English Language Test Prep Radio: EPISODE 53
English Language Test Prep Radio-Episode 53
Episode Webpage: https://englishlanguagetestprep.com/eltpr053
INTRODUCTION
Finding the Best Answer - TOEIC Listening and Reading
LEAD IN:
After today’s episode, never fear TOEIC Multiple Choice Questions again!
Hello and welcome to Episode 53 of the English Language Test Preparation Radio podcast – Finding the Best Answer - TOEIC Listening and Reading.
I’m Professor Winn, a CELTA-certified English instructor for more than 13 years, helping candidates like you to maximize their scores on the TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS exams.
I’m the host of the English Language Test Preparation Radio podcast and author of the englishlanguagetestprep.com blog – the blog dedicated to strengthening both your English and test skills so you’re ready for the big exam day.
Today’s episode originally appeared as a Live Broadcast on English Language Test Prep TV.
You can sign up for our Live TV Updates at: bit.ly/eltptv
Today you discover some tips to help you defeat the multiple-choice questions on the TOEIC Listening and Reading exam.
Be sure to visit the webpage for the transcript of this podcast and to see the presentation at bit.ly/eltpr053.
I’d appreciate your feedback about this podcast episode as well.
Please visit the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/englishtestprep
Enjoy your lesson about Finding the Best Answer - TOEIC Listening and Reading.
ELTPR053
[00:00:00] Hello and welcome.
I'm Professor Winn, author of the englishlanguagetestprep.com blog and podcast.
Welcome to edition number 13 of our live broadcasts on Wednesday, where I give you a test tip that's gonna help you to build your English skills and test skills so you get the highest score possible on the big test day.
Today we're looking at the TOEIC Listening and Reading exam.
Just how do you defeat those multiple choice questions?
So first I would like to invite you to sign up for blog updates so that you don't miss any of our live broadcasts.
On Wednesday, you learn a test tip, as I said, and on Thursday you get a vocabulary tip that's gonna help you to build your skills for that big exam score that you're looking for.
Simply go to [00:01:00] BIT.LY/ELTPTV to sign up for the blog updates so you don't miss any of the live broadcasts that are going to help you to increase your test scores.
So today, we're looking at a very short lesson. We're looking at how to build your natural English for the TOEIC exam, and also of course, how to defeat those pesky multiple-choice questions that are on the test as well.
This is taken from Chapter 25 of a textbook that I wrote, 41 Things You Wish You knew about. A High Score for TOEIC Listening, and Reading, which you can pick up and get your own copy at. BIT.LY/41TOEICLRD2D.
All right, let's go ahead and get started with our short [00:02:00] lesson today.
So how do you build your natural English?
For the TOEIC, Listening and Reading test, of course, you want to be able to tune your ears into the English language so you can understand spoken English well.
And for the reading test, you want to be able to increase your understanding of written English.
And so well just, how do you do that when you're preparing for the test?
Here are some ways to help you to increase your natural English for the test.
Remember, the TOEIC Listening and Reading exam is a fluency exam.
So the more natural English you're able to show, the higher your score is going to be.
So first of all, I always suggest to my own students, which I've been teaching about 13 years now, [00:03:00] to get a high score on the TOEIC, TOEFL or IELTS exam, and that is listen to podcasts.
They're everywhere today.
I even have my own podcast, , of course, English Language Test Prep Radio.
Listen to a podcast to increase your vocabulary and to increase the comprehension that you need to be able to understand what is going on the exam.
Second, a good way is to watch these 3-Minute TED talks.
Just go to YouTube and search for 3-Minute TED Talks .
Very short.
You can also usually get the transcript to follow along as well if you have trouble at first understanding all this being said to you.
And sometimes even for native speakers, these TED talks can be dense. Sometimes difficult to follow, but these [00:04:00] 3-Minute TED talks have a very short version and they're able, I think they're actually better for students to be able to quickly understand English and also perhaps you could improve your vocabulary as well.
Of course, there's really -wow- talking to native speakers if you have that opportunity.
If you can find native speakers somehow, either online or maybe you have friends, or friends of friends that speak English, engage them in conversation.
Learn the idioms, collocations, and phrasal verbs.
Enhance your vocabulary, talking with these native speakers.
Or near-native speakers and get down the rhythm, the intonation, and that is going to increase your comprehension of spoken English.
All right. We've talked a lot about spoken [00:05:00] English now, written English.
Of course, for the reading side. Make sure that you develop a strong reading habit during your test preparation.
There's an old saying that says, reading is fundamental.
And it is fundamental to understanding English.
So if you have five minutes during a lunch break, or perhaps you're on the bus going to work or another activity at home try to reserve 5 minutes and then maybe increase it to 10 minutes a week later and try to build a steady habit of reading English.
And this is going to improve your vocabulary and your comprehension, and it's going to get you ready for that TOEIC Reading test.
All right. Now let's turn to our second part of our lesson today, and that is how do you defeat [00:06:00] those multiple choice questions?
So I'm gonna take you through a process that you can use for each of the questions.
And as you practice the test and you are practicing the test, right when you're at home?
When you practice the exam, on these mock exams, use these steps and you're going to see how it's going to make you or allow you to be able to understand what's going on in the reading, and more importantly, getting the best answer possible.
So first of all, you want to read the question in its entirety before looking at the answers.
Try to understand, okay, what are the key words that are in the question .
And what is the question really asking me?
Next, you want to be able to answer the question [00:07:00] first in your head.
All right.
What is your answer?
Before you even look at the answers that are given, what is your answer?
And this is gonna be probably the key part of defeating those multiple choice questions.
In your own mind, you come up with your own answer first, and then you want to compare it to those answers that are there.
All right.
When you now look at the answers that are on the exam for that question, and you already have your own answer in your mind.
Now you can eliminate the wrong answers first.
There's always going to be obviously answers that don't belong as an answer to the question.
And when you already have formed that question in your mind, it's easier to eliminate [00:08:00] them
After you've eliminated the obvious questions.
Now, the process of elimination.
You need to evaluate the answers as compared to your answer that you came up with first.
And you want to find what I call the best answer.
It may not match exactly what is on the answers that are left after you've already eliminated the obvious an answers,.
And you have started now this process of elimination of the remaining answers.
Which one is closest to your original answer?
And that is the answer that you want to choose.
Always think of choosing the best answer.
Sometimes there may not be the exact answer that you're, that's available, and therefore you have to choose the best answer.
All right, so [00:09:00] there you go.
There is the process that I teach to help students to be able to eliminate those answers that are trying to trick them.
And finding THE answer that is closest to the original answer that they had in mind.
So number one, let's recap what we've looked at for today.
First of all, as TOEIC is a fluency test and you want to build that natural English.
Build your reading skills and build your oral comprehension skills for the exam.
Which we went over some steps to help you to do that.
And second of all.
We talked about defeating those multiple-choice questions.
And I took you through the process that you can use to evaluate those answers so that you find the best answer possible for that question.
And finally, I have a an email [00:10:00] blog that's set up to help those students that are studying for a high score on the TOEIC, Listening, and Reading exam.
Simply go to BIT.LY/TOEICLRBLOGS and sign up today.
And every two or three days, you receive more tips and resources that are gonna help you to zero in on that high score that you're looking for.
Thank you for joining me today. I really do appreciate it. I hope you got a lot of value out of the lesson today.
I'm Professor Winn, author of the englishlanguagetestprep.com Blog.
And good luck studying for that high score that you seek and deserve on a TOEIC Listening and Reading test.