The Language Teacher • READERS’ FORUM | 17

A guide to planning
and executing a TOEIC
preparation course
In response to the increas-
ing reliance on the TOEIC
Edward Sarich
as a measure of English
proficiency in the private
Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
sector, many Japanese

I
universities have begun t is perhaps an unfortunate reality that following high school, the
offering courses designed most commonly used measure of English proficiency in Japan is the
specifically to raise TOEIC
TOEIC, a standardized language test that provides no direct measure
scores. This paper examines
some of the relevant of writing or speaking. This has far reaching implications, not only on
research on meta-cognitive how English is taught in classrooms, but on curriculum development as
TOEIC strategies as well well. Primarily, the need to raise student scores on this high stakes test
as offers some practical tips is often far more immediate than the need to improve communicative
for designing and teaching a language proficiency. At present, Japanese companies are increasingly
TOEIC course. using the TOEIC as a measure of English ability in the consideration of
hiring and advancement. In response, many Japanese universities have
日本の企業 が 英 語能力の測定 introduced TOEIC preparation courses into their English curricula.
にTOEICを重要視する傾向が
あることに応じて、日本の大学 Designing a TOEIC course that satisfies everyone involved can be chal-
でもTO EI C のスコアを上げる lenging. Most teachers would likely want to teach a course that raises all
ため の 対 策コースを設 置 する of the skills that contribute to English proficiency, not just those that are
ようになってきている。本論で
は、TOEICを受けるためのメタ measured by the TOEIC. However, institutional considerations, such as
認知的方略について分析しなが recommended grading criterion or textbook selection, can also influence
ら、TOEICコースの指導法やレ curriculum development. An awareness of student expectations should
ッスンを組み立てるコツを紹介
する。
also play a role in designing the course. Some students might only be
interested in raising test scores to improve their future employment
prospects, preferring to focus on the familiar practice of going through
mock test questions and memorizing vocabulary (Nishitani, 2003).
All of these factors must be carefully reflected on before designing the
TOEIC course. With the aim of taking into consideration the interests of
all concerned parties, this paper will review relevant research and offer
some practical advice on planning and executing a balanced and effec-
tive TOEIC preparation course.

Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary

Classroom focus on vocabulary acquisition has been shown to signifi-
cantly improve test scores (Nishigaki & Chujo, 2005). In order to estab-
lish a firm routine for memorization, a vocabulary list should be pro-
vided, preferably one that is written in both English and Japanese. While
some native English-speaking teachers prefer to focus on L2 vocabulary
definitions, this can be time consuming, and research has shown that
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER: 38.1 • January/February 2014
 The Language Teacher • Readers’ Forum

use of L1 associative vocabulary meanings is long term memory should help produce strong
more efficient, especially for lower level learners results.
(Koda, 1997). Ideally, the vocabulary lists should
be based on words that are likely to occur on
the TOEIC, but as most former TOEIC tests are Textbook selection
not made available to the general public, it may Teachers need to be aware that the TOEIC is as
be difficult to obtain a corpus-based vocabulary much a test of perseverance and concentration as
list. Context based instruction is also thought to it is a test of language proficiency. This being the
be helpful, and retention should be improved case, students need to develop their test stamina
when unit vocabulary is organized around an by spending time in class reviewing practice
overarching theme (Hunt & Beglar, 2005). questions. The textbook should be chosen care-
It is important for students to understand fully, as the practice questions available in most
that there is no magic bullet for remembering of them tend to be quite different from those
vocabulary and that it will probably take up that appear on the actual TOEIC. In an attempt
the bulk of their study in the course. For most, to be challenging, these practice questions often
this process tends to take time and is one that include choices that are overly vague, which can
favors a short, daily routine over sudden bursts end up being confusing rather than instructive.
of cramming. Short weekly tests can offer an Other textbooks target a certain score and restrict
incentive for students to prepare in this way. questions to a correspondingly narrow range of
However, weekly tests must be supplemented difficulty. This does not prepare students for the
by longer review tests, as the process of transfer- varying difficulty of the test questions on the
ring vocabulary from short-term to long-term actual TOEIC. Of all textbooks, the Shin Koushiki
memory may require successive attempts at series is the only one that contains actual ques-
memorization. tions that have appeared in former TOEIC tests.
Memorization tends to be an intensely per- Plodding through practice test questions can
sonal process, and students need to develop be tedious and may negatively affect student
a method that they feel comfortable with. The motivation. It is believed that many TOEIC text-
traditional way involves making lists or flash- books do not provide enough situational context
cards, and there are now several free or low cost or productive activities for students (Shibata
online flashcard programs available for PCs and & Inoue, 2005). Moreover, there exists a legiti-
tablet devices on the market. Whatever method mate concern that competition to raise TOEIC
students use to remember vocabulary, classroom scores among institutions can cause classroom
time can be spent not only testing it, but reinforc- pedagogy to lose focus on the development of
ing it as well. Having students verbally test productive skills that are not directly measured
each other for a few minutes in class can help on the TOEIC (Knapman, 2008). One strategy
them approach the task from a different angle. to help mitigate these issues is to have students
Another method that has proven successful is discuss contexts and answers with each other
to have students answer questions that contain before the actual answers are revealed. Students
their learned vocabulary, which shows how the often welcome the opportunity to do this, not
words are used in context. One way to help in only because it can offer a distraction from the
remembering difficult vocabulary is by using teacher-centered instruction that reviewing
mnemonic devices. Students should compile a practice questions often employs, but because it
special vocabulary list for words they fail to an- also gives them the chance to explain things to
swer correctly on their weekly tests, so that they each other in a way that they may find easier to
can apply an alternate strategy for memorization understand.
that can help the vocabulary stick. Learning Some teachers provide their students with L1
word derivations, rhyming the difficult vocabu- translations or explanations of listening scripts
lary with a similar sounding L1 word or phrase, and reading questions. While this may prove
or even using vivid associative imagery can comforting, the value of this practice is question-
help make the process of remembering difficult able. An important aspect of test preparation,
vocabulary go faster (Hulstijn, 1997). Overall, and indeed of learning a language, is helping
slow and methodical practice, approaching the students learn to navigate through uncertainty,
memorization process from several angles, and piecing together understanding by using context
a repeated and a varied system of evaluating to guess at what they are unsure of.
whether the vocabulary has been transferred into

18 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • <jalt-publications.org/tlt>

 Sarich: A guide to planning and executing a TOEIC preparation course

Listening section time or a date. Short dialogues usually end in

questions, but not always. If the introductory
The listening questions are undertaken based on a
statement is a comment rather than a question,
set audio script, so timing is not a particular issue.
then the response will often be an exclamatory
However, as the modalities change quickly, the
sentence. While going through this part of the
greater challenge for the student is to maintain
listening, it is often helpful to have students to
focus and to minimize question bleeding, where
write down when they hear who, where, or when,
they get so caught up trying to determine a
to help keep them active.
correct answer that it interferes with their un-
derstanding of the next question. This can prove The third section is comprised of 30 ques-
both confusing and frustrating. It is often helpful tions based on several short conversations. The
for students to consider that trying to get every questions are written down on the test, and it is
question right is unrealistic. As the average score recommended that students spend any free time
on the TOEIC IP test (mostly university students) they have reading the questions before the audio
is 460, most test takers do not get even half of the begins. A good strategy for practicing this section
questions correct (ETS, 2010). Those who do well is to get students to imagine where and what
on the TOEIC recognize that some difficult ques- is happening in the situation, as this can help
tions have to be guessed at and let go, and this is a them make educated guesses at answers they
skill that needs to be developed in the classroom. are uncertain of. As stated earlier, it is highly
recommended to have students compare their
More specific listening strategies require the
responses in pairs before revealing the actual
student to be active, using any free time to
answer.
look at pictures or questions beforehand. For
lower level learners, the fast pace and changing The final section consists of 30 questions based
modalities can lead to cognitive overload, and a on several short monologues. This is by far the
common response to this is sleepiness. The best most difficult section as these talks are often
way to fight against test lethargy is to remain information heavy. Again, students can benefit
active, eliminating unlikely choices, and trying from trying to imagine the situation in which
to estimate situational contexts of the modalities the monologue is being presented. However, it
in order to activate affective schemata. Some is also important for them to try to pick out and
students close their eyes when concentrating remember any facts or dates that are presented,
on listening questions, a practice which should as this is the information that the answers will
be discouraged because it can lead to students most likely be based on. Although memo taking
falling asleep during the test. during this section can help students develop
their ability to hone in on relevant data, it should
The listening section of the TOEIC is com-
be noted that the TOEIC is the only major stand-
prised of four sections. The first section requires
ardized language test that does not allow memo
test takers to answer questions based on ten
taking during its test. Such a practice is thought
different pictures. During this section, students
to be unfair because it offers an advantage to
should be encouraged to use any free time they
those with a better working memory, a construct
have trying to activate their situation-specific
that should not be included in the assessment of
knowledge. One popular classroom activity
language proficiency (Sarich, 2011).
that I have used is to have students describe the
pictures to each other in English and guess at
questions that they are likely to be asked. This Reading
activity not only breaks the monotony of going There are 3 sections in the reading part of the
through test questions, but also helps students TOEIC. Section 1 consists of 40 incomplete
develop their speaking skills. sentence questions and section 2 consists of
The second section is comprised of 30 ques- 12 sentence completion questions. A thorough
tion-response questions. An excellent strategy understanding of syntax can significantly
for this section is to have students listen carefully help speed up the process of finding answers.
for who, where and when in the questions, as the Classroom time spent reviewing common word
answers can be determined more easily. If there collocations, word suffixes and their relation
is a who question, the answer often contains a to parts of speech, proper preposition use, and
person’s name or a pronoun. Where questions common verb forms can really help students
often contain a place, such as the name of a city, improve their speed and understanding. Once
in the answer. When questions often contain a again, there may be some tricky questions in this

THE LANGUAGE TEACHER: 38.1 • January/February 2014 19

 The Language Teacher • Readers’ Forum

section that students get stuck on, and timed on this test can significantly affect the lives of
practice in class can help students develop a pace the test takers. As such, teachers can do much by
that is measured without being harried. Ideally, helping their students understand how this test
the first two sections should be completed within might be best prepared for. It goes without saying
20-25 minutes, taking between 20 and 30 seconds that motivated students are better able to retain
per question. and apply the information that they learn in the
The final section is on reading comprehension, classroom. In designing a TOEIC course, a great
where students are required to read one or two way to motivate students is to supply them with
articles and answer questions on them. The material that they find relevant and present it in
general rule of thumb for how much time to an engaging way. All of the suggested activities
spend is one minute per question, so an article outlined in this article were undertaken in class
that has three questions should be completed in and students responded very positively to them.
3 minutes, where an article with five questions It may also be helpful to remind students that
needs to be completed in 5 minutes. A common as a diagnostic tool, the only certain thing that
issue among low scoring students is that they can be derived from a TOEIC score is how well
progress through the reading section too slowly one performs compared with others who take
and end up having to guess at several answers at the same test. There are aspects of language
the end because they ran out of time. This prob- proficiency that are not accurately assessed by
lem can be addressed by giving students short, the TOEIC, and doing well on it requires several
timed practice sessions. It is also a good idea to skills that are completely unrelated to language
advise students to bring a watch with them so proficiency, such as the ability to concentrate and
that during the reading section they have a good perform under severe time pressure. Overall,
idea of the pace at which they are progressing. students should constantly be reminded that
Another way to mitigate the issue of timing is by while doing well on this test may be important
helping students learn which answers should be for their futures, achievement of a desired
guessed. A strategy of reducing the most un- TOEIC score is not the end goal, but rather one
likely answers and guessing from the remaining short step in the long journey toward becoming
ones is effective, not only because it helps raise proficient in English.
the chances of answering correctly but, because it
helps reduce anxiety when students do not know
the answer. Questions that require the test taker References
to determine what information is not present in Chapman, M., & Newfields, T. (2008). The new
the article can take an especially long time. As TOEIC. JALT Testing & Evaluation SIG Newsletter,
these questions require the test taker to eliminate 12(2), 32-37. Retrieved from <jalt.org/test/PDF/
several possibilities instead of search for just newTOEIC.pdf>
one, they are prime candidates for students with Davies, A. (2005). A four-point approach to
timing problems to just guess at and move on. teaching TOEIC test preparation courses af-
One other difficult question type requires the test fectively and communicatively. The Language
taker to supply the meaning of a certain word in Teacher, 29(2), 9-13. Retrieved from <jalt-publica-
the article. These questions almost always focus tions.org/tlt/issues/2005-02_29.2>
on a lesser known lexical meaning, one which Hulstijn, J. (1997). Mnemonic methods in foreign
is supplied by context. If the test taker does not language vocabulary learning. Theoretical
immediately recognize the correct answer, it considerations and pedagogical implications. In
might be a good idea to have them eliminate the J. Coady & T. Hucking (Eds.), Second language
obvious choice and guess at the remaining ones. vocabulary acquisition (pp. 210-224). Cambridge:
Remember, if the goal is to get a few more than Cambridge University Press..
half of the questions right, not wasting time on
difficult or time-consuming questions is a better Hunt, A., & Beglar, D. (2005). A framework for
alternative than students not completing the test developing EFL reading vocabulary. Reading in a
and having to guess at the questions that they Foreign Language, 17(1), 23-59.
were unable to get to. Knapman, G. (2008). The TOEIC-a critical review.
Fukui kogyou Daigaku Kenkyu Kiyo (38), 85-94.
Conclusion Koda, K. (1997). Orthographic processing in l2
lexical processing: A cross linguistic perspective.
The TOEIC is a test that exerts a monumental In J. Coady & T. Hucking (Eds.), Second language
effect on English education in Japan, and scores

20 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • <jalt-publications.org/tlt>

 Sarich: A guide to planning and executing a TOEIC preparation course

vocabulary acquisition (pp. 35-54). Cambridge: Wood, D. (2010). TOEIC Materials and Prepara-
Cambridge University Press. tion Questions: An Interview with an ETS
Nishigaki, C., & Chujo, K. (2005). Using CALL Representative. The Language Teacher 34(6), 31-45.
to bridge the vocabulary gap. Essential Teacher Retrieved from <jalt-publications.org/files/pdf-
2 (4), 40-43. Retrieved from <www5d.biglobe. article/art6.pdf>
ne.jp/~chujo/data/Essential_Teacher_Us-
ing_CALL_to_Bridge.pdf> Edward Sarich has been
Nishitani, A. (2006). Teaching grammar for the working in the field of
TOEIC test: Is test preparation instruction effec- language education for
tive? Glotto Didactica (32), 139-146. more than 15 years. After
Pan Y. C. (2010). Enhancing Students’ Com- completing an MA in
municative Competency and Test-Taking Skills Applied Linguistics from
Through TOEIC Preparatory Materials. TESOL the University of Bir-
Journal 81(3), 81-91. mingham, Edward began
working at his current
Sarich, E. (2011). Why isn’t note taking allowed
position as a language
on the TOEIC? Shiken: JALT Testing and Evaluation
instructor at Shizuoka
SIG Newsletter 15(2): 20-22.
University of Art and
Shibata, J., & Inoue, H. (2005). A Development Culture. He is interested
of a Context-based Curriculum for TOEIC in all issues concern-
Level D Students of Kosen (National College of ing English education in Japan, particularly
Technology). TOEIC Research Report (2), 1-30. standardized testing and evaluation, communi-
Educational Testing Service. cative language teaching and second language
Ur, P. (1984). Teaching Listening Comprehension. vocabulary acquisition. He can be contacted at
Cambridge University Press. <[email protected]>.

MY SHARE
TLT RESOURCES

H
appy New Year! We trust you had a
…with Chris Wharton & restful holiday season and are raring
to get back into the classroom. If not,
Donny Anderson we have some wonderful activities that will
make the transition a little more palatable.
To contact the editors: Why not start the year off with some fun and a
<[email protected]> little motivational soccer from Bogdan Pavily
We welcome submissions for the My and R. Gregg McNabb? Not a sports fan? Well,
Share column. Submissions should be Andrew Pollard has an innovative idea using
up to 700 words describing a successful free messaging apps in the classroom to increase
technique or lesson plan you have used
which can be replicated by readers, and student engagement. If you prefer to have your
should conform to the My Share format students do more speaking in class, we have two
(see <jalt-publications.org/tlt/depart- great ideas for student presentations: Ian Willey
ments/myshare/guidelines>). suggests a peer feedback task to increase the
Please send submissions to <my- intelligibility of student presentations, and Paul
[email protected]>. McAleese offers a new twist to poster presenta-
tions. No matter which you choose, we hope that
MY SHARE ONLINE: A linked index of
My Share articles can be found at: these activities make your classroom a little more
inviting for you and your students.
<jalt-publications.org/tlt/
departments/myshare>

THE LANGUAGE TEACHER: 38.1 • January/February 2014 21