TOEIC Exam
General information on TOEIC eligibility, format, pattern, exam dates, test centers & exam fee
What is TOEIC?
TOEIC or “Test of English for International Communication” administered by the ETS (Educational Testing Services) tests your proficiency with English language for working in an international environment. The TOEIC scores are valid for a period of two years.
What is the TOEIC score used for?
Job-hunting
For job-seekers, the TOEIC scores can help demonstrate their preparedness to be able to work in a global workplace.
Entry requirement
Universities and schools in the US accept the TOEIC score as an alternative to the TOEFL / IELTS score during their admissions process.
Institutional use
The TOEIC institutional testing program is used by academic institutions or language schools (for internal purposes) as an assessment tool.
Companies, especially in non-English speaking countries may encourage their employees to take the TOEIC tests to gauge the improvement in their English language skills so that they can effectively communicate and manage business with international clients.
TOEIC tests falls under two categories based on its usage and test report format.
1. The TOEICTests in Public Programme
Under this category, the candidate would get an official score certificate with their picture on it. They’d also receive the total score and score for each section as well as strengths and improvement areas.
These scores would be recognised globally and can be used for the desired academic or professional purposes. These tests are scheduled once or twice a month at any ETS Global centre and require online registration.
2. The TOEICTests in Institutional Programme
The company or institution would receive a score roster listing the scores of all the candidates who took the test. This would help monitor candidate progress each time he/she takes the test.
These scores can only be used within the organisation or institution. There is flexibility as to where and when the tests would be held and the number of candidates taking it.
TOEIC test structure
TOEIC tests comprise multiple choice questions. It is a paper-based test and you’d be required to use only no. 2 pencils to indicate your responses.
The TOEIC program has three types of tests
- TOEIC Speaking and Writing Test
- TOEIC Listening and Reading Test
- TOEIC Bridge Test
TOEIC exam pattern and syllabus
Section | Approx Test Duration | Questions |
---|---|---|
Speaking | 20 minutes | 11 |
Writing | 1 hour | 8 |
Listening & Reading | 2.5 hours | 2 sections, 100 questions/section |
TOEIC speaking test
The TOEIC speaking section tests the speaking ability of the candidate. The questions types are as follows: reading out text aloud, describing a picture, responding to questions based on information provided, proposing a solution to a problem and expressing your opinion on a topic.
TOEIC writing test
The TOEIC writing test would have eight questions that test the writing ability of the candidate. Questions are designed to test various aspects of your writing skills. Questions would include writing a sentence based on a picture (5 questions), responding to an email request (2 questions) and writing an opinion essay (1 question).
TOEIC listening and reading test
Questions asked would be in the context of various real-world workplace settings or scenarios. Some of these include offices, human resources (HR), general business, travel, corporate development, manufacturing, technical areas, healthcare, finance among others.
Here’s the distribution of the test time of 2.5 hours.
Listening | 45 minutes |
Reading | 75 minutes |
Biographical questions | 30 minutes |
Listening section
The listening section tests your understanding of spoken English. It’d include different types of questions and short conversations with questions based on it.
Here’s the question distribution in the listening section of the updated TOEIC
Question Format | Number of questions asked – Total 100 |
---|---|
Photographs | 6 |
Question-response | 25 |
Conversations | 39 |
Talks | 30 |
Reading section
In the reading test, you’d be required to read texts and answer a variety of reading comprehension questions.
Here’s the question distribution in the reading section of the updated TOEIC
Format | Number of questions asked – Total 100 |
---|---|
Incomplete sentences | 30 |
Text completion | 16 |
Single passages | 29 |
Multiple passages | 25 |
TOEIC Exam Results: When and how they are obtained
Test-takers would receive the total score and score per section. These documents would be sent by post and you can expect to receive it the 7th business day after answer sheets reach the ETS scoring office.
TOEIC speaking test scores: The scores would be on a scale of 0-200, with an increment of 10. There are nine proficiency levels, which would be indicative of the candidate’s comfort and skills in spoken English.
TOEIC writing test scores: The writing test would be on a score scale of 0-200, in increments of 10. There are nine proficiency levels awarded which would indicate your English writing skills.
Both the writing and speaking tests would have individual scores and no combined scores.
TOEIC reading and listening test scores: The test scores would depend on the number of correct answers provided (no penalty for incorrect answers) which is then converted to a scaled score.
So, your score report would give you the individual scores for listening and reading sections as well as the total scaled score obtained by adding both the scores.
This scaled score ranges from 5 to 495 for the reading and listening sections.
The new score report also gives the percentile rank based on data of candidates who took the test in the previous three years and scored below the candidate’s scaled scores.
TOEIC Bridge Test
The redesigned TOEIC Bridge tests measures an individual for all the four parameters – reading, listening, speaking and writing.
This test is much easier than the other two tests discussed and is designed to measure basic to intermediate English language proficiency.
It can be made use of by organisations, institutions, language schools or universities to test English language skills of their students/employees.
It is available in both paper-based and online formats. Each of the sections has a score scale range of 15-50.
Approx Test Duration | Num of Questions | |
---|---|---|
Listening | 25 minutes | 50 |
Reading | 35 minutes | 50 |
Speaking | 15 minutes | 8 |
Writing | 37 minutes | 9 |
TOEIC Exam Fee and booking process
The test cost would vary, depending on the country you’re taking it from. Individuals planning to take the test would have to visit the ETS TOEIC official website, go to the registration section, choose the test type, country, to get information related to the TOEIC test centers, test fee, test dates and related details.
TOEIC test dates India
Currently, there are centers in Mumbai, Gurgaon and New Delhi, operating under the ETS Preferred Network (EPN) and responsible for administering the TOEIC exams in India. The latest test date schedule can be checked on the websites provided for each of these centers.
TOEIC Eligibility Criteria
The TOEIC measures the English language proficiency of the candidate. It can be taken by students, professionals or anyone who wishes to test their English language skills. There is no minimum age or qualification criterion for taking the TOEIC tests.
TOEIC Exam Preparation
TOEIC exam questions are based on real-life situations. You do not need an in-depth knowledge on a specific topic to get a good score rather it would be helpful if you’re able to dedicate some time each day to practice English language.
This could be through reading, watching English movies or shows (without subtitles displayed). Find some friend or colleague with whom you could practice your English language speaking skills.
There are books available for TOEIC test preparation as well as online preparation courses offered by the ETS.
TOEIC Sample Tests for Practice
The ETS website provides some free sample questions for each section of the TOEIC.
Here is a sample for the Updated Version of the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test: link.
Also see a sample of the TOEIC Speaking and Writing Test: link.
Here’s a sample of TOEIC Bridge Test: link.
Read about these other entrance tests: GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, IELTS, TOEFL
For further information on English Language Proficiency tests:
– IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE – Which is better?
– Minimum IELTS scores for student visa and immigration
– TOEFL scores for MBA in top business schools