Guide to practicing TOEIC Parts 2, 3, and 5: Tips and effective practice methods.

1. Why should you practice each part separately when studying for the TOEIC exam?

Many TOEIC learners tend to "do the entire test from beginning to end," but fail to realize that each Part has its own characteristics: different question types, different difficulty levels, and different "traps."

If you only practice with the overall test without thoroughly understanding each part, you'll easily end up scoring high in one section and failing in another, leading to inconsistent results.

👉 In this article, we will focus on the three most important sections: Part 2, Part 3, and Part 5 — the "score-boosting" sections that can help you increase your score by 100–200 points quickly if practiced correctly.

2. TOEIC Part 2 – Short Q&A: Practice Methods and Test-Taking Tips

Part 2 consists of 25 questions : listen to a question → choose one of the three best answers .

It seems easy, but this is the part where many people lose points due to overconfidence.

Common mistakes

• I listened superficially, but couldn't grasp the main topic.
• Confusing Yes/No questions with Wh-questions.
• Unable to keep up with the speed of natural speech.

Effective ways to improve listening and reflexes.

• Practice listening slowly first → normalize your reflexes.
• After hearing the question, repeat it to yourself and think of the answer before listening to the actual answer.
• Use ETS Actual Test or Economy TOEIC practice tests to prepare for standard exam formats.

💡 Tips for completing the test quickly:
When listening to a question, pay attention to the first word ( who, what, when, where, how... ) to categorize the question → this will help you choose faster without confusion.

3. TOEIC Part 3 – Conversations: Effective Listening Practice Methods

Part 3 consists of 13 short dialogues , each with 3 questions → a total of 39 questions .

This is the part that many students find challenging due to the fast pace of speech and lengthy information.

How to identify keywords when listening

Before listening, read the questions and answers first → underline keywords. When listening, focus on:

• Who is speaking? (Male or female?)
• What is the context of the conversation? (Work, service, restaurant, airport...)

Effective training methods

• First time: Listen to the whole thing → grasp the main idea
• Second time: Listen again → underline keywords
• Third time: Listen and take notes on the main points or paraphrase the content.

💡 Tips for taking the test:

• Don't try to "translate word for word" → just grasp the main idea and the speaker's attitude.
• Pay attention to questions asking about the purpose, intention, or next course of action.

4. TOEIC Part 5 – Fill-in-the-blanks Grammar: How to practice to improve your score?

Part 5 consists of 30 fill-in-the-blank multiple-choice questions — testing both grammar and vocabulary.

Key grammar topics

• verb tense
• Passive voice
• Word forms (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)
• Relative clauses
• Conditional sentences
• Articles & Quantifiers

How to avoid common mistakes

• Not reading the sentence carefully and choosing "based on feeling" → easily leads to mistakes.
• The type of word to be filled in is not specified.
• Forget to check the context of the sentence.

💡 Effective training methods:

• Slow down to thoroughly understand the theory.
• Record your mistakes → review them after each test.
• Focus on your weakest subject area.

5. A study plan for each TOEIC Part for beginners.

👉 For Parts 2 & 3 : Focus on strategic listening → Improve your reflexes.
👉 For Part 5 : Review grammar thoroughly → complete the test faster and more accurately

✅ Mini checklist for practicing TOEIC Part 1 in a practical way

• Review common vocabulary and sentence patterns for Part 2
• Read the questions beforehand, and listen carefully for keywords in Part 3.
• Master the key grammar points in Part 5.
• Correct each incorrect sentence in detail.
• Track your progress weekly.

Conclusion

Practicing each part of the TOEIC test helps you improve your score faster, more consistently, and more sustainably compared to just doing random practice tests.

If you dedicate 1–2 months to following this study plan, you will see a significant improvement in your TOEIC score.

🎧 Want a more detailed study plan for each Part, along with practice questions that closely resemble the real exam?
👉 Try the Lingoland for TOEIC Test app — where you can practice listening, reading, vocabulary, and take full tests with a progress tracking system for each part, helping you "practice correctly - pass the test" like a pro!