Having taught English and Toeic in Japan for a number of years, I must agree that Toeic is the silliest test of English ability I've ever seen! I hope the boards of education figure this out one day and scrap it for something more effecive! But in the meantime, I think your methods of language learning are perfect, and the best way for anyone wishing to better their Toeic score! ..No special techniques to pass the test can compare to actually learning the language!