I will give you the answers first to 15 common TOEIC worries [Free]

Articles on study methods are long. So, in this article, I will answer common questions starting with the conclusion. If you want to know the reasons or specific steps, you can read the detailed articles linked at the end.

Q1. How many times should I go through a vocabulary book?

A. If you are aiming for a specific number of "cycles," you are taking the long way around.
The correct approach is to sort words into "known/uncertain/unknown" on the first pass, and from the second pass onwards, only review the "uncertain" ones. Going through every page equally multiple times is a waste of time reviewing words you already know. For example, if 700 out of 1,000 words are already "known," you only need to cycle through the remaining 300 from the second pass onwards. Compared to going through all 1,000 words every time, the time spent per cycle is reduced to less than one-third.

Q2. How many practice tests should I solve?

A. It depends more on how deeply you review a single test than on the number of tests you solve.
If you aren't spending at least as much time reviewing as you did solving the test, it's a sign that you are solving them too frequently.

Q3. I finished one grammar book, but my Part 5 score isn't improving. Why?

A. It's because you haven't acquired the "order of judgment," not the knowledge.
For part-of-speech questions, there is a pattern: "determine the role of the blank -> narrow down the part of speech -> look at the options -> check the meaning." Even if you have the knowledge, you cannot choose the right answer in the actual test without this pattern.

Q4. Does passive listening improve my listening skills?

A. Passive listening alone will hardly lead to improvement.
You need to identify the cause of why you can't hear it (is it sound changes, vocabulary, or lack of previewing?) and practice targeting that. Listening while doing other things is useful for "maintaining audio you can already understand," but it won't help you understand what you currently cannot.

Q5. Is shadowing effective?

A. It depends on how you do it.
If you just say it out loud without understanding the meaning, it is not very effective for the time spent. It works if you follow the order of identifying the parts you couldn't hear first and then practicing by targeting those specific areas.

Q6. I always run out of time on Part 7. Should I practice speed reading?

A. It is faster to fix your "reading order" before speed reading.
If you start reading the main text without checking the questions first, you will end up re-reading, which takes twice as long. Even without changing your reading speed, you can save a significant amount of time just by reducing re-reading.

Q7. My score has been stuck at 600 for a while. Is it a lack of vocabulary?

A. Stagnation in the 600s is often caused by a lack of "processing skills within the time limit" rather than a lack of knowledge.
If your practice test scores fluctuate by nearly 100 points depending on the session, this is almost certainly the cause.

Q8. My progress stopped after I passed 800 points.

A. The enemy at that stage is not new knowledge, but "precision in details and concentration toward the end."
This is the time to switch to a review method where you verbalize why you didn't choose the correct answer for your near-misses.

Q9. How many months will it take to increase my score by 100 points?

A. Generally, 200 to 300 hours is considered the benchmark for a 100-point increase.
If you study 5 hours a week, that's just under a year; if you study 10 hours a week, it's about half a year. However, this assumes the time is "used in the right direction"; if the direction is off, you won't improve no matter how many hours you put in.

Q10. How many reference books should I buy?

A. Using "one practice test book + one book for your weak part + one vocabulary book" at the same time is sufficient.
If you increase the number beyond that, everything will end up being half-done. Before buying a new book, please check if you have fully utilized the one you currently have.

Q11. I can't keep up with my studies. Is my willpower weak?

A. It's not a matter of willpower, but of goal setting and systems.
Instead of "2 hours every day," lower it to "5 minutes every day" and fix it immediately after an existing habit (commuting, brushing teeth, etc.), and the probability of continuing will change significantly. In fact, the goal of "2 hours every day" easily creates a sense of failure if you miss even one day, but with "5 minutes every day," it becomes rarer to have a day you couldn't achieve it. It is more effective to start with 5 minutes and increase it to 10 minutes after two weeks; you will end up with more total study time.

Q12. What should I do in the week before the exam?

A. Do not add anything new at all. That is the best score strategy.
What you should do is a total review of past mistakes, full-length practice during the same time of day as the actual test, and ensuring you get enough sleep.

Q13. I lose focus for a moment during listening and miss several questions in a row.

A. You have to train yourself to let go of one question and switch to previewing the next set of questions.
Chasing after the one question you missed is what causes you to miss the next two. Switching is a skill acquired through practice, not talent.

Q14. I can't seem to reduce marking errors or misreading questions.

A. Don't dismiss it as "just luck"; prevent it with a system.
If you set fixed operational rules, such as marking in batches of 5 questions or marking NOT questions, you can reduce errors as a technical skill. This is an essential area if you are aiming for 860 points or higher. In fact, many of the points lost by test-takers with 860+ scores are not due to "not knowing," but operational errors like "overlooking a NOT question" or "marking the question below the correct one." This cannot be fixed by increasing knowledge; you must set rules and eliminate them through practice.

Q15. Does a TOEIC score alone make me advantageous for job changes?

A. It is more effective as a set of "score + explanation" than the score alone.
Only when you can verbalize when you obtained it, the process of your learning, and how you use it in practical work does the number on your resume become a weapon.

[Reference Links]
Reference for Q9 study time benchmark: How much TOEIC study time is needed? | Study Sapuri ENGLISH
https://eigosapuri.jp/article/toeic-study-time/