The “Messy” TOEIC Test: How to Make Smart Decisions Without All the Answers

“There is no perfect decision. You just make the best move with what you’ve got.”

Ben Horowitz writes this in The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
He’s talking about leading a startup in chaos.
But if you’ve ever been stuck in TOEIC Part 5 or Part 7,
you know exactly how it feels.

You’re halfway through a question.
You don’t know every word.
The clock is ticking.
You hesitate.

“What if I guess wrong?”
“What if I miss something?”

And just like that — you’re trapped.
Welcome to The Over Thinker Block and The Speed Trap Block in one brutal combo.

But here’s the truth:
TOEIC is designed to be messy.
And you can still win.

The Test Is Messy — So You Need a Messy Decision-Making Skillset

At MTC, we coach this simple truth:
TOEIC isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being effective in uncertainty.

Horowitz explains that business leaders often have to make critical decisions
without complete information.
Waiting for the “perfect answer” is how companies die.

TOEIC rewards the same mindset.

If you’re aiming for perfection,
you’ll lose precious time,
doubt yourself,
and panic as the clock drains.

But if you learn to make smart, calculated guesses —
you stay in control.

MTC Truth: You Don’t Need to Know Everything — You Need to Act with What You Do Know

In Part 5 and Part 7,
there will always be words you don’t know.
That’s not a failure.
It’s part of the game.

Top scorers don’t panic when they hit an unknown word.
They pivot.

They scan the sentence structure.
They eliminate obvious wrong answers.
They make a confident guess — and move on.

This isn’t “reckless guessing.”
It’s strategic decision-making under pressure.

ALT Habit: “Guessing with a Stop-Loss” — Making Confident Decisions Under Pressure

Here’s how to build this decision-making reflex:

What to Do:

1. When faced with an uncertain question (especially in Part 5 or 7),
   give yourself a 10-second decision window.

   • Eliminate one or two impossible options.

   • Make a best-effort guess based on sentence flow or known patterns.

   • Mark it and move on.

2. Stop-Loss Rule:
   If after 10 seconds you still don’t feel confident,
   force yourself to choose the best guess and cut your losses.

Why It Works:

• It prevents time bleed. You stop wasting time on low-return questions.

• It builds decision-making speed. You train your brain to process what’s there, not fixate on what’s missing.

• It reduces emotional drain. You stay calm and in control, even in messy situations.

Making Smart Moves in Messy Situations is a Life Skill

Horowitz’s point is clear:
Success isn’t about always having the right answer.
It’s about being able to act when answers are incomplete.

TOEIC is a small version of this bigger life challenge.

When you train yourself to decide,
to stay calm in uncertainty,
you’re not just improving your test score.
You’re building a mindset that wins in business, career, and life.

The messy parts are where you grow.

The Hard Thing About TOEIC: Why Your Score Plateau is a Sign of Progress

“This is when you find out who you are.”

Ben Horowitz wrote that line in his brutal, no-nonsense book The Hard Thing About Hard Things.

He was talking about CEOs in crisis.
But he could’ve been talking to every single TOEIC test-taker stuck on a score plateau.

The Struggle.
That’s what Horowitz calls it.

It’s the phase where you’ve done everything right —
studied, practiced, reviewed —
and yet, the numbers refuse to move.

It’s infuriating.
It’s exhausting.
And it’s exactly where the most important growth happens.

The Plateau Isn’t a Problem — It’s the Proof You’re Growing

At MTC, we call this moment The Burnout Block.
It’s where many learners give up.
But it’s also where the best breakthroughs happen.

Horowitz explains that The Struggle isn’t a sign you’re failing.
It’s a sign that you’re no longer playing the “easy game.”
You’re at the edge of your current skills.
And every inch beyond this point requires real adaptation.

You’re not broken.
You’re in the process of levelling up.

The plateau isn’t a wall.
It’s a threshold.

MTC Truth: You Don’t Need Motivation — You Need a System for Surviving The Struggle

Here’s the real talk:
Motivation dies in The Struggle.

This isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about shifting how you measure progress.

If you’re only chasing the score,
you’ll feel like a failure during this phase.

But if you start tracking effort, habits, and consistency,
you’ll see exactly where you’re winning —
even before the score catches up.

ALT Habit: The “Progress Log” — Train Your Brain to See the Right Victories

Here’s how to fight back against the plateau mindset:

What to Do:

1. After every study session, log:

   • One small win (e.g., “Identified 3 Part 5 question types instantly today.”)

   • One challenge you’re refining (e.g., “Still pausing too long on Part 2 responses.”)

   • One habit you maintained (e.g., “Did a full 25-minute focus block.”)

2. Commit to ignoring your practice scores for two weeks.
   Focus only on logging this progress.

Why It Works:

• It rewires your mental feedback loop. You’ll stop waiting for external validation (scores) and start valuing the process.

• It builds resilience. You’ll realize you are moving forward, just not in the way a number can instantly show.

• It’s the mindset elite performers use. They don’t obsess over daily results — they obsess over daily systems.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things — The Test Isn’t Supposed to Feel Easy

Horowitz’s core message is this:
There’s no shortcut through The Struggle.
You have to go through it.

But going through it is where you build something far more valuable than a TOEIC score.
You build the ability to keep moving when it’s hard.
To take action without guarantees.
To trust the process even when the scoreboard is silent.

That’s a life skill.
TOEIC is just where you practice it.