The TOEIC® exam

The Test of English for International Communication is produced by ETS® (Educational Testing Service).

TOEIC test questions are based on real-life work settings in an international environment (meetings, travel, telephone conversations, etc).

What is the TOEIC® test like?

There are two separate parts to the TOEIC test. You can do one or both parts.

• The Listening and Reading test is a paper and pencil test that takes 2.5 hours and is taken at a test centre.
• The Speaking and Writing test is an online test that is taken in a test centre and takes 90 minutes. The Speaking and Writing test is a new test which is only available in some countries.

What about scores?

The TOEIC Reading and Listening gives a score between 10 and 990:
905 – 990 International Proficiency
785 – 900 Working Proficiency Plus
605 – 780 Limited Working Proficiency
405 – 600 Elementary Proficiency Plus
255 – 400 Elementary Proficiency
185 – 250 Memorized Proficiency
10 – 180 No Useful Proficiency
TOEIC Speaking and Writing tests are scored out of 200.

The TOEIC® Listening and Reading test

The Listening and Reading test takes 2.5 hours and has two sections:

Listening (100 Questions):
1. Part 1 photos 20 questions
2. Part 2: Question – Response: 30 questions
3. Part 3: Short conversation: 30 questions
4. Part 4: Short talks: 30 questions

Reading (100 Questions):
1. Part 5: Incomplete sentences: 40 questions
2. Part 6: Error recognition: 20 questions
3. Part 7: Reading comprehension: 40 questions
4. Reading 8: double passages

The TOEIC® Speaking and Writing test

This internet-based test lasts approximately 90 minutes. The two sections of the test (speaking and writing) are independent of each other and test-takers receive a separate score for each.

The new TOEIC Speaking and Writing tests are not yet available in every country.

The TOEIC Speaking Test (20 Minutes)

The test is taken online and your voice is recorded and sent to be marked.Scores arrive in 3 to 4 weeks.
You have to do the following tasks:
1. read a paragaraph aloud (tests pronunciation)
2. describe a picture (tests vocabulary/grammar)
3. respond to recorded questions (tests fluency/extended discourse)
4. propose a solution
5. express an opinion

The TOEIC Writing Test (60 Minutes)

The test is taken online and sent to be marked. Scores arrive in 3 to 4 weeks.
You have to do the following tasks:
1. Write sentences about pictures.
2. Write an email response
3. Write an essay