The TOEIC Listening & Reading exam tests your ability to understand English in a global workplace. It’s scored on a scale of 10–990, with equal weight given to listening and reading. No grammar or vocabulary sections exist — it’s all about comprehension in realistic business contexts.
This guide breaks down exactly what’s in the syllabus, how many questions each part contains, and how to prepare efficiently.
TOEIC Listening Section (45 minutes, 100 questions)
The listening section has four parts, all based on audio recordings you hear once. You answer questions as you listen.
Part 1: Photographs (6 questions)
You see a photo and hear four statements. Pick the one that best describes the photo.
- What’s tested: Immediate comprehension of actions, locations, and objects.
- Common traps: Distractors that describe something not in the image, or use similar-sounding words.
- Tip: Focus on the verb and preposition — “He is walking past the building” vs. “He is walking into the building.”
Part 2: Question-Response (25 questions)
You hear a question or statement, then three responses. Choose the correct response.
- What’s tested: Understanding of common workplace exchanges, requests, and polite refusals.
- Tip: Listen for the wh-word (who, what, when, where, why, how). The answer usually matches the question type. Don’t overthink — the correct answer is often the most direct.
Part 3: Conversations (39 questions, 13 conversations × 3 questions each)
You hear a short conversation between two or three people, then answer three questions about it.
- What’s tested: Main idea, specific details, speaker’s purpose, and inference.
- Tip: Read the questions before the audio starts (they are printed in the test book). Jot down keywords while listening.
Part 4: Talks (30 questions, 10 talks × 3 questions each)
You hear a single speaker giving a message, announcement, or report. Answer three questions per talk.
- What’s tested: Understanding of recorded announcements, voice messages, and short presentations.
- Tip: Identify the type of talk early (e.g., “This is a voicemail from a client”). This primes you for the likely question type.
Take a free TOEIC Listening & Reading demo mock to find out where you stand: Try the demo →
TOEIC Reading Section (75 minutes, 100 questions)
The reading section has three parts, all text-based. No audio.
Part 5: Incomplete Sentences (30 questions)
A sentence with a blank. Choose the best word or phrase to complete it.
- What’s tested: Vocabulary, collocations, and basic grammar (tenses, prepositions, conjunctions).
- Tip: Read the entire sentence before looking at the options. Eliminate choices that don’t fit the context.
Part 6: Text Completion (16 questions, 4 passages × 4 blanks each)
A short passage (email, memo, article) with four blanks. Fill each blank from four options.
- What’s tested: Same as Part 5, but in a longer context. Also tests transition words and sentence flow.
- Tip: Read the whole passage first. The blank may depend on information later in the text.
Part 7: Reading Comprehension (54 questions, single and double passages)
You read one or two related texts (emails, advertisements, notices, articles) and answer questions.
- Single passages: 29 questions (about 7–10 passages).
- Double passages: 25 questions (about 5 pairs of passages).
- What’s tested: Main idea, detail, inference, vocabulary in context, and purpose.
- Tip: For double passages, start with the questions to know what to look for. Scan, don’t read every word.
See TOEIC Listening & Reading mock-test packs and pricing: View plans →
Weightage & Scoring
- Listening: 495 points max (100 questions, each roughly 5 points).
- Reading: 495 points max (100 questions, each roughly 5 points).
- Total: 990 points.
- No negative marking — always guess if unsure.
- The score is scaled, not raw. ETS uses a statistical process to adjust for difficulty across test forms. Your raw score (number correct) maps to a scaled score between 10–495 per section.
Study Tips by Section
For Listening
- Practice with varied accents: TOEIC uses American, British, Canadian, and Australian speakers. Listen to business podcasts (e.g., BBC Global News, NPR’s Planet Money).
- Shadow the audio: Repeat sentences aloud to improve recognition of natural speech patterns.
- Use the 3-second rule: In Parts 3 and 4, you have a few seconds between questions. Use them to preview the next set.
For Reading
- Build workplace vocabulary: Focus on collocations like “submit a report,” “attend a meeting,” “approve a budget.”
- Time management: Allocate about 1 minute per question in Part 5 and 6, and 1.5 minutes per question in Part 7. Practice with a timer.
- Read actively: Underline key words (names, dates, numbers) as you read passages. This helps with detail questions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Listening: Trying to understand every word. Focus on context and speaker intent.
- Reading: Spending too long on Part 5. If stuck, mark an answer and move on.
- General: Not reading instructions carefully (e.g., “Select the best answer” vs. “Select the statement that is NOT true”).
Where to next?
- Take a free TOEIC Listening & Reading demo mock to identify your weak areas.
- Browse TOEIC mock-test packs and pricing for full-length practice.
- Read our guide: How to calculate your TOEIC score.