TOEIC Part 4 Talks: Format, Questions, Graphics, Traps, Tips

Six habits decide most of your Part 4 points.

What Is TOEIC Listening Part 4?

Talks is the fourth and final part of the TOEIC Listening section: one speaker gives a short monologue, and you answer three multiple-choice questions about it. It follows Part 1 (Photographs), Part 2 (Question-Response) and Part 3 Conversations. Together they make a Listening section of 100 questions that runs about 45 minutes and is scored on the 5-495 scale.

Part 4 is the only Listening part built entirely on monologues. No second speaker takes a turn, so nothing signals that new information is coming. The ETS Examinee Handbook spells out the split: the questions and answer choices are printed, but the talk isn't. The TOEIC Speaking test numbers its own tasks differently, so if you searched for Speaking, you can stop here.

Part 4 matters because it holds 30 of the 100 Listening questions. Those questions also arrive last, when your concentration is at its lowest.

What Is the TOEIC Part 4 Test Format?

Part 4 has 30 questions (questions 71-100) built on 10 talks, with three questions per talk and four answer choices (A-D) for each. Each talk plays once. The questions are read aloud and printed in the test book, and an answer pause follows each one so you can mark your sheet.

ETS states there is no penalty for guessing, so never leave a bubble blank. Every set follows one fixed sequence, and this table pins down each piece of it.

We timed the official sample set for questions 71-73, which IIBC hosts for ETS, on October 7, 2026. Here is how that one set runs.

1. 0:00 to 0:05: a recorded announcement names questions 71 through 73.
2. 0:06 to 0:31: the talk plays. It lasts 24 seconds here; the other three sample talks run 32 to 38 seconds.
3. 0:33 to 0:38: question 71 is read, then an 8-second answer pause.
4. 0:46 to 0:50: question 72 is read, then another 8-second pause.
5. 0:58 to 1:03: question 73 is read. The clip ends a second later, so it doesn't show the last pause.
6. The next announcement starts, and it runs about 5 seconds before the next talk.

The arithmetic is the point. If you mark each answer while the talk plays, everything from 0:31 onward, at least 35 seconds, becomes pre-read time for the next three questions. If you wait for each question to be read first, you're left with a few seconds. In the graphic set (questions 80-82) the pauses stay at 8 seconds; question 82 simply opens with "Look at the graphic," and its answer sits on the page, not in the audio.

What Kinds of Talks and Announcements Are in TOEIC Part 4?

Part 4 talks are short workplace and public monologues: announcements, telephone and voicemail messages, advertisements, broadcasts and reports, tours, and introductions or speeches. The opening line usually tells you the type. Each type has a predictable purpose, speaker and listener, so naming it early tells you what the three questions will ask.

Typical settings include airports, stores, offices, museums and radio stations. Test-takers who drill only flight announcements get caught by a museum guided tour or a traffic report, because the vocabulary changes with the setting. Build word lists for each setting on the toeic.ai vocabulary page. Each of the six shapes has its own opening signal.

• Public and workplace announcements open with "Attention, passengers" or "May I have your attention," usually at an airport, station or store.
• Telephone and voicemail messages start "Hi, this is ... calling about," often a supplier, clinic or colleague leaving details.
• Advertisements open with a question or an offer to a listener, then give a price, a deal and a deadline for a store or service.
• News, traffic and weather broadcasts begin with lines like "And now for the traffic report," usually on a local radio station.
• Tours and guided instructions open "Welcome to the ... tour," in a museum, factory or historic site, followed by rules.
• Introductions, speeches and meeting excerpts start with "Thank you all for coming," at a company event, award dinner or staff meeting.

What Question Types Come Up in TOEIC Part 4?

Each set usually asks one gist question, one or two detail questions, and one about what happens next or what listeners must do. Some sets swap one of these for an implied meaning question or a graphic question.

Answers arrive in question order. That's why gist questions sit in the opening lines, detail questions in the middle, and the request or next action near the end. Implied meaning questions quote a phrase, such as the official sample's "What does the man mean when he says, 'Here's the thing'?" They test the speaker's intent, not a fact.

Detail questions often hinge on a number or day that the speaker mentions twice. Use the table to know where in the talk to listen.

How Do Visual Questions Work in TOEIC Part 4?

In a graphic set, a printed schedule, floor plan, agenda, price list or chart sits beside the questions. One question opens with the graphic instruction "Look at the graphic," and the talk names one item in words. You read the answer from the matching row or area of the graphic.

The correct option is usually something the speaker never says aloud. In the official sample, question 82 pairs a presentation schedule with the question "Who will be the final presenter?" The audio gives the linked detail, and the graphic gives the name.

A graphic question sits inside the same three-question set and shares its 8-second pause, so scan the graphic during your pre-read. Expect a changed detail, such as a session moved to another slot, that points to a different row. A graphic question becomes a lookup once you take these four steps in order.

1. Identify the graphic type and its columns before the talk, noting whether it's a schedule, floor plan or price list.
2. Predict which column the speaker will mention, usually the column that the four answer choices don't list.
3. Listen for the linked detail, not the answer itself, since the speaker says the time or floor, not the name.
4. Read the answer from the matching row, checking it against any late change the speaker announces.

What Tricks and Traps Appear in TOEIC Listening Part 4?

Most lost Part 4 points come from changed details, similar numbers, redundant information and word-repeat options. One speaker can pack many facts into about 30 seconds, and test-takers latch onto the first number or name they hear.

Two habits cost points that facts alone won't fix. Learners in the 600-800 band often listen only for facts, so they miss the tone or intent question. Reading the next set's questions too late is a trap in itself, because the next talk starts on schedule. General test mistakes live on the toeic.ai mistakes page; the six traps here belong to Part 4, and each one needs its own fix.

• Changed or corrected details: the speaker sets the meeting for 2:00, then moves it to 3:30, and the question usually wants the updated time.
• Similar numbers, days and prices: a talk mentions Gate 14 and Gate 40, or Tuesday and Thursday, so numbers and dates need a quick mark.
• Redundant information that is never asked: a guide lists four exhibits, but the question asks only about the cafe's closing time, mentioned once in passing.
• Word-repeat options: one option repeats "parking" from the talk, while the correct answer uses a paraphrase such as "a place to leave a car."
• Missed tone and intent cues: "Well, that's one way to do it" can signal doubt, and the implied meaning question tests that tone, not the words.
• Falling behind on the pre-read: answering question 73 late means starting the next talk without reading questions 74-76, and the audio never waits.

How Do You Get a High Score in TOEIC Listening Part 4?

Pre-read all three questions before each talk, underline the key word in each, and listen for the opening line (purpose) and the closing line (request or next step). Mark answers as the talk plays, then move straight to the next set.

This routine fits the timeline from the format section. The pre-read happens during the directions and the answer pauses, never while the speaker is talking. Good time management here also means accepting a guess, since there's no penalty and the next set won't wait. Repeat the same six steps on all ten sets.

1. Use the directions to pre-read questions 71-73: the Part 4 directions run about 30 seconds in the official sample, enough to read the first set.
2. Underline one key word per question, such as "problem," "next" or "Thursday," so you know which keywords to catch in the audio.
3. Listen for purpose first and request last, since the opening line carries the gist and the closing line usually holds the request.
4. Mark answers while the talk plays, filling each bubble as its answer passes, so the answer pauses become pre-read time for the next set.
5. Note numbers with a single mark, a quick tick beside the matching option, because full note-taking costs more seconds than it saves.
6. Guess and move on when you miss one; ETS doesn't penalize wrong answers, and the next set starts on schedule whether you're ready or not.

How Should You Practice for TOEIC Listening Part 4?

Start with the official ETS sample questions, then move to timed mock tests that play each talk once at real speed, so practice matches test conditions.

toeic.ai's free plan gives you one full and one mini marked Listening & Reading mock test, plus unlimited unmarked timed practice papers. Good Part 4 practice means audio played once, printed questions, a real answer pause and full 10-talk sets. Those full sets build the stamina you need at the end of the Listening section.

A TOEIC Part 4 PDF with an answer key and a transcript helps with vocabulary afterward, but reading a transcript isn't listening practice. After each mock test, label the question types you missed using the table above. Within a few rounds of timed practice, you'll see which type is costing you points. Our guide on how to improve your TOEIC Listening score shows how to drill it.

Is There a Free TOEIC Part 4 Practice Test or PDF?

Yes, free Part 4 practice is available from the ETS sample test and from free full-length mock tests that include all 30 Part 4 questions.

On toeic.ai, the free plan includes one full-length mock test and one mini mock test for Listening & Reading, both marked, plus unlimited unmarked timed practice papers. You can start a free practice test from the TOEIC practice test page. A free PDF is only useful with its audio, because Part 4 never shows you the talk; read silently, it turns into a reading exercise.

Are the Questions Printed for TOEIC Part 4?

Yes, the three questions and their four answer choices are printed in the test book, but the talk itself is never printed and plays only once.

Because the talk is played once, the pre-read matters more in Parts 3 and 4 than in Parts 1 and 2. In those first two parts the answer choices are spoken, so there's nothing printed to read ahead. The printed questions are your only preview of what to listen for. The four Listening parts and three Reading parts are laid out on the TOEIC test format page.

Is TOEIC Part 4 Harder Than Part 3?

Yes, for many test-takers Part 4 feels harder than Part 3, because one speaker delivers denser information with no second voice to repeat or react to it.

In Part 3 Conversations, a second speaker often restates or questions a detail, which gives you a second chance to catch it. A single speaker offers no such echo, so the information density is higher. The counterpoint is that Part 4 talks follow a few predictable formats, and they get easier to anticipate once you know the talk types. See how all four parts fit together in the TOEIC Listening section overview.

Is an 810 TOEIC Score Considered Good?

Yes, an 810 on the TOEIC Listening & Reading test is a strong score: it is above 800 on the 10-990 scale, and what counts as "good" depends on the score a school, employer or program asks for.

Part 4's 30 questions carry a large share of the Listening score points behind any total above 800. Steady Part 4 accuracy is one of the clearest routes to an 810 score. Score requirements vary by institution, so check the exact figure your school or employer publishes. For what that level means in practice, read our TOEIC 800 score guide.