Are the questions and choices printed in the test booklet for Part 2?

No. Part 2 is part of the Listening section, so nothing is printed in the test booklet. The question and the three responses (A, B, C) are all delivered as audio only. You have to rely entirely on listening, which is why missing the first word can throw off the whole item.

How many questions are in Part 2, and how many choices each?

Part 2 has 25 questions total. Each item consists of one question (or statement) followed by three responses (A, B, C). Unlike Part 1, there are only three options instead of four, so a blind guess has roughly a 33% chance of being correct.

Why is the correct answer sometimes an indirect response?

Because the TOEIC® mirrors real conversation, indirect responses are often correct. For example, answering a "When" question with "Let me check" is natural even though it gives no specific time. Evasive replies such as "I am not sure" or "It has not been decided yet" are frequently the right answer, so do not assume only a direct answer can be correct.

What are the most common traps in Part 2?

Three stand out. (1) Similar sounds: a response includes a word that sounds like one in the question (work/walk). (2) Associated words: vocabulary linked to the topic but not the answer (a "ticket" response to an airport question). (3) Repeated words: an option that reuses a word from the question word-for-word is very often a distractor.

What should I do when I miss a question?

Move on immediately, no regrets. In Part 2 the next item starts right after the previous one, so dwelling on a missed question means you also miss the first word of the next one. If you are unsure, mark one option quickly, clear your mind, and lock your focus onto the first word of the next question. That is how you protect your score.

TOEIC Part 2 Question-Response: Patterns, Traps and Strategy

What Is TOEIC® Part 2: Question-Response?

Part 2 is the second part of the TOEIC® Listening section and covers the Question-Response format. You hear a short question or statement, then three responses (A, B, C), and you choose the one that answers most naturally. With just 25 short items, Part 2 is one of the fastest sections to improve, which makes it well worth tackling strategically. For an overview of the whole exam, start with our TOEIC® test format guide.

Part 2 at a Glance

Before diving into strategy, get the basic structure of Part 2 straight.

Section: Listening (LC). It comes right after Part 1 (6 questions) within the roughly 25-minute Listening section.
Number of questions: 25 in total (a quarter of the 100 LC questions).
Format: One question (or statement) plus three responses (A, B, C). Only one is correct.
Key trait: Nothing is printed in the test booklet. The question and the three responses are audio only, so you judge entirely by ear.
Playback: Each item is played only once and cannot be replayed.

With only three options, a blind guess is roughly 33%, but because everything is audio, the focus to catch the first word is what decides your score.

Question Types: The First Word Decides Everything

The key to Part 2 is the first word of the question. Catch it accurately and you are already halfway there. The table below summarizes the core types and the direction of a correct response.

Question Type	Key Point	Example (question → correct response)
Who	A person, department, or name	Who is leading the meeting? → Ms. Park from HR.
What	An object, content, or opinion	What did you think of the report? → It was very thorough.
When	A time, date, or moment	When does the store open? → At nine in the morning.
Where	A place or location	Where is the conference room? → On the third floor.
Why	A reason, often "because" or "to"	Why was the flight delayed? → Because of the weather.
Which	A choice, often "the one ..."	Which color do you prefer? → The blue one, please.
How	A method or degree (How much/long/often)	How do I get to the airport? → You can take the express train.
Yes/No & auxiliary	Yes/No or an indirect reply	Did you finish the proposal? → Not yet, I am still working on it.
Negative & tag questions	Judge by the facts, not by the negative	You sent the invoice, didn't you? → Yes, this morning.
Statements / requests	Agree, accept, decline, or offer an alternative	Let's meet after lunch. → Sounds good to me.

Negative questions (Don't you ...?) and tag questions (..., isn't it?) trip up many test-takers. Forget translating "yes" and "no" through another language: if the response is true, answer Yes; if it is not, answer No. Plain statements have no question word, so it is easy to relax, but just pick the natural reaction: agree, decline, or offer an alternative.

Indirect Responses: No Direct Answer Can Still Be Correct

The single biggest reason Part 2 gets hard is the indirect response. Just like real conversation, options that do not answer the question head-on are increasingly the correct ones. If you dismiss them with "no direct answer, so it must be wrong," you will miss the key. Here are the recurring indirect patterns.

"I don't know" family: I'm not sure. / I have no idea. - a natural way to say you lack the information.
"Let me check" family: Let me check. / I'll have to look into it. - cannot answer now but will find out.
"Not decided yet" family: It hasn't been decided yet. / We're still discussing it. - the decision is on hold.
Pointing to someone else: You should ask the manager. / Try the front desk. - deferring to someone who knows.
Answering with a question: Didn't you get the email? - reacting to a question with a question, which is natural in conversation.

For example, to When will the report be ready?, the reply I'll check with the team. gives no time yet is a perfect answer. Do not discard it just because no specific time was stated.

Traps: The Three Snares the Test Sets for You

Part 2 distractors are not random; they are built from fixed trap formulas. Once you know the patterns, you can filter out wrong options fast.

Trap Type	How It Works	Example (question vs trap option)
Similar sound	A word that sounds like one in the question	Question work → trap option has walk / copy → coffee
Associated words	Vocabulary linked to the topic but not the answer	Question airport → trap option has ticket / flight (not the answer)
Word repetition	Reusing a word from the question often signals a distractor	Question Who will lead the project? → trap The project starts Monday.

The core rule: be suspicious of any option that repeats a word you just heard in the question. The test dangles "familiar sounds" as bait. Judge by whether the meaning fits, not by whether the sound is familiar.

Strategy: How to Lock Down 25 Questions

Here are the core strategies you can apply immediately, in order.

Pour all your attention into the first word. Miss the Who/When/Where/Why and you walk straight into the trap. Open your ears just before the audio starts.
Work by elimination. Instead of hunting for the answer, cross off the similar-sound, associated-word, and repetition traps first; the option left standing is the answer.
Stay open to indirect responses. Always remember that "I don't know / let me check / not decided yet" can be the correct answer.
Watch out for repetition and similar sounds. An option that echoes a word from the question is very likely a distractor.
Never dwell on a single question. Mark a missed item with one quick guess and move on. Hesitate and you also miss the first word of the next one.

Score Impact

Part 2 is 25 questions, a quarter of the Listening section. Because the items are short sentences, focused short-term practice raises your accuracy quickly, making it one of the highest-value sections whether you are building a solid 700 foundation or pushing toward the 800 and 850+ lines that competitive employers look for. For target-by-target strategy, see our TOEIC® score guide.

Test your skills with a free TOEIC® practice test, or sharpen your Part 2 instincts with our free practice exercises. For a structured study plan, check out our TOEIC® preparation guide.

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