TOEIC Part 5: Answer grammar questions in 20 seconds

Xin chào! Week three, and we cross into the reading section: Part 5, incomplete sentences. Thirty questions, and the biggest mistake is giving them the time they seem to deserve.

Part 5 is not really a grammar test. It is a speed test. Every extra minute here is a minute stolen from Part 7, where you need it most. Target: 20 seconds per question, 10 minutes for the whole part.

The three-step routine

1. Look at the blank first. What comes before and after it? Often that alone tells you the needed part of speech.
2. Look at the answers. They come in two families:
   • Same word, four forms (decide / decision / decisive / decidedly): a grammar question. You usually don't need to read the whole sentence. Identify the slot (after the and before a noun → adjective) and answer.
   • Four different words (however / therefore / although / despite): a meaning question. Now read the full sentence.
3. Read the sentence only when step 2 demands it. This is where the 20 seconds comes from.

The patterns that repeat forever

Keep a tally in your mistake journal and you will see the same five: word forms, prepositions, connecting words, verb tense/agreement, and pronouns. Word-form questions alone are roughly a quarter of Part 5, and they are the fastest to answer once you trust the slot method.

One honest rule

If you have stared for 40 seconds, you are not going to remember the rule. Choose your best guess, mark the question, and move. No blank answers; there is no penalty for guessing.

Next week: Part 6 and its sentence-insertion trap. Hẹn gặp lại! 🌸