A university freshman, Lee, has been preparing for the overseas program since last year. However, he was shocked at the news that TOEIC is going through a major revision. The change felt so unfair to him because his seniors had the chance to study the unorthodox techniques for higher marks. ETS had promised that the test difficulty would remain the same. However, students like Lee have to face a threat they have never experienced throughout their lives.
  TOEIC will be revised for the first time in 10 years, and will be implemented from May 29. The basic format will remain the same. However, certain question formats within the test will change. According to ETS, parts 3 and 4 have been changed into three-person conversations. Plus, statistics questions will be included in those parts. Part 7 adopted a new question style: text messages and online chatting have become part of the text.
  The reason why TOEIC will be revised is that the world, as well as the language, has changed significantly during those 10 years. ETS stated that the new TOEIC has greatly reflected the shifting business atmosphere. However, an official of GnB institute stated, “Even though TOEIC officials claimed they renewed the test to adjust to changing circumstances, the test hasn’t actually changed much. They’ve merely expanded the vocabulary spectrum of the test, and they’re demanding a higher understanding of the language. For example, the new questions of the reading comprehension are similar to those of the current university entrance exam. Students who have taken a university entrance exam before won’t think the new TOEIC is unfamiliar.”
  Even though TOEIC has a few changes, you won’t feel so anxious if you possess the fundamental abilities of English, such as grammar, vocabulary, and reading. According to Park Hae-kyung, an instructor at YBM, studying synonyms and antonyms is essential to prepare for the new listening questions. The key to preparing for the reading comprehension is to manage your time well. It is because the new TOEIC has longer texts, and they require the ability to manage time properly to read the entire scripts and answer. Reading the text meticulously and identifying the structure of it, as well as recognizing the turning point of the content, are the two practices you must exercise every day.

By Lee Joo-yeon
 jy37@cbnu.ac.kr
By Kim Su-hyun
 sh37@cbnu.ac.kr