Students' Reviews【Student Shima’s interview (TOEIC 860)】

Hello, this is Miyu, the intern of Zen English. This time, I conducted an interview with Mr. Shima who had improved 50 points in TOEIC (From 815 to 865) about how he overcame the difficulty of TOEIC score improvement after 800.

Please give us a brief self-introduction about how you started learning English?

I started to learn English is because I want to engage in international cooperation business.

After working for two and half years in Japan, I volunteered at JICA 's Overseas Cooperation Volunteering Program for two years in developing countries, working on the improvement of public health.

My first English skill was when I travelled in Jakarta. I studied travel English through talking with the foreigners Then I watch foreign dramas, memorise the phrases, and learn the vocabularies through DUO app. So basically I learnt English with my own way of studying.

Why did you come to Cebu? and why did you choose ZEN English?

I came to Cebu from Jakarta was because I'd like to change my job. In order to change the job, I need to achieve over 860 TOEIC score. However, when I took TOEIC in Japan in December last year, I was 45 points short of my target.
Although I could try taking TOEIC again in Japan, I thought that I wanted to have an environment where I could concentrate on English study. Also, I want to study pronunciation and intonation at the same time when I am studying TOEIC. Hence I decided to study abroad this time.

I chose ZEN English among other schools because of the one-on-one lesson and that I can study seriously here. Besides, Zen English creates an environment where you can concentrate on study only. Also, I feel clean and safe because we would be staying in the hotel. I heard that the meal and the laundry services are good here which means I can concentrate on my study without worrying about anything else.

How was your first TOEIC Experience?

The first time I took TOEIC was when I graduated from university (420 points). And last December (815 points) and now (865 points), a total of three times. I took for 3 times in total.

How did you improve TOEIC score by 50 points within 1 month?

First of all, to prepare for listening, I would adjust the audio of the TOEIC trial to 1.2 times speed. By doing so, I was able to hear it better and my understanding improved.

To prepare for reading, I tried to improve my speed reading. I tried to do the TOEIC trial test again and again as a practice. The practice had deepen my understanding of the contents and improve my ability to solve the problems.

As for grammar, I also improved through practice. And for vocabularies, I used Kim Phrase and DUO. Both are good, but personally DUO is recommended.

Also, I tried reading English newspaper which is harder to understand than TOEIC exam.

In what way does TOEIC's study help improving your English skills?

First of all, studying TOEIC improve my English vocabularies and ability to understand real English. Those words improved my conversation skills.

Also, since I used foreign dramas as one of my study methods, it is important to learn the accurate words because many slangs are used in the dramas.

Please give advice to those who are aiming for the same score as you?

English is a language. It takes time to speak a language. You should use it everyday in order to improve on it. Since there are various studying methods, it takes time to learn which study method is the best for yourself. If the method doesn't suit you, you can just keep changing to find the most suitable method for yourself.

You should try making friends and listening to their studying methods. Then you will learn which one is the most suitable for you.

Thank you Shima. This interview is a valuable information for the students who are taking TOEIC.

I personally think Shima's advice about practicing different studying methods and find out the most suitable methods for yourself is good. This time, Shima who won 865 points beyond the target necessary for changing his jobs. We wish him all the best.

We hope his story inspires you to improve on your TOEIC score too.
Thank you for reading.