TOEIC® Reading Section
Introduction to TOEIC TOEIC Reading
TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is an English proficiency test, outlined to evaluate the linguistic ability of candidate who intended to work overseas. TOEIC Reading
TOEIC being a North American Business English Exam, initially, it was developed in Japan. TOEIC Reading
The TOEIC exam is first conducted in 1979 but the test was redesigned in 2007 and called to be “the new TOEIC exam” TOEIC Reading
The first revised version of the TOEIC exam was conducted in Japan and South Korea.
Before moving further let’s get aware of the format of TOEIC exam offered by ETS (Educational Testing Service)
TOEIC test format TOEIC Reading
There are 2 parts to the TOEIC exam; the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test i.e. a comprehension assessment total of 990 scores.
The other is the TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test. The TOEIC speaking test evaluates your pronunciation, intonation, vocabulary, and grammar whereas TOEIC Writing Test evaluates grammar, cohesion, paraphrasing, and relevancy of sentences to the picture.
CEFR Assessment Test
It is not mandatory to take both the TOEIC exams but they are designed to complement each other. TOEIC Reading
Though the TOEIC Listening & Reading, the test is a consolidated test. Here in this article, we are going to discuss the TOEIC Reading test specifically in detail. TOEIC Reading
TOEIC® Reading Test
The TOEIC® reading test is conducted by pen and paper means which most probably evaluates your oral and written skills.
Let’s get an overview of TOEFL® Reading Test. TOEIC Reading
Section | Content | Time | Points |
Reading | 4 exercises based on written excerpts. | 75 minutes | 495 |
Given Time Limit for the TOEIC Reading Test TOEIC Reading
In general, The TOEIC® Listening & Reading Test is a complete 2 hours and 30 minutes evaluation that is further divided into 3 different sets: TOEIC Reading
- 45 minutes for Section 1: TOEIC® Listening Test.
- 75 minutes for Section 2: TOEIC® Reading test.
- Left 30 minutes to answer biographical questions.
Test Content of TOEIC® Reading test
TOEIC® Reading Test (75 minutes) TOEIC Reading
In this assessment, candidates read a variety of texts and need to respond to the questions according to them. (100 Questions) TOEIC Reading
TOEIC Reading Test being a Section 2 of TOEIC® Listening & Reading Test, has 3 parts which are in continuation with the parts in the TOEIC Listening Test.
- Part 5: Incomplete sentences TOEIC Reading
- Part 6: Text Completion
- Part 7: Reading Comprehension.
Let us now discuss all the three parts in details.
TOEIC Reading Section: Incomplete Sentences TOEIC Reading
This is a section that comprises of total 30 multiple choice questions. As per the name suggests, each question will consist of a sentence followed by a blank that you are required to fill.
In order to complete the sentence, you can either use a word or a phrase that compliments it the best.
Your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is going to play a role of winning weapon in the task of choosing the correct answer in the given four options. TOEIC Reading
There are 12 specific areas of grammar that are repeatedly come into use in this TOEIC test –
verb tense, subject-verb agreement, word families, count, and non-count nouns, comparative and superlative, adverbs of frequency, word choice, prepositions, unnecessary words, pronouns, conjunctions, and conditionals.
You must be aware of every point of grammar, that apparently gains a confidence in you to solve every question. TOEIC Reading
So, let’s see the example of this section.
Example
Question: The executives pointed to immigration __________ the biggest drivers of the domestic market.
A.Rather than
B.As one of
C.Resulting in
D.As leading
The correct answer is (b): As one of
After discussing the above section let’s move to the other.
TOEIC Reading Section: Text Completion TOEIC Reading
This section is absolutely similar to the one we have discussed above.
In this section, your grammar, and vocabulary skills are being tested. The same areas of grammars are evaluated, the only difference that you see is this time you have a passage rather than a single sentence.
Most probably, you will get a passage that includes a memo, e-mail, brochure, announcement, letter, or a review.
In the passage, there will be four blanks, like the above you tend to choose the best option among the given four that fits best in your observation.
Example ~ Letter TOEIC Reading
Fred’s Stationery
7 Smythe St, Toronto, Canada M1B 5T6
Tel: (416) 295-6789
December 6th 20–
Reid Shrew
7 Stevens Rd.
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1E 4H7
Dear Ms. Shrew:
Holiday Sale
Seasons Greetings. As a _______ customer, we wanted you to be among the first to know about our upcoming holiday sale. All craft paper, specialty printer paper, and decorative envelopes will be reduced by 50% for the month of December.
1.
(A) value
(B) valued
(C) valid
(D) validate
As per tradition at Fred’s Stationery, we will be having a Christmas raffle. This year the grand prize is a 2-night stay for two at the Meridian Inn _______ Toronto Island. The winner will receive a free triple occupancy stay in the penthouse suite as well as a free dinner on the moonlit patio.
2.
(A) through
(B) on
(C) over
(D) at
Money from ticket sales will be _______ to The Family Foundation, a local organization that provides food and clothing to those who need it most this Christmas.
3.
(A) purchased
(B) donated
(C) funded
(D) collected
We look forward to seeing you this Christmas season.
Yours truly,
Shehanne & James Brown
Answers:
- Option B: Valued
- Option B: On
- Option B: Donated
TOEIC Reading Section: Reading Comprehension TOEIC Reading
This is the final and last section of the reading test. In this section, you will get 54 questions in total.
In the first part, you will have 10 single passages to read with 2-4 questions and then answer per passage.
The second part of this same section is just like the first one, but with the only difference that now you have 2 or 3 related passages to read.
The additional passage you get to see here tend to be a response or inquiry based on the situation presented in the first passage itself.
In this section, there are 5 sets of multiple passages with 5 questions to answer per set, which will cover the content in all of the related passages.
Here questions are most probably based on notices, letters, forms, newspaper and magazine articles, and advertisements.
Example: Single passage TOEIC Reading
Are you setting up a small business? Worried about the costs of renting office space and employing the right people?
Rebus Virtual Office World can help you. With our Basic Office Deal, we can set up a virtual office for you practically overnight.
We will give your business a professional image and our polite, friendly staff will handle your calls and present your business in the best possible way. We can provide you with: a professional business address, a local phone number and we will also handle mail.
For a more personal approach, with the option of forwarding mail and messages to your home address, don’t hesitate to ask us about our Premier Office Deals.
1 Where is the text from?
A.A message from a business to a current client
B. An advertisement for a new business service
C. An email from one business worker to another
D. A newspaper article about a new business’s success
2 What does the service provider? TOEIC Reading
A.Off-site staff to perform general office duties
B. A site where several businesses can locate their offices
C. Advice on how to make your business more professional
D. Temporary staff for local businesses
3 Which of the following is not included in the Basic Office deal?
- A polite receptionist
B. A mail-forwarding service
C. A professional address
D. A telephone-answering service
Answers:
- Option B (An advertisement for a new business service)
- Option A (Off-site staff to perform general office duties)
- Option B (A mail-forwarding service)
So, now after discussing deeply the sections of the TOEIC® Reading test, let’s get some tips that will eventually help you to score well.
Tips for TOEIC® Reading Section TOEIC Reading
Part 5: Incomplete Sentences
To perform well and score high in this part, you must be aware of different parts of speech, and how they help in building a grammatical well sentence.
In general, you must be careful regarding:
- Two-part phrasal verbs
- Proposition
- Adjectives
- Tense
- Conjunctions
- Transition words
Beside this, when you will get the four close options, in order to recognize the correct one try to identify the grammatical function of the word in the blank.
Part 6: Text Completion TOEIC Reading
The strategy to score well in this section is similar to part 5 (incomplete sentences). The only difference is because of long paraphrases, not only you need to keep the grammatical aspects in your mind but the tone and context of the passage too.
Part 7: Reading Comprehension TOEIC Reading
In this section, a variety of skills are required to hunt the correct answer.
Some of them include skimming, scanning, paraphrasing and understanding vocabulary. TOEIC Reading
But the main part of relief is that the order of questions follows the order to the information in the passage.
You can make this information to work as per your plan in this TOEIC test.
For now, when we are already got aware of every little detail of this reading section, so here comes the last common advice.
Practice, Practice & practice. As there is no substitute of hard work now, neither it will be any tomorrow. All the best for your journey ahead!