What People Who Don't Get Discouraged by TOEIC Study Do When Their Scores Stop Improving

When you continue studying for the TOEIC, you will almost certainly encounter a period where your score doesn't improve despite your best efforts. How you handle this plateau will largely determine whether you can ultimately stick with your studies.

When many people hit a plateau, they start thinking, 'Maybe this isn't for me' or 'Maybe my method is wrong.' But in reality, a plateau is a very natural process that almost every learner goes through. The acquisition of knowledge and skills is rarely a linear, upward-sloping growth; it is often described as a staircase-like growth curve, where you go through periods that seem to have no change, followed by sudden leaps in progress.

The problem is that without knowing about this staircase-like growth curve, people conclude that 'working hard but seeing no change means this method is bad,' leading them to constantly change their study methods or, in the worst case, quit studying altogether. The 'lack of change' you see during a plateau is often actually a state where the foundation for your next leap is being built.

Another thing common to people who struggle to maintain motivation is how they set their goals. Goals based solely on results, such as 'increasing my score by 200 points in 3 months,' are likely to create a strong sense of frustration when they aren't achieved. Since results are partly influenced by luck and physical condition, focusing only on results means you will be swayed by factors you cannot control.

I often hear people say they were stuck at the 600-point wall for about half a year and almost quit many times. If you stop focusing only on results and instead set goals for your daily actions (such as how many times you will practice a certain part this week), it becomes easier to continue studying even during a plateau.

From here on, I will write about how to face a plateau, how to devise better goal-setting strategies, and specific countermeasures you can try when your motivation drops.

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Understand the reasons why plateaus occur

Knowledge such as vocabulary and grammar is not immediately reflected in your score the moment you memorize it; it often only appears as speed or accuracy in solving problems after multiple pieces of knowledge have accumulated.
Even the techniques for solving specific parts cannot be used without conscious effort right after you learn them, but as you repeat them, you will be able to use them almost unconsciously. The period between 'using them consciously' and 'using them almost unconsciously' is often difficult to see in terms of score improvements.
In other words, a plateau can be reinterpreted not as a period where your efforts are wasted, but as a period where the foundation for your next growth is being built.

Think of result goals and action goals separately

Result goals like 'getting X points' have parts that cannot be fully controlled by your own efforts alone (physical condition, luck on the day, compatibility with the questions, etc.).
Action goals like 'solving 100 Part 5 questions this week' or 'memorizing vocabulary for 15 minutes every day' can definitely be achieved depending on your own efforts.
By keeping result goals as your ultimate destination while using action goals as your daily guide, you can continue studying while accumulating a sense of daily accomplishment.

[Example] Trying to rewrite result goals into action goals

Since I think the method might be hard to understand, I have listed some examples of actual rewrites.

Before: 'Get 730 points in 3 months' → After: 'Solve 50 Part 5 questions this week and write all the questions I got wrong in a review notebook'
Before: 'Improve listening' → After: 'Spend 15 minutes every day identifying parts I couldn't hear and then shadowing them'
Before: 'Increase score on practice tests' → After: 'Take 2 practice tests this month and record the difference in accuracy rates by part'

With the 'Before' goals, you don't know if you've 'achieved' them until the day of the exam, and it's hard to feel progress along the way. With the 'After' goals, you can clearly tell yourself whether you 'did it or didn't do it' within that week or day. It is easier to keep going if you keep your result goals at the top of your planner or app, but only check your 'After' action goals on a daily basis.

How to overcome a plateau

Check your progress using indicators other than your total score, such as accuracy rates by part. Even if your total score isn't moving, it is common for the accuracy rate of a specific part to be steadily increasing.
Look back at your records in terms of months, not weeks. Even if you don't see changes in a short period, you can often see growth when looking over a long period.
During a plateau, prioritize continuing your current method calmly rather than changing your study method significantly. If you change your study method every time you hit a plateau, you will never know which method was effective.

Things you can try when your motivation drops

Take time to recall the reason why you need a TOEIC score (promotion, job change, studying abroad, etc.). If you lose sight of your purpose, daily study easily becomes just a chore.
Look back at your past study records and notebooks to visualize how much you have accumulated. Having records left behind will support you when your motivation drops.
It is also effective to create an environment where you don't have to carry the burden alone, such as by making study buddies or sharing your progress on social media. Seeing others working hard can stimulate your own desire to keep going.

How to deal with perfectionism

If you impose a perfect rule on yourself like 'I must study every single day,' the risk of quitting your entire study routine increases if you fail to achieve it even for one day.
It is easier to continue in the long run if you have a bit of flexibility, such as 'It's okay if I can't do it some days, as long as I keep going in total.'
Regarding study records, try to look at them from the perspective of how much you have accumulated on a monthly or yearly basis, rather than obsessing over consecutive days.

Don't compare yourself too much with others

You might see stories on social media of people who got high scores in a short period, but everyone's study environment and past English learning accumulation are different.
Rather than feeling impatient by comparing your pace with others, it is healthier to maintain motivation by comparing your current self with your own past records to confirm your growth.

Tips to keep studying from becoming a 'chore'

If you feel bored with monotonous repetition, try incorporating small changes, such as changing the type of study materials or changing the time of day you study (however, this is a separate matter from the principle of 'not changing parts too frequently' explained earlier; it is just a small change of pace within the same strategy).
Consciously take time during your studies to return to your original motivation for wanting to improve your English skills.
Develop a habit of consciously recognizing small achievements (such as achieving this week's goal or being able to solve a problem you were previously bad at) each time they happen.

The importance of having a long-term perspective

Improving your TOEIC score is, in many cases, a long-term battle that takes anywhere from several months to over a year. Not being overly swayed by short-term results and maintaining a stance of watching over your own growth from a long-term perspective is, in the end, the best foundation for continuing without getting discouraged.

Common pitfalls and how to deal with them

People who change their study methods every time they enter a plateau tend to end up jumping from one method to another without ever knowing which one suits them. Accepting the plateau to some extent and believing in your current method to continue calmly is sometimes a necessary choice.

Also, people who only chase results and study without having daily action goals tend to have difficulty maintaining motivation. I want you to set small action goals and value the feeling of accumulating them.

Summary and next actions

If you are feeling impatient or anxious because your score isn't improving right now, first try checking your progress using indicators other than your total score, such as accuracy rates by part. After that, try replacing your next goal with an action goal like 'I will do this this week' instead of 'I will get X points.'

Reinterpret the plateau as a natural process that many learners go through, and I hope you will continue at a comfortable pace while believing in what you have accumulated so far.