TACTICS FOR PART I-TOEIC LISTENING

1. Always complete each items as quickly as possible so that you can preview the photograph for next item. Don’t wait for the statement that says “Now look at photograph number­­­­­­­____”
2. If you are previewing a photograph that involves a person or people, look for aspects of the photographs that are mentioned in the sentences:

• What are the people doing? 

• Active: cleaning, crossing, cutting, drawing, holding, jogging, loading, locking, packing, pouring, pulling, pushing, selling, sitting, stretching, sweeping, typing, watering, wrapping, leaning (against/on), performing, climbing, getting  on, getting off, taking off, boarding, point (at/to), staring at, gazing out,  arranging, measuring ……..
• Passive: being + cleaned, cleared, displayed, dug up, handed locked, painted, planted, piled up, stacked up, served, set up, towed, washed, watered, , fixed/repaired, wrapped ,……….

• Where are they?

• In a construction zone, on the stage, in the lobby, at the reception desk, in a conference, in the forest, on a boat/ship/plane/bus/train/plane/subway, in the lift/elevator/escalator, on the street/road/avenue/ , in a supermarket, in an art museum, in the gallery, in the swimming pool, on the sidewalk, in the field, in the warehouse/laboratory/ garage/factory, at sea, on the beach, at the dock…..

• Who are they?

• A man, men, a woman, women, a child, children, people, they, he, she, a couple, a little boy, a girl, a baby, the group, the family, ……
• (Is there a uniform or piece of equipment or anything else that indicates their profession or role? ) a chef, a repairman, a tour guide, an office worker, a receptionist, a clerk, a student, shop assistant, clerk, customer, driver, passengers, commuter, pedestrian, policeman, worker, laborer, waiter, waitress,

• What distinguishes them? (Is there a hat, a mustache, a purse, a pair of glasses, a tie, or anything else that differentiates the people?)
• What do the people’s expressions tell you? (Do they look happy? Unhappy? Excited? Bored? Upset?)

3. If you are previewing a photograph of an object, focus on these aspects:

• What is it?
• What is it made of?
• What – if anything – is it doing?
• Where is it?

4. If you are previewing a photograph of scene, focus on these aspects:

• Where is it?
• What is in the foreground( the front of the picture)
• What—if anything – is happening?
• What is in the background (the “distant” part of the picture)?

5. Don’t mark an answer until you have heard all four choices. When you hear a choice that you think is correct, rest your pencil on that oval on your answer sheet.  If you change your mind and hear a sentence that you think is better, move your pencil to that choice. Once you have heard all four sentences, mark the oval that your pencil is resting on. (This technique helps you remember which choice you think is best.)
6. Try to eliminate choices with problems in meaning, sound, and sound + meaning. (There is more information about recognizing these problems in the main part of this lesson.)
7. Most correct answers involve verbs in the simple present (“The furniture looks new.”) or present progressive tense (“The woman is riding a bicycle.”) Be suspicious of answer choices involving any other tenses.
8. Never leave any blanks. Always guess before going on to the next item.
9. As soon as you have finished marking the answer, stop looking at and thinking about that photograph and move on to the next item.