TOEIC TEST PREPARATION

How to prepare

Setting an attainable goal

Most people take the TOEIC test to gain more advantage while applying for jobs in international market. In such cases it is better to find out what skill level is required and work on attaining it. If applying for posts at the entry level a score of 600 and above could do the job while jobs at managerial level require a least score of 800 points. Since the test can be take n number of times, it does not matter if the first few tests results are disappointing. It helps to set an attainable goal and work towards it.

Test Comprehension

Comprehending the TOEIC question pattern and the section involve in it is very crucial to the test taker. Since the TOEIC chiefly involves testing the listening and reading comprehension skills of the test taker it is highly beneficial to keep practicing on them. Practicing on the TOEIC model questioner in an replicated TOEIC test Environment would be helpful for the student to acquaint himself well for the original test.

Formulation of a study plan

It is important to format a study plan and follow it regularly if the student is serious about his TOEIC test. Last minute study and preparation will be of no use. It would be highly advantages to register oneself into TOEIC preparation course. It is important that the student choice of his coach and institute are reliable. It has been found that enrolling into such classes with a partner is more productive. It is not necessary to enroll into such classes. The student can coach himself with a help of books dealing with the TOEIC test. Preparing a time table and following the study plan is of great help.

Strengthening vocabulary

It is necessary that the student works on improving his vocabulary since the test deals mainly with it. Making an effort to learn new words and using them as often as possible through sentence formations and in regular speech is highly advantages to the student. It helps to avoid using the translation dictionaries since dictionaries on the computer are of no use when it comes to helping the student remember a word.

As the TOEIC is a business oriented test, it is advantages to concentrate on subjects dealing with travel, health, office, resorts, eateries, bank etc. Other than this familiarity of day to day jargon in office environment and social conversations is a must.

Isolation of strongholds and weakness

Through repeated practice the student becomes an expert in recognizing his strengths and weaknesses. Once this is established the student can effectively chart out his time management. Instead of spending more time on the topics that the student finds he is good at, he could spend more time concentrating on developing on his weaknesses. Help trough books at libraries, on internet and from coaches could be sought out by the student in his effort on improvement.

Practice Elimination of distracters

The student should be prepared to isolate the answers that are provided in the test to distract him from choosing the correct answer. There may be about 2 distracters that would sound the same or looks the same with just one or two alphabetical difference or repeated words. Once the student learns to spot the distracters it would be easy for him to finish the test on time.

Trust your instincts

When the student has practiced for the test n number of times the brain gets fine tuned to the format and type of answer to choose or not to choose. It would benefit the student a lot to trust his instincts and chose the answer that he instinctively feels is the right answer. This not only saves time but also provides accuracy in answer choice most of the time. The student is advised not to make too many changes in his answers. As the test would be assessed by a machine it would not be beneficial to have the choice mingled. If the student wishes to change the answer he should be very careful in erasing his previous choice completely before marking his preference.

Don't try to translate

Many students make the mistake of translating the sentences literally into their native language to understand. This not only misleads the student but is also a big time waster. It would be more advantageous if the student reads the full sentence to arrive at the meaning of the word he doesn’t know or by interpreting the meaning of the word that is next to the difficult one.

Random Guessing

If the student finds that he has difficulty in choosing the answer even after using the elimination technique, taking a random guess will be beneficial. This should be only use as a last resort and is most advantageous that leaving the question unanswered. This technique has better results if the choice is between answers after elimination of the distracters. This is so because the elimination narrows down the opportunity of making the wrong guess.

Time management

The student should keep in mind to manage his time wisely. This is easier to achieve if the student sticks to the time limits provided for the original test while going through his practice sessions. If the student finds that he takes more time to complete the difficult sections and has less time left to complete the sections that he finds easy and has a better chance of fetching him more marks, he should plan and spend his time accordingly.

Be sharp during the Listening session

Many make the mistake of rewinding the tape and listening repeatedly to the listening section of the tape during their practice tests. This turns into a major drawback while taking the original test. This is because the recording that would be played during the test will not be in the control of the student. The student will not have the opportunity of replaying or playing the recording at a slower pace. Even the time limit provided to ponder on the recordings and answer the questions is very limited. So the students are advice to keep these points in mind while taking their practice test. By going back to the previous question when awaiting the next question would only result in confusion and lagging behind in the rest of the test. It is better to take the best guess for questions where the answers are doubtful and concentrating on the rest of the test without wasting further time.

Reading aloud

Reading out loud will assist in the student’s listening and reading comprehension ability. Understanding the flow of the English language is crucial to figure out the language itself. By reading out aloud from textbooks, pamphlets, newspapers, and even children's novels is helpful to comprehending the language structure. It is very beneficial if the student can record his readings and listen to them to identify and correct his mistakes.

Take advantage of Mass media

The best way for prepare for the TOEIC test is by studying the authentic English in everyday use. Watching television especially channels like CNN and BBC, listening to radio reports, and reading newspapers and magazines are most beneficial to the student. Special attention to ads, letters, weather and traffic reports, coupons, and special announcements are very helpful in the better understanding of the language usage than anything else. By practicing this with a friend and writing out questioner for each other the students not only get to improve his knowledge but also get to recognize the possible questions for the topics. The mass media is an excellent teacher of everyday jargon and idioms of the English language.

Exploit web sites

Many web sites offer free model tests and samples that are very useful to the student in his test preparations. Reading and listening skills can be greatly improved by surfing the web. The student can find almost all the information needed on a variety of topics and answer to all his queries on the net. It is nessary that the student is careful with his time spent on the net an not get carried away with it.

Try teaching your language to a native English speaker

Many students of foreign origin have benefited from trying to teach their language to a native English speaker. Since the medium of instruction to teach has to be English, the student not only learns new words but also the context and correct phrasing. The student also stands to gain the understanding of the grammatical rules of the English language. There in no better way to master a language than through teaching.

Practicing to Keep an English journal

The student can start practicing to write a journal in English. It is not necessary that the recordings have to be on personal everyday activities. Writing about how the preparation is getting along or about something that catches the student’s interest and attention is a good way to start. Explaining a new word that’s learnt or the context of using a word can also be noted on the journal. This is very beneficial since the student has to think and understand the concepts to put them down as explanations into the journal. Practicing with a friend is highly recommended because there is a better chance of improvement when correcting easy others mistakes and learning new thing.

Develop questioning attitude

A student can loose heavenly on his score level if he is unable to understand or worse misunderstands things like conditions and rules etc. The only way to avoid this is through questioning. The student should never hesitate to question things he doesn’t understand nor has difficulty interpreting. This not only befits the student who questions but also the entire class. It is not necessary that the student waits for a teacher or coach to ask his questions, any fellow student could turn out to be a big help. So never hesitate to question. Questioning is a healthy attitude and a way to success.

Stress management

The student runs the risk of increasing his stress level by pushing hard or by over doing himself. Knowing ones limitations and working toward achievable goals is the main criteria of practicing for any test and TOEIC is no exception of that rule. Relaxing through breathing techniques and distractions are very helpful in relieving stress. It helps to keep in mind that the student has the option of retaking the test every few month. Another important factor to be remembered is not to overdo the studying part in the last minute. Since the topics are vast and vivid for the TOEIC, the student should remember to revise on what ha been learnt than to try and cram his study time unnecessarily.

Differentiate between the Computer based and paper passed test

The student stands to gain a lot by selecting the module that he thinks he is most compatible to. There are many strongly marked differences between a computer and paper based test. The student should be aware of these differences, i.e. The format, structure, scoring, strategies etc while making his choice.

There are quite a few online test preparation resources that the student could make use off. Some of the websites that provide material for test preparation and practice questioners are Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions , Peterson's Education Portal, The Princeton Review, Educational Testing Service (ETS),

CollegeBoard.com, Hobson's CollegeView® etc.

Allocation of study time

The time allocation for TOEIC test preparation should be planned based on the sections and structure of the test. Since there are 7 sections to be completed within the specific time limit provided, the student should format his study timings accordingly. Instead of spending the maximum time on preparing for the section that the student finds easy he should target the ones that he find the most difficult.