Part 7 of TOEIC is reading comprehension. The October 11th post, we covered grammar in the test. Now, we're going to look at time management, and techniques for completing the reading part of the test.
Important: Read the questions first, then look for your answers in the passage.
You don't need to read all the words and phrases in the passages. You need to find the answers. The two basic techniques you need to use in part 7 are:
Skimming: reading only nouns, verbs, adjectives, and key words in the passage. This is best for main idea questions, like "What's the memo regarding?"
Scanning: looking for specific information (dates, prices, times, etc).
BE CAREFUL: like the listening part of TOEIC, the reading sections will use similar words, or even the same words in the reading passages, questions, and answer options.
Also, the answer to some questions are not always written down in the text for you to see. You will have to use common sense and your imagination to get the answer. These are called indirect answers.
There are also negative questions. For example: "What's not included in the holiday package deal?"
Numbers and dates are used in the reading sections of TOEIC. These are difficult because they can be expressed in different ways (example: one month, 30 days, 4 weeks).
Let's look at a practice question where there's an indirect answer, a negative question, and same/similar words. (review the post on grammar and vocabulary building).
Reading Passage:
September 7, 2013
To: Mr Greg Smith
Re: Overdue Payment
From: Cloverdale Auto Retail Co., (CARCO)
Dear Mr Smith,
This is the first notice of your overdue payment of $550 which was due on August 1, 2013. If you review the lease agreement, payments are due on the first of each month, or on the first business day of the month. Payments can be made in cash, cheque, money order,or credit card (sorry, wire transfers are not available).
We also remind you that CARCO charges a 10% penalty ($55)for payments that are more that 8 weeks overdue. To avoid this added charge, please make your payment by October 1.
If you have any questions, or would like to speak with us about this overdue payment, please contact us at the number below, or you are welcome to come to our office.
Please remember, CARCO does submit reports to the Credit Bureau (CB). If you do not remit your payment or make a payment plan with us by end of business October 1st, we will have to report this to the CB. So, please contact us as soon as possible.
We value your business, and look forward to your attention to this matter
Sincerely,
Linda Jones, CARCO assistant customer service manager
phone: 416-555-7703
Questions:
1/This letter is about__
a) CARCO's auto leasing plans
b) the Credit Bureau
c) a late bill
d) new cars for sale
2/ What payment option is NOT available?
a) cheque
b) wire transfer
c) cash
d) money order
3/Mr Smith's bill will be__if he doesn't pay by October 1st.
a) $605
b) $550.55
c) $565
d) $55
4/How late is Mr Smith's payment?
a) 30 days
b) 8 weeks
c) 5 weeks
d) 1 week
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1/ the correct answer is C. The word bill is similar in meaning to payment (in this situation).
A, incorrect because the letter isn't about leasing plans
B is an example of using the same word (or phrases). The word credit bureau is written in the passage, but it isn't the main topic of the letter.
D new car sales aren't the topic, so it's incorrect.
_________________________________________
2/ The correct answer is B, wire transfer is not a payment option at CARCO. A,C, and D are incorrect because money orders, cheques, and cash are acceptable payment options. B is an example of a negative question, and also using the same words.
_________________________________________
3/ the correct answer is A. 10% is added to late bills, which, for Mr Smith, is $55 plus $550 = $605. The total payment after October 1 isn't written down; this is an example of an indirect answer.
B,C and D are incorrect. Again, numbers make TOEIC very difficult.
4/the correct answer is C. Again this is an indirect answer. The letter doesn't say how long the payment has been overdue, but the date at the top of the letter tells you that 5 weeks have passed.
Time Management
The TOEIC test is 2.5 hours long. People often loss time in parts 5, 6, and 7 of the test. For part 7, you should try to finish each passage in 60 to 90 seconds.
If you don't know the answer to a question, make your best guess or, finish the other questions, then come back and review the difficult questions (if you have time).
Don't leave any questions unanswered. Answer all the questions and you have a better chance at improving your score.
Practice part 7 of TOEIC here.
The techniques and strategies in this post, and the others about TOEIC won't get you a perfect score, but they will help you improve your TOEIC scores, and make you feel more comfortable when you take the test.
Good luck.
As always, all readers are welcome to comment, and give feedback in the comments section or by e-mail.
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