[TOEIC Grammar Strategy] Grammar Express vs. Deru 1000, which one is actually better? A thorough explanation by a transfer school principal who scored over 900
When you start studying for the TOEIC, there is a wall you will almost certainly hit.
That is the "How should I prepare for grammar?" problem.
Especially Part 5, which is the gateway to the Reading section. If you stumble here, your time management and score will fall apart, and the latter half—Part 6 and Part 7—will suddenly become much harder...
"I'm bad at grammar," "I'm slow at Part 5," "My accuracy isn't stable"—I completely understand this anxiety.
And this is what many people get confused about.
Grammar Express (Blue)
Deru 1000 Questions (the so-called "Deru 1000")
To give you the conclusion, it's not about "which one is the right answer?" but rather using them differently based on their roles is the right answer✊
In this article, I, Kokusho, principal of the Online Transfer Academy, will clearly organize the "optimal way to use these two books" alongside strategies for conquering Part 5, drawing on my own experience of raising my TOEIC score from 535 to 910 in about 4 months.
By the time you finish reading, it should be clear which one you should be working on right now and how to use it to improve, so you won't be lost on your next move🔥
First of all: This article is based on the content of a video
This article is based on the content of the following YouTube video.
In the video, I explain things in detail, including the tone, enthusiasm, and nuances that are hard to convey through text alone.
Honestly, comparisons of teaching materials like this tend to end with "just knowing the conclusion," but watching the video as well makes it easier to grasp "why that is the case"🙆♂️
Grasping the big picture through text and then getting the feel for it through the video—this combination is the strongest.
▼ Click here for the video
Why grammar is important for TOEIC: The battle is decided in Part 5
First, as a major premise, "vocabulary" and "grammar" are the foundation of English learning. This is true not just for TOEIC; if this is weak, everything else will collapse.
TOEIC is broadly divided into,
Listening 45 minutes (Part 1 to Part 4)
Reading 75 minutes (Part 5 to Part 7)
This is the structure, right?
And what is important is Part 5, which starts immediately after the listening section ends.
This section is lined with one-question-one-answer grammar problems, and your performance here directly determines the "flow of the entire reading section."
This is because if you spend too much time on Part 5, the burden shifts to the latter parts, Part 6 and Part 7, leading to "I don't have enough time to read..."
Conversely, if you stabilize Part 5, the entire reading section becomes much easier.
Therefore, rather than trying hard on Part 7 right away, first build the foundation for Part 5.
This is extremely important.
So, which one is it? "Grammar Express" and "Deru 1000" have different roles
Many people think like this.
"Should I do Grammar Express or Deru 1000?"
This question is also very common at the Online University Transfer Academy.
But the conclusion is simple: it's not about which one is better than the other. As you can see, the size and thickness of the books are different to begin with. In other words, their "purpose" is different.
Grammar Express = A book for inputting ways of thinking
Deru 1000 = A training book for building strength through volume
These two books are not competitors, but rather "complementary" to each other 👍
Features of Grammar Express: The number of questions is small. But it teaches you even the "inside of your head"
Grammar Express has about 153 questions (maybe 154), which honestly isn't many.
But in return, the explanations are incredibly detailed.
This is important; the strength of Grammar Express is that it doesn't just give you the "basis for the correct answer," but also verbalizes the thought process for solving TOEIC Part 5 as well.
For example,
This question must be solved instantly in 2 seconds
This one requires looking at the context, so it's okay to spend 20-30 seconds on it
It teaches you how to tackle Part 5, including this "sense of timing."
In other words, Grammar Express isn't just a problem set; it's teaching material for installing the Part 5 thought circuit.
A misunderstanding you must never have with Grammar Express: "I'm done, so on to the next" is the worst
Because Grammar Express is thin and has few questions, some people end up like this:
"It finishes quickly and I don't feel like I've gotten much out of it, so I'll move on to the next one."
You should definitely stop doing that.
Why is that?
153 questions is a number you can certainly memorize if you try. That is precisely why, if you go about it the wrong way, you will end up having 'just memorized the answers'.
But that shouldn't be the goal of grammar.
The goal of grammar is to be able to explain it logically.
For example, to a third party (family, friends, anyone is fine),
'Why is the answer to this question C?'
Can you explain that with confidence?
Moving on without being able to do this is far too inefficient.
In fact, only by working through Grammar Express with the intensity of internalizing 'Mr. Hanada's thought process' will your accuracy rate in Part 5 stabilize.
Honestly, if there is someone who says 'my score isn't improving' without doing this, I would have to say, from a national book perspective, 'that's just an excuse'🔥
That is how much this serves as the entry point.
Recommended way to use Grammar Express: Because it's thin, you can 'go through it many times'
The strength of Grammar Express lies in the fact that it is thin.
It slips right into your bag
You can go through it on the train
You can do it between classes
If you are a working professional, you can make progress during breaks
In other words, 'you can keep it up' and 'you can cycle through it'.
And as you go through it multiple times, don't just get the right answer, but bring yourself to a state where youcan explain it.
If you do this much, the foundation for Part 5 will solidify all at once.
Grammar Express also has a series: For those who want a next step
Grammar Express has a series.
'Kyusho Attack' (the white one)
'900-Point Express'
and so on.
However, there is no need to try everything from the start.
First, master the blue Grammar Express. This is the top priority.
It's not about "adding more once you're done," but ratheradding more once you can explain the material.
This order is important👍
Features of Deru 1000: It's thick. It has a large number of questions. But the explanations are brief.
Next is "Deru 1000."
As the name suggests, it contains a massive amount of Part 5 questions. It's quite thick, isn't it?
I think many people feel, "Alright, let's do this!" the moment it arrives.
However, here is the pitfall of this book.
There are about 160 pages just for the frequently asked questions in Chapter 1
It's easy to get discouraged before even getting past that
You get bored and lose motivation if it's just frequently asked questions the whole time
Of course, there are people for whom Deru 1000 is a good fit.
But it is also a fact that for many, it is tough.
Also, compared to Grammar Express, the explanations for each question in Deru 1000 are thinner.
However, that is not a flaw; it's just that the "purpose is different."
Deru 1000 is
a book for going through a lot of questions and encountering various grammar patterns
.
Conclusion on how to use them: "Understanding" with Grammar Express -> "Training" with Deru 1000
To summarize everything so far, it looks like this.
Grammar Express: Understand the logic and patterns of Part 5 (Input)
Deru 1000: Get used to it through the volume of questions and increase processing speed (Training)
Therefore, it's not about choosing "just one," but rather using them in order based on their roles for the best results.
Master Grammar Express
Build up your practice volume with Deru 1000
This flow works incredibly well together 🙆♂️
The true value of Deru 1000: Time management is honed in the 'mock tests' in the second half
A particularly good part of Deru 1000 is the set of mock tests in the latter half.
There are about 13 sets in total (according to the publisher's information).
What this is effective for is time management.
There are 30 questions in Part 5 in total.
Ideally, it is said that you should be able to solve them at a pace of 20 seconds per question = 10 minutes in total.
Therefore, to train for this, you can't just 'solve them vaguely';
time yourself with a stopwatch (your smartphone is fine)
check your accuracy rate
track your progress (Excel or a memo is fine)
I highly recommend doing this.
When you can see that you are growing, you can keep up with your studies.
Conversely, 'not knowing if you're improving even though you're working on it' is the hardest part...
If you're aiming for 800 or 900 points: Aim for 9 or 8 minutes, not 10
People who want to get an edge in transfer exams, or those aiming for difficult schools.
Those people should be aiming to exceed 800 points and, if possible, reach the 900s.
In that case, 10 minutes for Part 5 is fine, but the ideal is even shorter.
9 minutes
8 minutes
If you can get to this level, you'll have more time for Part 7, making it easier to win.
Deru 1000 is the perfect material for getting in a large number of 'practice matches' for that very purpose.
It is worth repeating the same 13 sets over and over again.
Finally: The most important thing in Part 5 is speed. But you won't get faster without 'understanding'
Finally, this is what Kokusho emphasizes.
For Part 5, speed is everything.
However, there is no point in increasing speed if your accuracy drops.
That is precisely why you need to 'understand Part 5' to increase your speed.
The first half of Grammar Express summarizes about 20 patterns for Part 5.
Mastering Part 5, including those aspects, is directly linked to your score.
And once you have the understanding, practice with Deru 1000.
This combination will make it much easier to improve significantly🔥
Right now,
If you are only doing Grammar Express, move on to 'training' with Deru 1000
If you are only doing Deru 1000, go back to Grammar Express to reset your 'thought process'
Please give it a try. You will see a synergistic effect👍
On the Online Transfer Academy's official LINE, we share deeper information about TOEIC,
and we also accept individual, specific consultations, such as 'how to bridge the gap between my current score and my target score,' through free counseling.
If you are interested, please access it via our official LINE.
See you in the next video. Thank you very much!
In closing | To those of you who thought you might want to try a transfer exam
Transfer exams have little information available and can be quite anxiety-inducing.
However, those who pass have common traits.
Thoroughly researching the trends of the transfer exams for the schools you are applying to
Creating a preparation schedule by working backward from the exam date
Not giving in to temptation and honestly following the correct preparation methods
If you master these three things, passing is well within your reach.
If you are hesitating, now is the time to act.
Actually, transferring is a chance to re-choose your career path that is surprisingly not well known.
You can take on the challenge of the university you wanted to attend again
You can change your current environment
You can re-learn what you want to study
However, because there is so little information, most people get stuck wondering, 'Can I really do this?' or 'Where should I even start?'
・Do I meet the eligibility requirements for my target university?
・Is there enough time for me to prepare for the exam?
・How should I plan my applications to multiple schools?
・Which subject should I start with?
Even if you diligently collect information, many people still end up lost.This is because the timing for starting transfer exam preparation and the current academic level of each individual are completely different.
General advice on transfer exam preparation alone will not provide the answers you need.
That is why the Online Transfer Academy offers 'Free Individual Consultations (Online)'.
《What you can do in a free individual consultation》
✅ Learn an admission strategy tailored to your target university
✅ See specifically 'what you need to do now'
✅ Resolve your anxieties and questions on the spot
Even if you haven't decided whether to take the exam yet, that is perfectly fine.
Just by talking, you can organize your thoughts and see 'your own' policy for transfer exam preparation.
First, register as a LINE friend to receive benefits that will give you an advantage in transfer exam preparation and feel free to join a free consultation 😄
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Time spent hesitating = time spent falling behind.
The moment you want to change is the time to start.
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