TOEIC Listening Part 4: Easy-to-Apply Tips for Better Performance

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In the TOEIC exam, Part 4 consists of talks that are considered one of the most challenging sections for many test-takers, as the length of the listening passages requires intense concentration. So what are the best TOEIC listening part 4 tips to help you answer questions quickly and accurately? Let's explore them with prepedu.com in the article below.

I. Structure of TOEIC listening part 4
II. 3 Essential TOEIC Listening Part 4 Tips to Remember During Practice and the Actual Test

I. Structure of TOEIC listening part 4

Every talk in TOEIC Part 4 follows these three components:

Introduction: Presents general information about the talk
Main body: Discusses specific details of the talk
Conclusion: Mentions the next actions of the speaker and listener

Each talk comes with 3 corresponding questions that align with these three parts:

Questions about general situations
Questions about specific details
Questions about the next actions of the conversation participants

Additionally, according to the updated 2019 TOEIC test format, two other question types may appear:

Questions combined with tables, charts, or graphs
Questions about implied meanings

II. 3 Essential TOEIC Listening Part 4 Tips to Remember During Practice and the Actual Test

1. Preview the questions to predict the listening content

In TOEIC listening part 4, you have enough time to read the questions beforehand and predict the content of the listening passage. This helps you identify which details to pay attention to by following these steps:

Timeline	TOEIC Listening Part 4 Strategy	Outcome
When the recording begins with instructions for Part 4	Read the first three multiple-choice questions	Helps you predict the content and know which details to focus on
When the recording starts reading the talk	Focus on listening for key information and fill in answers on the Answer Sheet	Makes completing these three questions easier and more confidently as you already know what to listen for
When the recording begins reading the questions for the first talk	Move on to preview the next three questions for the upcoming talk	Helps you predict the content of the next talk and identify important details
When the recording starts the next talk	Focus on listening for key information and fill in answers on the Answer Sheet	Makes completing these three questions easier and more confidently as you already know what to listen for

2. Listen to the recording and mark answers immediately

In TOEIC listening part 4, test-takers need to concentrate intensely while listening, as even a moment of distraction can cause you to fall behind and miss crucial information needed to answer all three questions.
Additionally, despite changes to the TOEIC format, both questions and answers in TOEIC listening part 4 still appear in the same order as the listening passage. Therefore, another important tip is to focus on listening and quickly grasp the main ideas, allowing you to select answers promptly and confidently.
As soon as you determine an answer, quickly fill in the Answer Sheet by darkening the correct option, then immediately move on to the next questions. As mentioned in the first tip above, you should use any available time to preview questions for upcoming listening passages.

3. Listen for main ideas while paying attention to synonyms

Typically, the correct answer may use synonyms of words that appear in the listening passage rather than using identical wording. Therefore, don't just listen for keywords to match with the answer choices; instead, listen for comprehension and remember the main ideas from the recording.
In particular, based on experience compiled by prepedu.com, unlike Part 3, Part 4 doesn't contain traps. So another important TOEIC listening part 4 tip to keep in mind is that if you hear vocabulary or expressions that sound similar to those in the questions, they are likely to be the correct answers.

Chloe

Product Content Admin

Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.