Test of English for International Communication

The TOEIC test meets a growing need for the assessment of English-language communication skills in the international workplace. While other tests have an academic focus or are culture-specific, the TOEIC test is a global tool that can be applied to any work or language-learning environment where English is required.

Currently, with some 5+ million test takers per year, the TOEIC test is the world's most widely used test of English for the workplace.

What is the TOEIC test?

The TOEIC test assesses the English listening and reading proficiency of non-native speakers who need to use English in their daily lives.

TOEIC test questions are based on examples of authentic English from the international workplace and are prepared by linguists and English-language specialists around the world. Several new forms of the test are developed every year, each measuring from beginner to advanced levels of proficiency.

TOEIC tests are each composed of 200 questions ... 100 listening items administered by audiotape, and 100 reading items ... the test takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to administer.

Score Interpretation

TOEIC test takers receive separate scores for the listening and reading sections, each of which is scored on a scale from 5 to 495. The total score ranges from 10 to 990. This score range provides an assessment of English proficiency for test takers at all levels. The separate listening and reading scores allow users to make more informed decisions about the English language abilities of individual test takers.

Empirical studies show that the TOEIC test provides a valid indication of English language proficiency. Research has demonstrated that the receptive skills (listening and reading) measured by the TOEIC test are highly correlated with the productive (speaking and writing) English language skills.

The TOEIC Program representatives provide users with information on how to interpret TOEIC test scores in terms of general English language tasks that a test taker can be expected to perform. TOEIC test representatives also help users to interpret TOEIC test scores by suggesting ways to customize score interpretation within a particular organization. In this way, test scores can be linked to specific job tasks and proficiency levels within an organization.

In Thailand, the TOEIC test representative provides organizations with score interpretations according to a variety of different categories within an organization. Scores can be reported and analyzed by Department, Position, Grade Level, University Attended, Major Area of Study, or virtually any other category that an organization wants to review.

Who uses the TOEIC test and why?

The TOEIC test program assists organizations ... from small businesses to multinationals ... from Universities to Technical Colleges ... as well as other public and/or private organizations, in planning, implementing, and monitoring human resources policies by:

• Setting goals for English training.
• Documenting progress made in English-language training programs.
• Helping with recruitment, deployment, and promotion decisions.
• Selecting participants for technical training where Engish is the language of instruction.
• Enabling human resources staff to implement one common standard of measurement throughout different corporate sites.

For language training institutes, the TOEIC test can help in:

• Placing students into language learning levels.
• Demonstrating progress of English-language students.
• Motivating learners.

In professional and technical training schools, students completing training and seeking employment enhance their credentials by demonstrating competence in an additional skill ... English.

Individuals use TOEIC test results to demonstrate their English proficiency when:

• Applying for a new position.
• Registering improvement after study or work in another country.

Advantages

Human resources and language training professionals use the TOEIC test because it saves time and money, while providing reliable and consistent results. TOEIC test results provide clear feedback to corporate management, employees, and trainers, all of whom benefit from the following advantages:

• The TOEIC test is a practical alternative to an oral interview, a procedure that is often difficult to schedule, time consuming, and is only as reliable as the interviewers conducting the tests and the raters scoring the results.
• Clear, unambiguous goals can be established at the outset of English training.
• The TOEIC test's broad score range allows for careful monitoring of progress.
• Organization test administrations are scheduled according to the client's needs.
• Individual test administrations are offered regularly in Thailand ... twice a day, six days a week.
• The TOEIC test can be used to assess as many people at a time as necessary ... from individuals to large groups.
• Results are always returned promptly.