TOEIC Self Study at Home: Experience and Advice for High Scores

Are you struggling with self-studying for the TOEIC exam at home? Do you wish you had clear guidance to make your independent learning journey more effective? In this article, Prep.vn will provide you with a comprehensive roadmap to help you successfully TOEIC self study at home. Let's dive in!

I. 4 Common TOEIC Self Study Mistakes That Hinder Your Progress

1. Not Knowing Your Current Level

After receiving feedback from many emails recommending TOEIC self study at home, I often ask, "Do you know your current TOEIC score?" Many students hesitate and give vague answers like, "I studied in high school, but I'm not sure about my level. I'm weak in grammar, but I don't know exactly where I stand," or "I don't know, I usually score 5 or 6 in class tests."

If you don't accurately understand your current proficiency level, you won't recognize your mistakes or know how to fix them. As someone self-studying TOEIC at home, this awareness is extremely important. You need to clearly assess your current level to create an appropriate study plan and select suitable materials to reach your target score.

2. Setting Unrealistic Goals Without Specific Action Plans

Once I heard someone ask, "Last month I took the TOEIC exam and only scored 500 points. Can someone advise me on the fastest way to reach 800 points in just three weeks?"

While no one opposes dreaming big and setting ambitious goals, this expectation is somewhat delusional. Perhaps this person couldn't distinguish between dreams and achievable objectives—goals must be accompanied by clear action plans.

Trying to improve from 500 to 800 points in three weeks is like attempting to walk from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in three days. This person likely doesn't realize that, on average, gaining 110 TOEIC points requires approximately 200 hours of English study, though this timeframe may vary depending on your aptitude and foundation.

To significantly increase your score, you must develop your overall English proficiency. There are no tricks, secrets, or shortcuts. It simply requires consistent exposure to, learning of, and using English daily.

3. Problem-Solving Without Systematizing Knowledge and Developing Skills

When I ask, "How do you self-study TOEIC at home?" 9 out of 10 students say they download practice tests online and work on them until they're proficient. This strategy only works if you already have good general English skills and know how to solve problems to become familiar with question formats and time management.

For beginners with weak English skills who only know what TOEIC is and then try to tackle it head-on, it's like smashing an egg against a rock or trying to eat an entire pizza alone. Each section of the TOEIC exam requires a specific set of knowledge and skills that you need to develop—you can't develop these skills just by taking practice tests.

The most effective approach is to identify which skills you need to develop and use TOEIC tests to practice those skills. After each practice test, you should systematize grammar points, vocabulary, and common questions for review if necessary. Along with the Longman TOEIC Preparation series, Tactics for TOEIC is a book you should look for to systematically and scientifically self-study TOEIC at home.

4. Preparing for the TOEIC Exam and Not Giving Up Early

This is the result of the previous mistakes. When you feel weak and out of breath, unable to take the TOEIC exam, you become discouraged—how can you persevere?

I once had the experience of tutoring a friend for the TOEIC exam. Due to time constraints, they chose to only solve practice tests. The first week went well, but the more they practiced, the less they could understand when listening, and the more confused they became when reading. By the next week, they had lost motivation and couldn't bear to listen anymore.

The result? Not enough points to graduate. The second attempt followed the same approach—studying just to pass and hoping for enough points to graduate. You can probably guess the outcome.

Since then, my friend has developed a strong dislike for English and fears the TOEIC exam. Although they now have a stable job, they still need a TOEIC certificate to graduate.

To overcome the TOEIC exam, you need to change your mindset. View the TOEIC exam as a springboard to develop your future English abilities and as a key to unlock new opportunities. With this perspective, you can persevere until the end.

II. Experience and Roadmap for TOEIC Self Study at Home

• Reading Comprehension Skills for TOEIC Self Study

Of course, you'll need to improve your vocabulary and grammar to perform better on the reading test, but don't mistakenly think you need to understand 100% of the reading passage content to score high on the TOEIC exam.

In reality, high scores in the TOEIC reading section come from understanding the context of the passage, allowing you to narrow down the information needed to answer questions accurately. Practice speed-reading texts and identifying key words in reading passages as a basis for answering thematic questions.

Each day, spend at least 30 minutes reading English articles, sample emails, passages, advertisements, etc.

You should also keep a notebook to record important grammar points with illustrative examples and vocabulary you encounter during your TOEIC self study journey to have a foundation for review and learning from experience. These grammar points and good vocabulary will help you perform better in grammar and vocabulary tests.

• Listening Skills for TOEIC Self Study

There are many ways to practice listening, such as watching engaging game shows from famous foreign TV channels, watching English movies with English subtitles to check your English, or listening to great presentations on TED Talks... all of these are very useful tools for improving your listening skills in general and your TOEIC listening score in particular.

When practicing listening, you can listen and transcribe the dialogues you hear to compare with the answers. This is a listening practice method recommended by many TOEIC experts because of its tremendous effectiveness.

With all the experience and information provided above, Prep.vn hopes to have helped you find clear direction and make TOEIC self study at home easier. We look forward to sharing more helpful articles with you soon!