TOEIC Listening Part 3 Tips for the Latest Exam Format (2025 Update)

Number of Speakers

How to Apply Listening TOEIC Part 3 Strategies

2-person conversations

• The conversation is between 1 man and 1 woman. Therefore, when remembering the content, you should also try to remember who the speakers are. You can ask yourself: what roles are the man and woman playing (questioner or responder)? If they're asking questions, what are they asking? If responding, do they add any additional opinions?

• Another effective TOEIC Listening Part 3 tip, especially when you're just starting to practice listening, is to take notes by drawing a vertical line dividing your paper, with the left side for what the man says and the right side for what the woman says (or vice versa). Then focus on listening and writing down what each person says to both understand the content of the conversation and track which ideas came from which speaker.

• Once you have a general understanding of what the two characters are discussing, questions about where the conversation takes place or what topic they're discussing will no longer be major challenges.

3-person conversations

• The key difference in this type of dialogue is that there are three speakers (either two men and one woman or two women and one man) instead of just two (one man and one woman). However, the question format remains the same, so you can approach these questions the same way you would for two-speaker conversations.

• Additionally, there may be instances where two male speakers (or two female speakers) speak consecutively, making it harder to distinguish between them. To tackle this, you should train yourself to recognize different voices, even when they belong to the same gender.

• In most cases, each speaker will have a distinct accent, such as British, Australian, American, or Canadian English. The best way to sharpen your ability to distinguish between voices is by regularly practicing with different English accents. This will help you get used to variations in pronunciation, intonation, and speech patterns, making it easier to follow the conversation and answer questions accurately.

Trap Type

Example

Repeated Words in Different Contexts

Transcript: The new store was scheduled to open today but there has been a delay. However, the doors will open to the public this Friday.

When will the new store open?

Explanation: The word "open" appears twice—once with "today" and once with "this Friday." The correct answer is "this Friday," because "but" negates "today."

Tips to Avoid:

•  Pay attention to contrast words like "but," "however," "in contrast."

• - Watch for additional words like "and," "plus," "as well as" that signal extra details.

• - Listen for overall meaning, not just familiar words.

Difficulty Identifying Speaker’s Intention (Agreeing or Disagreeing)

W: Ted, we are understaffed today.

M: Don't worry, Jenny. I already asked the trainee chefs to help us out. By the way, could you supervise and support them?

W: No problem. I'm sure they will be helpful. Meanwhile, they will get hands-on experience and learn how things go in the kitchen.

M: You got a point there. I will be around the hall to set up the chairs and tables. If you need me, don't hesitate to call me on my cell phone. Keep up the good work.

Explanation: In the conversation, there's the phrase 'You got a point there' (which means 'what you're saying makes sense'). If test-takers don't know the meaning of this phrase, they'll have difficulty determining whether the speaker is agreeing or disagreeing, making them confused when selecting an answer. However, they can listen to the following sentences to understand the speaker's intention.

Tips to Avoid:

• Don't rush to choose an answer after hearing just a few words; instead, listen to the surrounding sentences to understand the meaning and avoid being misled.

• Improve your knowledge of structures expressing agreement or disagreement, such as: "I'd love to but I have to...", "We used to, but...", etc.

Timing

What You Should Do

Outcome

When the recording reads Part 3 instructions

Read the 3 multiple-choice questions for the first conversation in Part 3.

Reading questions in advance helps you predict the conversation content and identifies which details to focus on during the conversation.

When the recording begins the conversation

Focus on listening to the conversation and mark your answers on the Answer Sheet.

You can complete this conversation more easily because you've read the questions in advance.

When the recording reads the multiple-choice questions for the conversation

Read the 3 multiple-choice questions for the next conversation.

Reading questions in advance helps you predict the content of the next conversation and identifies which details to focus on.

When the recording begins the next conversation

Focus on listening to the conversation and mark your answers on the Answer Sheet.

You can complete this conversation more easily because you've read the questions in advance.