teaching toeic prep
What is TOEIC?
Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. The TOEIC was developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service) in the United States following a request from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MITI). There are an estimated 3 million test takers per year.
What Does the TOEIC Test Include?
The TOEIC test is a two-hour multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions that are divided into two parts: 100 questions in listening comprehension, and 100 questions in reading comprehension.
What Do TOEIC Scores Mean?
Each candidate receives independent marks for written and oral comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colors, corresponding to achieved results: orange (10-215), brown (220-465), green (470-725), blue (730-855) and gold (860-990).
TOEIC Facts
How long is the test?
Two hours
How many questions are there?
100 listening questions and 100 reading questions
What kinds of questions are there?
All the questions are multiple choice, where you choose the one correct answer from three or four options.
Does the TOEIC run out after two years?
No, once you have taken TOEIC you can write that score on your CV forever, but employers might be suspicious of an old score and ETS recommends that you retake the test after 2 years because your ability will probably have changed.
Is there a break between the listening and reading sections of the TOEIC test?
No
How well recognized is TOEIC outside Asia?
TOEIC is also popular in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and is used inside some large corporations in Europe. Although an employer in the UK might not have heard of TOEIC, it is still better known than BULATS (the equivalent Cambridge exam), and you should easily be able to explain on your CV and/ or in the interview that it is the world's most popular Business English test and what your level means.
Where can I get real past exam papers to do exam practice with?
You can't. ETS does not make past papers available to either students or textbook writers. If you see a book that claims to be based on real past papers or the analysis of past papers, it is not true. The closest thing you can find is probably a book with the official ETS logo on the cover.
What is the most difficult part of the TOEIC test?
Statistically, candidates score higher on the Reading paper than on the Listening test, but this might be at least partly due to these tests being most popular in countries where English listening skills are generally weak.
Do I need to take a class to improve my TOEIC score?
For most students, studying with a teacher is better than studying at home alone. You might want to particularly think about taking a class if:
1. You are unmotivated
2. The practice materials that you are using tell you which answers are wrong but not why
3. You have taken the test or practice tests several times and your scores have not been rising
4. You keep making the same kinds of mistakes
If a book says "TOEIC ®" on it, does that mean it is an official ETS exam book?
No. ETS gives official recognition to very few TOEIC preparation textbooks and test practice books, and although many of the others might also be good practice there are many examples of cheaply made and unrealistic TOEIC books out there who have not been checked by anyone. You should be particularly careful when choosing materials for the new (after 2007) TOEIC exam, as many small publishers printed books before the final details of the exam were made public by ETS.
What level should I be before I take the TOEIC test?
Although there is no fail in TOEIC, students who are less than Intermediate level will find that their scores go up and down quite a lot every time that they take the test because they have to guess quite a lot of questions. Low level students will also find that doing a TOEIC course or practice TOEIC exam papers will not teach them the language they need to improve their general English level. Perhaps for this reason, TOEIC has introduced the lower level "TOEIC Bridge test", but as yet it is not recognized by many employers and so might not be as useful on your CV as a TOEIC score.
How can I explain what my TOEIC score means to someone who doesn't know the exam?
When you get your test score you will also be given a "can do" sheet that tells you what the score means that you can copy onto your CV and/ or explain in an interview when you apply for a job. It is also worth mentioning that TOEIC is the most popular test of Business English in the world.
Is the new style TOEIC more difficult than the old one?
Although the new test sounds more difficult because it has longer listening and reading texts and less of the easier Listening Part One (photograph) questions, ETS say that the tests are equivalent, and the first batch of official test takers in May 2007 in Japan did not especially complain of the difficulty or see an unexpected change in their scores. The skills needed are, however, slightly different, so some people will find one version of the test slightly more difficult than the other.
How long does it take to get the TOEIC test results?
It depends on the country you are in, but is usually less than a week.
What happens if I am late for the test?
You will not be allowed into the test centre, you will not be able to take the test on another day without paying the full fee again, and you will not get any refund. Please make sure you arrive at least 20 minutes before the arrival time you are told.
If I do really badly, will I still get a certificate?
As there is no pass and fail mark in TOEIC, everyone gets a certificate.
If I don't know the answer, should I leave it blank?
No, never leave a blank. As no marks are taken off for wrong answers, if you don't know the answer try to eliminate any you think are wrong and then quickly guess between those that are left and move onto the next question. In the reading test, if you finish everything and have time at the end you can go back and try these questions one more time if you like, but make sure you write down some answer the first time you try it in case you run out of time.
Can you cram for the TOEIC test?
No. You can improve your score with some tips and tactics for reading and listening, but as grammar is not a big part of the test there is no list of language points that you are sure to come up in the test that you can learn in a short time. TOEIC is a test of all proficiency levels up to very advanced, so virtually all standard American English could come up in the exam.
Do I need to be working/ be a businessman to do the test?
Using English in your working life or studying a Business or Economics subject in English can help a lot for the test, but having a generally high level of English and being prepared for the test are much more important.
Many people say they can't finish the reading paper. Should I take a speed reading course?
Speed reading is not recommended for most non-native speakers, and some experts do not recommend it even for native speakers either. Speed reading is a way of reading a whole text quickly, whereas the best tactic in the TOEIC for reading quickly is usually to read the questions first and try to find the place where the right information is, or at least to skip unimportant parts like the tops and bottoms of emails.
Is TOEIC a test of American English?
It certainly helps to study American English for the TOEIC, especially for the Listening part of the test. If, for example, you only know British English business terms, some time spent studying the American equivalents can be very useful. However, the new format exam also includes some British English and Australian English speakers, and people who have only studied American English since school can find these parts difficult to understand.
What are the differences between the versions of the TOEIC before and after the 2007 changes?
The main changes are that in the new style test there is no error correction section and some of the listening and reading texts are longer with more questions per text. The length of the exam and the number of the questions stays the same, and although the new version seems more difficult ETS say the level of difficulty is also the same.
What TOEIC level is good enough to get a job in English?
Although some jobs such as translators ask for scores of 800 or above, any score above about 300 shows a basic ability to use English in the workplace, it simply depends on the job.
How long do I need to study before I take the exam?
In terms of doing exam practice, it is perfectly possible to do the test without any practice at all but even just doing one practice test is very useful at least for making you feel less nervous on the day of the test because you know what you are doing in each part of the test. Make sure, however, that you do not do any practice on the night before the exam. The longest you will probably want to do just exam practice is a month- any longer than that and a good proportion of your preparation for the exam should focus on getting your general English and Business English level up. For example, a one year course or self study plan should probably be 60 to 80% general practice of English and the rest grammar, vocabulary, skills and exam practice for the TOEIC.
What is the single most important part of my English to improve if I want to improve my TOEIC score?
Most people find that a lack of Business English and General English vocabulary is what is most holding down their score. The second biggest factor is often a lack of reading speed, and the third is often not understanding fast, natural speech.
Is TOEIC an Advanced level exam?
To get 850 points or above in TOEIC is proof that you have Advanced listening and reading skills and can use those skills quickly and efficiently in a business setting. However, some people find it possible to reach that mark without having truly Advanced level writing and/ or speaking skills, and employers might want to give you an additional test on these skills in order to check your all round English level. Jobs that only ask for TOEIC 700 or below might not need an Advanced level of English, but students generally need to be at least Intermediate in order to benefit fully from studying for the test.
TOEIC Teaching Tips
Introduction
Throughout your preparation for listening, focus, focus, focus on actively building the students vocabulary. Actively pester your students to keep TOEIC vocabulary and lexis journals. Keep after them. I'd say vocabulary skills, specifically, knowing the business-context words and phrases tested on the exam, is about 50% of beating the TOEIC by raising a candidate's score 200 points or so. 25% is specific test-prep skills, and only the last 25% is what is generally called language proficiency or competency skills. More than any other language proficiency test I've ever seen, the TOEIC can be beaten by a competent instructor, but it takes real work.
I've had some success in mentioning this fact on the first days of class. The difference between a candidate who raises their score 50-80 points from a month-long 40-hour TOEIC class and a candidate who raises it 200-300 points is working hard to learn vocabulary and lexis. Candidates who fall in love with what you will present as your clever strategies employed in each part can improve their scores will fail to reach any significant goals they set.
The fastest way for students to learn a good amount of topic-based vocabulary in a short period of time is translation. They will most likely not retain these words, but for most of them, it will not matter. You can try to pretend that you are teaching English for general purposes when you do test-prep, but rest assured that the students will not pretend that they appreciate your insincere efforts when they get their test scores back.
LISTENING
In your test-prep classes, because of this vocabulary problem, you have to focus on beating the listening sections with lower-level learners before you tackle the reading sections. Listening employs a much more limited, and hence more learnable, set of lexis. Specifically, if you have a candidate who can't do more than 12 out of 20 right on Part I, the photos, do not expect a Reading score higher than 300. Most students will immediately pick up on the importance of previewing the pictures in Part I and anticipating content questions, but even so, get the idea out there that candidates should preview the questions and actively anticipate what they're going to hear before the person on the CD starts talking.
For Part II, it is extremely important to get students used to the idea that they have to listen to the first words of the question immediately. If it's a who, what, where, when, why answer, students should anticipate that, most likely, one of the answer choices will give a yes/no response to the question. Once you mention this fact, the candidates in your class that looked at each other and blew raspberries while you talked about the importance of previewing might give you a second look.
For Part III, use the backwards method. Explain very clearly that if students do not look at the questions and answer choices BEFORE they hear the question, they are not likely to get the answer right. Have students look carefully at the length of the answer choices. If the answer choices consist of four single words, the candidate is likely to hear a number of those choices, e.g.:
Question in booklet:
When will Mr. Barnett arrive in Munich?
A. Monday
B. Tuesday
C. Wednesday
D. Friday
Short conversation on CD:
A: Do you know when Mr. Barnett will be here?
B: Well, he'll be landing in Frankfurt on Monday, but it'll probably take him a day to unwind before he shows up here in Munich.
Part IV: Do not expect anyone who is not gunning for a score of over 700 on the TOEIC to get more than 9/20 questions right. Conversely, anyone who gets 19/20 right on Part I, 25/30 on Part II, and 25/30 on Part III will most likely score at least 15/20 on Part IV. Strategies for Part IV seem to work best on students who are somewhere in the 700-800 range, are not that weak in Reading skills, and already have a beat-the-test mentality. What I use is complicated and takes a good deal of work to put together for 20 questions, so I would simply do what most people do and let those 20 questions go as they may. You can spend your teaching time more fruitfully on other parts.
READING
Don't expect miracles here if you only have a limited amount of time available. The key here is vocabulary, again. I don't spend much time on grammar. Teach them the tricks that you isolate from your study of the materials in the Official Test Prep book and leave it at that.
In past observations, teachers tend to start talking and chalking when it comes to Part V and Part VI. I've always felt that if you start whipping out a conditionals lesson in a TOEIC class, or what you use to deal with omission and inclusion of relative pronouns, you've lost the game. Perhaps five in the sixty questions in Parts V and VI will deal with those issues.
Because materials are as bad as they are, I have occasionally resorted to my old TOEFL PBT materials for upper-level students. The old TOEFL PBT Structure is a good indication of how this section works, and the strategies in old TOEFL PBT books occasionally yield spectacular results. The problem is that at least half of the questions in these sections depend on the candidate's understanding of vocabulary, and the focus of the TOEFL (academic) and the TOEIC (business) is indeed different, even though ETS promoters tend to fudge the difference to increase their profits. For typical lower-level TOEIC candidates, who will just want to pass this language test and get on with their lives, attacking a sentence on how poetry is composed for error correction, such as:
Blank verse in iambic pentameter is MADE UP WITH five iambs in each line, or ten syllables.
will not be seen as an appropriate classroom use of their time and money.
And lastly, we get to Part VII, the reading passages. There is nothing in any other major standardized language test that I've seen that will effectively prepare students to face this section of the TOEIC. There are three things that you need to focus on: getting students to recognize the text type, be it a letter, a memo, a notice, an article, or whatnot, improving their skimming skills in the context of this test, and improving their vocabulary.
The easiest way to deal with this, but not the best, is to tell students to briefly look over the text (especially the line at the top that states what kind of text it is), go to the questions, and work backwards.
If, however, you expect to effect change on the order of a 200-point increase or more in your students' TOEIC scores, you will need to be able to teach skimming and scanning, not in the general, advice-heavy and technique-light way that most teachers tend to use in imitation of what they learned in their general language teaching classes, but in a carefully prepared, structured way that gives students real advice that they can apply to the actual texts they have in front of them under the time restraints they will be under during the TOEIC test. This is not easy, and it would take as much time for me to give you my way of doing this as it would to tell you about how I teach students to deal with Part IV of the Listening section.
Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. The TOEIC was developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service) in the United States following a request from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MITI). There are an estimated 3 million test takers per year.
What Does the TOEIC Test Include?
The TOEIC test is a two-hour multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions that are divided into two parts: 100 questions in listening comprehension, and 100 questions in reading comprehension.
What Do TOEIC Scores Mean?
Each candidate receives independent marks for written and oral comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colors, corresponding to achieved results: orange (10-215), brown (220-465), green (470-725), blue (730-855) and gold (860-990).
TOEIC Facts
How long is the test?
Two hours
How many questions are there?
100 listening questions and 100 reading questions
What kinds of questions are there?
All the questions are multiple choice, where you choose the one correct answer from three or four options.
Does the TOEIC run out after two years?
No, once you have taken TOEIC you can write that score on your CV forever, but employers might be suspicious of an old score and ETS recommends that you retake the test after 2 years because your ability will probably have changed.
Is there a break between the listening and reading sections of the TOEIC test?
No
How well recognized is TOEIC outside Asia?
TOEIC is also popular in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and is used inside some large corporations in Europe. Although an employer in the UK might not have heard of TOEIC, it is still better known than BULATS (the equivalent Cambridge exam), and you should easily be able to explain on your CV and/ or in the interview that it is the world's most popular Business English test and what your level means.
Where can I get real past exam papers to do exam practice with?
You can't. ETS does not make past papers available to either students or textbook writers. If you see a book that claims to be based on real past papers or the analysis of past papers, it is not true. The closest thing you can find is probably a book with the official ETS logo on the cover.
What is the most difficult part of the TOEIC test?
Statistically, candidates score higher on the Reading paper than on the Listening test, but this might be at least partly due to these tests being most popular in countries where English listening skills are generally weak.
Do I need to take a class to improve my TOEIC score?
For most students, studying with a teacher is better than studying at home alone. You might want to particularly think about taking a class if:
1. You are unmotivated
2. The practice materials that you are using tell you which answers are wrong but not why
3. You have taken the test or practice tests several times and your scores have not been rising
4. You keep making the same kinds of mistakes
If a book says "TOEIC ®" on it, does that mean it is an official ETS exam book?
No. ETS gives official recognition to very few TOEIC preparation textbooks and test practice books, and although many of the others might also be good practice there are many examples of cheaply made and unrealistic TOEIC books out there who have not been checked by anyone. You should be particularly careful when choosing materials for the new (after 2007) TOEIC exam, as many small publishers printed books before the final details of the exam were made public by ETS.
What level should I be before I take the TOEIC test?
Although there is no fail in TOEIC, students who are less than Intermediate level will find that their scores go up and down quite a lot every time that they take the test because they have to guess quite a lot of questions. Low level students will also find that doing a TOEIC course or practice TOEIC exam papers will not teach them the language they need to improve their general English level. Perhaps for this reason, TOEIC has introduced the lower level "TOEIC Bridge test", but as yet it is not recognized by many employers and so might not be as useful on your CV as a TOEIC score.
How can I explain what my TOEIC score means to someone who doesn't know the exam?
When you get your test score you will also be given a "can do" sheet that tells you what the score means that you can copy onto your CV and/ or explain in an interview when you apply for a job. It is also worth mentioning that TOEIC is the most popular test of Business English in the world.
Is the new style TOEIC more difficult than the old one?
Although the new test sounds more difficult because it has longer listening and reading texts and less of the easier Listening Part One (photograph) questions, ETS say that the tests are equivalent, and the first batch of official test takers in May 2007 in Japan did not especially complain of the difficulty or see an unexpected change in their scores. The skills needed are, however, slightly different, so some people will find one version of the test slightly more difficult than the other.
How long does it take to get the TOEIC test results?
It depends on the country you are in, but is usually less than a week.
What happens if I am late for the test?
You will not be allowed into the test centre, you will not be able to take the test on another day without paying the full fee again, and you will not get any refund. Please make sure you arrive at least 20 minutes before the arrival time you are told.
If I do really badly, will I still get a certificate?
As there is no pass and fail mark in TOEIC, everyone gets a certificate.
If I don't know the answer, should I leave it blank?
No, never leave a blank. As no marks are taken off for wrong answers, if you don't know the answer try to eliminate any you think are wrong and then quickly guess between those that are left and move onto the next question. In the reading test, if you finish everything and have time at the end you can go back and try these questions one more time if you like, but make sure you write down some answer the first time you try it in case you run out of time.
Can you cram for the TOEIC test?
No. You can improve your score with some tips and tactics for reading and listening, but as grammar is not a big part of the test there is no list of language points that you are sure to come up in the test that you can learn in a short time. TOEIC is a test of all proficiency levels up to very advanced, so virtually all standard American English could come up in the exam.
Do I need to be working/ be a businessman to do the test?
Using English in your working life or studying a Business or Economics subject in English can help a lot for the test, but having a generally high level of English and being prepared for the test are much more important.
Many people say they can't finish the reading paper. Should I take a speed reading course?
Speed reading is not recommended for most non-native speakers, and some experts do not recommend it even for native speakers either. Speed reading is a way of reading a whole text quickly, whereas the best tactic in the TOEIC for reading quickly is usually to read the questions first and try to find the place where the right information is, or at least to skip unimportant parts like the tops and bottoms of emails.
Is TOEIC a test of American English?
It certainly helps to study American English for the TOEIC, especially for the Listening part of the test. If, for example, you only know British English business terms, some time spent studying the American equivalents can be very useful. However, the new format exam also includes some British English and Australian English speakers, and people who have only studied American English since school can find these parts difficult to understand.
What are the differences between the versions of the TOEIC before and after the 2007 changes?
The main changes are that in the new style test there is no error correction section and some of the listening and reading texts are longer with more questions per text. The length of the exam and the number of the questions stays the same, and although the new version seems more difficult ETS say the level of difficulty is also the same.
What TOEIC level is good enough to get a job in English?
Although some jobs such as translators ask for scores of 800 or above, any score above about 300 shows a basic ability to use English in the workplace, it simply depends on the job.
How long do I need to study before I take the exam?
In terms of doing exam practice, it is perfectly possible to do the test without any practice at all but even just doing one practice test is very useful at least for making you feel less nervous on the day of the test because you know what you are doing in each part of the test. Make sure, however, that you do not do any practice on the night before the exam. The longest you will probably want to do just exam practice is a month- any longer than that and a good proportion of your preparation for the exam should focus on getting your general English and Business English level up. For example, a one year course or self study plan should probably be 60 to 80% general practice of English and the rest grammar, vocabulary, skills and exam practice for the TOEIC.
What is the single most important part of my English to improve if I want to improve my TOEIC score?
Most people find that a lack of Business English and General English vocabulary is what is most holding down their score. The second biggest factor is often a lack of reading speed, and the third is often not understanding fast, natural speech.
Is TOEIC an Advanced level exam?
To get 850 points or above in TOEIC is proof that you have Advanced listening and reading skills and can use those skills quickly and efficiently in a business setting. However, some people find it possible to reach that mark without having truly Advanced level writing and/ or speaking skills, and employers might want to give you an additional test on these skills in order to check your all round English level. Jobs that only ask for TOEIC 700 or below might not need an Advanced level of English, but students generally need to be at least Intermediate in order to benefit fully from studying for the test.
TOEIC Teaching Tips
Introduction
Throughout your preparation for listening, focus, focus, focus on actively building the students vocabulary. Actively pester your students to keep TOEIC vocabulary and lexis journals. Keep after them. I'd say vocabulary skills, specifically, knowing the business-context words and phrases tested on the exam, is about 50% of beating the TOEIC by raising a candidate's score 200 points or so. 25% is specific test-prep skills, and only the last 25% is what is generally called language proficiency or competency skills. More than any other language proficiency test I've ever seen, the TOEIC can be beaten by a competent instructor, but it takes real work.
I've had some success in mentioning this fact on the first days of class. The difference between a candidate who raises their score 50-80 points from a month-long 40-hour TOEIC class and a candidate who raises it 200-300 points is working hard to learn vocabulary and lexis. Candidates who fall in love with what you will present as your clever strategies employed in each part can improve their scores will fail to reach any significant goals they set.
The fastest way for students to learn a good amount of topic-based vocabulary in a short period of time is translation. They will most likely not retain these words, but for most of them, it will not matter. You can try to pretend that you are teaching English for general purposes when you do test-prep, but rest assured that the students will not pretend that they appreciate your insincere efforts when they get their test scores back.
LISTENING
In your test-prep classes, because of this vocabulary problem, you have to focus on beating the listening sections with lower-level learners before you tackle the reading sections. Listening employs a much more limited, and hence more learnable, set of lexis. Specifically, if you have a candidate who can't do more than 12 out of 20 right on Part I, the photos, do not expect a Reading score higher than 300. Most students will immediately pick up on the importance of previewing the pictures in Part I and anticipating content questions, but even so, get the idea out there that candidates should preview the questions and actively anticipate what they're going to hear before the person on the CD starts talking.
For Part II, it is extremely important to get students used to the idea that they have to listen to the first words of the question immediately. If it's a who, what, where, when, why answer, students should anticipate that, most likely, one of the answer choices will give a yes/no response to the question. Once you mention this fact, the candidates in your class that looked at each other and blew raspberries while you talked about the importance of previewing might give you a second look.
For Part III, use the backwards method. Explain very clearly that if students do not look at the questions and answer choices BEFORE they hear the question, they are not likely to get the answer right. Have students look carefully at the length of the answer choices. If the answer choices consist of four single words, the candidate is likely to hear a number of those choices, e.g.:
Question in booklet:
When will Mr. Barnett arrive in Munich?
A. Monday
B. Tuesday
C. Wednesday
D. Friday
Short conversation on CD:
A: Do you know when Mr. Barnett will be here?
B: Well, he'll be landing in Frankfurt on Monday, but it'll probably take him a day to unwind before he shows up here in Munich.
Part IV: Do not expect anyone who is not gunning for a score of over 700 on the TOEIC to get more than 9/20 questions right. Conversely, anyone who gets 19/20 right on Part I, 25/30 on Part II, and 25/30 on Part III will most likely score at least 15/20 on Part IV. Strategies for Part IV seem to work best on students who are somewhere in the 700-800 range, are not that weak in Reading skills, and already have a beat-the-test mentality. What I use is complicated and takes a good deal of work to put together for 20 questions, so I would simply do what most people do and let those 20 questions go as they may. You can spend your teaching time more fruitfully on other parts.
READING
Don't expect miracles here if you only have a limited amount of time available. The key here is vocabulary, again. I don't spend much time on grammar. Teach them the tricks that you isolate from your study of the materials in the Official Test Prep book and leave it at that.
In past observations, teachers tend to start talking and chalking when it comes to Part V and Part VI. I've always felt that if you start whipping out a conditionals lesson in a TOEIC class, or what you use to deal with omission and inclusion of relative pronouns, you've lost the game. Perhaps five in the sixty questions in Parts V and VI will deal with those issues.
Because materials are as bad as they are, I have occasionally resorted to my old TOEFL PBT materials for upper-level students. The old TOEFL PBT Structure is a good indication of how this section works, and the strategies in old TOEFL PBT books occasionally yield spectacular results. The problem is that at least half of the questions in these sections depend on the candidate's understanding of vocabulary, and the focus of the TOEFL (academic) and the TOEIC (business) is indeed different, even though ETS promoters tend to fudge the difference to increase their profits. For typical lower-level TOEIC candidates, who will just want to pass this language test and get on with their lives, attacking a sentence on how poetry is composed for error correction, such as:
Blank verse in iambic pentameter is MADE UP WITH five iambs in each line, or ten syllables.
will not be seen as an appropriate classroom use of their time and money.
And lastly, we get to Part VII, the reading passages. There is nothing in any other major standardized language test that I've seen that will effectively prepare students to face this section of the TOEIC. There are three things that you need to focus on: getting students to recognize the text type, be it a letter, a memo, a notice, an article, or whatnot, improving their skimming skills in the context of this test, and improving their vocabulary.
The easiest way to deal with this, but not the best, is to tell students to briefly look over the text (especially the line at the top that states what kind of text it is), go to the questions, and work backwards.
If, however, you expect to effect change on the order of a 200-point increase or more in your students' TOEIC scores, you will need to be able to teach skimming and scanning, not in the general, advice-heavy and technique-light way that most teachers tend to use in imitation of what they learned in their general language teaching classes, but in a carefully prepared, structured way that gives students real advice that they can apply to the actual texts they have in front of them under the time restraints they will be under during the TOEIC test. This is not easy, and it would take as much time for me to give you my way of doing this as it would to tell you about how I teach students to deal with Part IV of the Listening section.
