And today's question is kind of a sensitive one. It's a difficult one.

What TOEIC listening and reading score do I need for business?

Hmm. Tough question. Now first of all we need to understand,

what is TOEIC listening and reading. What is this test? What does it measure?

Because some people will say something like this.

"Yeah if I can get over 860 points on the TOEIC, I can communicate in English." Hmm 860...

I'm sorry to say this, but it's not true. I know many people who have over 900, and they're very bad communicators.

I know people with 600 points who are actually very good communicators. OK.

And the reason is TOEIC isn't a test that measures your communication skills.

It's a test which measures your base in English. And it does that really well.

It's actually... I've taught TOEIC for many years. And I have nothing to say anything bad about TOEIC.

But it's a test that measures your base in English, and it's important to understand that. OK.

So you know a lot of the advanced students who are really good speakers. They don't care so much about TOEIC.

OK. They focus on communication.

Now beginner students. Yes. Maybe it's OK to focus on TOEIC.

You want to improve your TOEIC score. But improve your TOEIC score by building,

your base in English, by learning vocabulary, by learning grammar.

Not by learning TOEIC techniques. I don't think that's the right way.

OK, because the real goal is to become a better communicator.

No? Well I think so. OK. So but when I say this many students say.

OK Hika, that's fine OK. I won't use TOEIC. Then how can I measure my progress?

And this is even a tougher question.

Yeah. Now there are many other test out there. For example, BULATS which is a very business focused test.

But I don't know if the test is the best way. You know I've lived in Japan for many years.

And to be honest I don't feel that my Japanese skills have really improved over the last 16 years. I don't think so.

But when I think about my Japanese. You know, and I think, wait a second,

Can I keep up in teleconferences more easily than before? I think yes I can.

And if I think can I make presentations better than before? I think yes I can.

You know, can I express my opinion more naturally than before? Absolutely I can.

And can I do my work more effectively in English than before when I started studying? Absolutely.

And that's really the measure of your progress. That's what I think.

And if you don't stop and think about this, it's difficult to notice.

But sometimes stop and just think about it.

Are you getting better? OK. And, if you really think about these individual things.

And these are just four. There are many, many, many more you could think of. You'll realize...

Hey, my English has gotten a lot better. OK.

So I hope that answers your question about TOEIC.

Please ask me another question soon. OK, thank you.