Finally, a score I can talk about.

I think the online English conversation school
https://eigo.dokotera.com/
was a major factor in breaking out of the slump around 700, as I took almost daily lessons for about a year, each lasting 1 hour.

Before studying: 2003/12 335
Started studying: 2006/1 → Triggered by a setback in English during a business trip abroad.
6 months after starting: 2005/6 485
1 year after starting: 2006/1 500
1.5 years after starting: 2006/9 580
2 years after starting: 2007/2 675
3 years after starting: 2008/5 710
4 years after starting: 2009/3 845

I took the Eiken Level 2 in high school, then didn't study anything, graduated from university, and took the TOEIC after getting a job, scoring in the 300s. I studied a little, but it didn't improve at all, and in some cases, the score even went down. Even in that situation, I thought, "It'll probably be okay," based solely on the fact that I had taken the Eiken Level 2 in high school. However, at that time, I went on a business trip abroad for a few months, and although my job was technical, I realized from the bottom of my heart that I couldn't speak English. In the first explanation meeting, I couldn't understand almost anything that the other side was saying.
After returning, that experience was the trigger for me to start focusing on studying English.

First, I tried various things desperately, and even just listening to and seeing English gave me a headache, but I somehow managed to reach the 400s. This period was the most difficult for me, even though it was a short time, as I was restarting my English studies.
I listened to English CDs on my way to work, but I definitely had a headache in the morning. When I tried to study English at home, I couldn't get started. It just wouldn't go in. I think there's a big difference between people who have been exposed to English music and rhythm and people like me who haven't. Because I had been living a life completely unrelated to English, my progress was very slow.

And even though I studied, I was still at 500, and I had to push myself to finally reach 580. Now, I think it's terrible, but at that time, I felt like I could just barely manage to get by on overseas trips. Around this time, I started subscribing to CNN English Express regularly.

Furthermore, I started to think that it was worth spending some money if it would improve my English skills. I bought books that I was somewhat interested in at used bookstores, and even if they were new, I thought that if I could maintain my motivation to study for a few hours with an expense of a few thousand yen, it was okay. Now, there are piles of them in my closet.

Finally, I reached the 600s, but I hit a slump. I have been subscribing to CNN English Express for over a year, and I read a lot of English books, but my score only increases slightly. When I ask people around me, it seems that there is a wall around 700. They say that if you study carefully, you can improve to 700, but something else is needed to go beyond that.

I, who took the test for the first time and got a score in the 600s, and then got a similar score a year later, finally decided to enroll in an online English conversation school. I thought that the Philippines is one of the largest English-speaking countries in Asia, and they speak in a more standard English than British English or American English, which is just right for someone like me. Also, the price is cheap. In Japan, a one-on-one lesson easily costs several thousand yen per hour, but a lesson via Skype with the Philippines is around 500 yen per hour.

At this point, I still felt that as long as my English skills improved, it would be fine even if it cost a little money, so I started English conversation lessons in the Philippines. After a few months, I actually went to the Philippines during the Golden Week holiday and met my online English conversation teacher in person for a lesson. As a result, my TOEIC score increased slightly to 710.

At this point, I finally realized that unless something fundamental changed, my score would not improve. So, I started focusing on the lessons. As a result of continuing almost every day for one hour from December 2007 to the present in 2009, I finally achieved results and got a TOEIC score of 845.

In addition to the lessons, I always listened to CNN and BBC in English, and I also read CNN English Express separately. Also, as for English learning materials, I listened to CDs that recorded English and Japanese alternately during my commute. I couldn't concentrate much during my morning and evening commutes, and it was difficult to hold them, so I used these kinds of CDs.

Even so, I finally overcame the wall of 730, and now I have the wall of 900. I haven't reached 900 yet, so I don't really know how difficult the wall of 900 is, but I think it will be difficult to improve quickly. It is true that you feel like you are just an beginner when you reach 800.

Recently, the TOEIC results show the percentage of how much you can do in each section, and according to that, I am particularly weak in grammar, vocabulary, and long listening comprehension. While the "can infer," "can understand," and "can associate scattered information" sections in reading are close to 100%, vocabulary and grammar are around 80%. Hmm. The overall listening comprehension percentage is low, around 80%, but I don't understand why I got this score. If you make 20% mistakes in practical situations, it will be useless. I remember not being able to answer many questions during the listening section, so I think this percentage is appropriate.

Now, regarding the future, I will continue with the online English conversation school, and I am also considering taking the EIKEN (English Proficiency Test) and increasing my vocabulary.
However, even though my TOEIC score has improved, my ability to understand CNN and BBC in real-time is only increasing slightly, and it seems like there is still a long way to go.