s meeting?
A business firm, a new product & person’s introduction
 What is mentioned about FPT?
 How long has the company been in business?
 What does ABC sell?
 Who is David?
 What does the speaker say about FPT?
 What has Mr. Jack done in America?
Transportation
 Who is speaking
 What are travelers advised to do?
 What will happen next
 What type of film vill be shown?
News report
 What is the news report about?
 When did the incident begin?
 Where did the incident take place?
 What might people listen to next?
 How many people were injured?
 What is the report about?
Tour
 What kinds of transportation is being used?
 How long will the tour last?
 What will the tourists do before starting the tour?
 What should the visitors do before touring the plant?
Weather report
 What’s the weather like in Tokyo ?
 How many seasons are there in Australia?
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READING TIPS
PART 5
- 40 questions (Questions 101 – 140)
- 11 – 13 questions on vocabulary, 12 – 13 questions on word forms and 14 – 16 questions on
grammar
- The length of each question is about 12- 20 words
This section of the test checks the scope of your vocabulary or grammar. Therefore, when
choosing the answer, you should pay close attention to the type of word or grammatical points
such as parts of speech, tenses, agreement…. They are usually in the following main points:
1. Word choice
- Word with similar forms (ex: attractor, distraction, …). You need to focus on prefix and
suffix of the word to eliminate the wrong answers or to get the meaning of the word that
you are asked to find.
- Function word with similar meaning (ex: some, any…)
- Content word with similar meaning (ex: fare, fee, bills…)
2. Word form
- Noun
- Verb
- Adjective
- Adverb
3. Verb problems
- Correct form
- Agreement
- Correct voice
- Correct form of irregular verbs
PART 6
12 questions (Question 141 – 152) in 4 reading passages (3 questions for each passage)
1. Skim the reading passage quickly. Don’t need to read carefully or pay attention to details
2. Look at the sentences that have blanks
3. Use the context to choose the correct verb form and meaning (some questions provide four
options that feature different tenses of the same verbs. Look at the sentence, then decide
what tense is required, and then choose the correct option).
4. Choose the correct part of speech: adjectives and adverbs (learn suffixes to help you identify
adjectives and adverbs: some questions on the TOEIC test require you to select an
appropriate adjective or adverb; understand the use of comparative and superlative forms of
adjectives.
5. Choose the correct word: prepositions and conjunctions (become familiar with how
prepositions are used. (Prepositions are tested in parts 5 and 6, familiarize yourself with the
ways they are commonly used to help you eliminate wrong answers quickly; compare two
halves of a sentence and consider their relationship to choose the correct conjunction.
PART 7
48 questions (Single passages: Question 153 – 180; double passages: Question 181 – 200)
Usually there are 9 single passages and 4 double passages
TYPE 1: MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
Almost every reading passage will have a multiple-choice question about the main idea of a
passage. Such a question may be worded in a variety of ways; you may, for example, be asked to
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identify the topic, subject, title, primary idea, or main idea. It is relatively easy to find the main
ideas by studying the topic sentences, which are most probably found at the beginning of each
paragraph or end of the passage – or it may in implied so you must make an inference by
depending on the key words for phrases.
If a passage consists of only one paragraph, you should study the beginning of that paragraph to
determine the main idea.
If a passage consists of more than one paragraph, you should study the beginning of each
paragraph to determine the main idea.
Main idea questions often take the following forms:
- What is the topic of the passage?
- What is the subject of the passage?
- What is the purpose of the letter?
- What is the main idea of the passage?
- Why did the writer send this fax?
- What is the author's main point in the passage?
- With what is the author primarily concerned?
- Which of the following would be the best title?
WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER:
The answer to this type of question can generally be determined by looking at the sentences near
the beginning or the end of the passage or sometimes the answer will be the idea of the whole
passage.
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION:
- Read some first sentences in each paragraph.
- Look for a common idea
- Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check that you have really found
the topic sentence(s).
- If you cannot get the main idea from those, then read the some sentences at the end of
the passage
- If both of them cannot help you to get the main idea, so go to the other questions, the
main idea for the questions skipped will be the idea of the whole passage.
- Answer the other questions and infer the main idea of the passage to answer the question
skipped.
TYPE 2: FACT AND DETAIL QUESTIONS
A fact and detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the
passage as a whole. The answers to these questions are generally given in order in the passage,
and the correct answer is often a restatement of what is given in the passage this means that the
correct answer often expresses the same idea as what is written in the passage, but the words are
not exactly the same.
Fact and detail questions often take the following forms:
- According to the passage…
- It is stated in the passage...
- The passage indicates that…
- Which of the following is true...?
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Who is John Banker?
When will they meet?
How long did they wait for the bus?
Where can they pet a permit?
What product is going to be made abroad?
How many times has Mr. Jane tried to persuade Mr. Jack?
What time is the flight leaving?
What is true about a résumé?
WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER
The answers to the questions are usually found in order in the passage. The important thing is to
understand the main purpose of the question and type of the question (which/ where/ when…)
and look for the relation between the key words/ phrases in the questions and key words/ phrases
in the passage.
For example:
When did the first train leave for Paris? You need to look for the time phrase in the passage
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
- Focus on a key word in the question.
- Look for the relevant words/ phrases in the passage
- Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
- Eliminate the definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining
choices.
NOTICE: to the questions like: Which of the following is NOT mentioned/ stated in the passage,
this type of question really means that three of the answers are stated, mentioned, or true in the
passage, while one answer is not.
This type of question is usually in the following forms
- Which of the following is NOT stated...?
- Which of the following is NOT mentioned...?
- Which of the following is NOT discussed…?
- Which of the following are true except....?
- Which of the following should NOT be on your résumé?
WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER
The answers to these questions are usually found in the passage with true detail information
given passage and in the answers.
For example: Susan is from Australia. She is a good teacher. She loves rose, music and painting.
…
Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?
1. Susan is from Australia
2. Susan is a good teacher
3. Susan hates eating fish in the morning
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
- Choose a key word in the question.
- Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea).
- Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
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Look for answers that are definitely true according to the passage eliminate those
answers.
Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage.
TYPE 3: CAUSE AND EFFECT QUESTIONS
A cause and effect question looks at the reason for and event or action and its consequences. For
this type of question, you may find it helpful to look for expressions such as because of, due to,
owing to, as a result of, and thanks to focus on cause.
Cause and effect questions often take the following forms:
- Why did Mr. David get angry with his friends?
- Why is traffic heavy on the highway?
- What may happen because of the hurricane?
- What caused the shipment to arrive late?
- What has been the result of the introduction of bus cards?
WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER
The answers to these questions are usually found after the expressions mentioned above (because
of, due to…) and they must agree with the purposes of the questions.
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
- Choose a key word in the question.
- Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea).
- Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully to make sure the
information is needed to answer the question.
- Eliminate the answers that are not in the purpose the question (usually they are not cause
and effect ones)
TYPE 4: INFERENCE QUESTIONS
In this type of question, you will be asked to answer a multiple choice question about a reading
passage by drawing a conclusion from a specific detail or details in the passage. Questions of this
type contain the words implied, inferred, likely, or probably to let you know that the answer to
the question is not directly stated. In this type of question, it is important to understand that you
do not have to "pull the answer out of thin air." Instead, some information will be given in the
passage, and you will draw a conclusion from that information.
Inference questions often take the following forms:
- It is implied in the passage that……
- It can be inferred from the passage that..….
- It is most likely that……
- What probably happened.....?
- Where did the women used to live?
- How often does the man play tennis?
- Base on the information in the passage, to which holiday does the advertisement refer to?
- Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the ACT company?
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WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER
The answers to these questions are usually found in detail information or the main idea of the
whole passage. For this type of question, you should focus on the questions that need to be
inferred to and from.
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION:
- Look for a key word in the question and compare it with the one in the passage. The key
word may be the same or in synonym/ antonym ...
- Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word,
- Look through the answers and choose the best inference base on the inference made.
TYPE 5: VOCABULARY QUESTION
You may be asked to determine the meaning of a difficult word or expression that you do not
know. In this case, the passage often gives you a clear indication of what the word or expression
means.
Vocabulary questions often take the following forms:
- What is the meaning of “X” in line Y?
- The word “X” in line Y could best be replaced by…
- The word “X” in the Y is closest in meaning to….
WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER
Information to help you understand the meaning of a vocabulary word can often be found in the
context surrounding the word.
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
- Find the word in the passage.
- Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.
- Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning.
- Choose the answer that the context indicates.
 IMPORTANT!
- Answer the easy questions first very quickly (the most efficient order: fact and detail
(positive)  vocabulary  main idea  inference  fact and detail (negative or NOT
question)
- Don’t waste your time on questions you don’t know
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