As in the reading section, each part gets a little bit more challenging as you progress.

So make sure that you start strong and focused.

Let's start with listening part one, photographs.

Before we look at the instructions and the task, be sure to hit that subscribe button and be the first to know about brand new TOEIC videos.

All right, let's get right into it.

First, you're going to see a picture like this one here.

The main thing you'll do is think about what you see.

In this case, we have a woman sitting at a desk.

So ask yourself, "Where is she? What is she doing? How does she feel?"

Don't worry about trying to anticipate what is happening exactly, or trying to get the answer perfectly correct.

You just want to get your brain moving and engaged.

Don't wait for the correct answers.

Next, you're going to hear four answer options.

In this case, you won't see them, you'll only hear them.

Before we listen, here are a few things to note.

First of all, the sentences will be fairly simple.

They'll often use the present continuous tense.

"The boy is sleeping." "They are playing."

Also, some of the questions will require you to make some inferences.

This means it won't always be very obvious.

Imagine you see a little girl playing video games and the mother is standing behind her with an unhappy look on her face.

An easy version might be "The girl is playing video games."

But a harder one might be "The mother is losing her patience."

This is why it's important to ask yourself those questions.

"Who are they? What are they doing? Where are they? And how do they feel?"

Okay, so let's go back to our photo and we'll hear the four answer options.

Sadly, you won't see them. It is a listening test after all.

Let's listen together. Pick the answer you think is correct.

Look at the picture.

A. The woman is cleaning the office.

B. The woman is having lunch.

C. The woman is taking a break.

D. The woman is cleaning her glasses.

How did you go? Let's have another listen.

In the test, you will only hear it once.

But, anytime you struggle with one of these questions, don't feel bad if you have to listen again.

It's good practice and it will improve your listening.

Look at the picture.

A. The woman is cleaning the office.

B. The woman is having lunch.

C. The woman is taking a break.

D. The woman is cleaning her glasses.

Great. So the answer is C.

Now, keep in mind there's minimal method to this one.

Either you hear it or you don't.

But let's take a look at the answer options so that we can better understand this test.

A and B. So definitely not cleaning the office and definitely not having lunch. There is no food.

For C and D. C is a maybe. She's clearly stopped doing whatever it is she's doing.

But D. The woman is cleaning her glasses.

Well, not quite. She's taken her glasses off, but she doesn't seem to be cleaning them.

So I'll go with C. She stopped working, so she's taking a break.

Now, keep in mind, if you're able to understand me now, then you should be able to understand the language used in this part of the test.

If you want to strengthen your listening skills, be sure to build strong listening habits.