Part 3: Conversations

1. Part 3 at a glance

In Part 3 you hear conversations between two or three people in work and everyday situations. Each conversation is followed by three questions. The questions and the four answer options for each question are printed in your test book, and the questions are also read aloud after the conversation. The conversations themselves are not printed, and each one is played only once.

Conversations are short but dense: in a few turns you must catch three separate pieces of information. The single most important habit in Part 3 is to read the questions before the conversation starts.

2. What Part 3 tests

Part 3 is not a vocabulary test and not a memory test. It measures whether you can follow a natural exchange and do three things with it:

• Understand the gist. What is the conversation about? Who are the people? Where are they? These are "big picture" questions that you answer by combining several clues.
• Catch specific details. A time, a price, a reason, a problem, a request. These are stated directly, but almost always in different words from the option.
• Make inferences. What will the speaker probably do next? What does a speaker mean by a particular remark? Why does she mention a certain fact? Here the answer is not stated; you have to understand the speaker's purpose.

A fourth skill appears in graphic questions: connecting spoken information to a printed document. You hear one fact (for example, a number of brochures), and you must use the graphic (a price list) to find the answer (the price).

3. The question types

Almost every Part 3 question belongs to one of the types below. Learn to recognize them from the first two or three words of the question: the type tells you what to listen for and where.

3.1 Topic and purpose questions

Speakers usually say why they are talking at the start: "I'm calling about…", "Did you see the e-mail about…?", "I wanted to ask you about…". The correct option is a general summary, not a small detail. If an option mentions something that is only said once in passing, it is probably too narrow.

3.2 Speaker identity and location

Nobody says "I am a pharmacist" or "We are in a bank". Instead you hear clues: prescription, dosage, refill point to a pharmacy; check-in, room key, shuttle point to a hotel. Collect two or three clues before you decide.

3.3 Detail questions

Detail questions ask about a fact that is stated. The difficulty is that the conversation often contains several similar facts: two times, two prices, two locations. Before listening, underline the key word in the question (original date, new location, how many participants) so you choose the right one.

3.4 Problem questions

Many Part 3 conversations are built around a problem: a delay, a mistake, a broken machine, a scheduling conflict. Problems are announced with negative signposts: unfortunately, I'm afraid, the problem is, there's a slight issue, it turns out. When you hear one of these, the problem is in the next few words.

3.5 Suggestion, request and offer questions

Read these questions carefully: who suggests and who receives the suggestion matters. "What does the woman ask the man to do?" means the woman is speaking and the man will act. The options often include the other speaker's action as a trap.

• Suggestion: Why don't you…? How about…? You might want to… Maybe we should… What if we…?
• Request: Could you…? Would you mind…? Can you please…? I need you to…
• Offer: I can… Let me… I'll… Would you like me to…? I'd be happy to…

3.6 Next-action questions

"What will the man probably do next?" is answered in the last lines. Listen for I'll, I'm going to, let me, I'd better. Beware of actions mentioned earlier in the conversation that have already been done or that another speaker will do.

3.7 Implied-meaning questions

The question quotes a short sentence from the conversation: What does the woman mean when she says, "The client meeting is at nine"? The literal meaning is obvious; what is tested is the reason she says it in this context. Perhaps she means "I can't help you then", or "we need to hurry", or "your plan won't work". Section 7 explains how to handle these.

3.8 Graphic questions

Some sets come with a small graphic: a schedule, a price list, a floor plan, a coupon, a weather forecast, a bar chart. The question starts with "Look at the graphic." The answer is never simply "the information in the graphic"; you always need one fact from the audio to unlock it. Section 7 shows the procedure.

3.9 Three-speaker conversations

In a three-speaker conversation, there are usually two men and a woman or two women and a man. The questions may refer to them by name ("What does Mr. Fischer suggest?") or by position ("What does the woman ask the men to do?"). Names are usually said early, often in a greeting: "Thanks for joining us, Paolo." Write the names in the margin of your mental map as soon as you hear them.

4. The preview–predict–listen–answer method

Use these four steps on every set. With practice, they take only a few seconds each.

Step 1: Preview

While the previous set's questions are being read aloud, or during the directions, read the three questions of the next set. Read the questions first; read the options only if you have time. Underline (mentally or with your eyes) the key words: the question word, the speaker (man / woman / name) and any time marker (next, after the meeting, on Friday).

Step 2: Predict

From the three questions, build a rough picture of the conversation. Questions such as "Where do the speakers work?", "What problem does the man mention?" and "What will the woman do next?" already tell you that there are two colleagues, there is a problem, and the woman will act at the end. Some options also hint at the setting: if three options mention a printer, a toner cartridge and a repair technician, you can expect an office equipment problem.

Step 3: Listen

Listen to the whole conversation for meaning, with the three questions in mind. Do not try to read all twelve options while listening; follow the speakers and pick up the answers as they come, in order. When you hear the answer to question 1, mark it lightly and move your attention to question 2.

Step 4: Answer and move on

When the conversation ends, confirm your three answers quickly, guess on any you missed, and immediately go to the next set's questions. The time you save here is the time you will use for Step 1 of the next set. Never spend the preview time of the next set worrying about a question you missed.