The New TOEIC Test

What’s new about the new TOEIC® test?One of ETS’s most important missions is to continuously validate its tests by ensuring that content is aligned with purpose, and that fairness is maintained. The new TOEIC® test reflects our continuous pursuit of excellence in test development.

The improved TOEIC test assesses proficiency by aligning questions with everyday language scenarios that happen in today’s workplace. Tasks are more authentic. Not all tasks have been changed — but some tasks give test-takers the opportunity to respond with language that is appropriate to the situation; in other words, how would someone at work respond in this particular situation?

At the same time, ETS has maintained the integrity and quality of the original TOEIC test. The scale and score range—5 to 495 for each section of the test (listening and reading)—remains unchanged. The difficulty range is the same. Many of the question types are the same also.

Download a copy of the new TOEIC Listening and Reading Brochure.

How is the new test different?
Listening section enhancements include four major changes:

a decrease in the number of photograph questions in Part 1
the use of both recorded and written questions in Part 3 (conversations) and Part 4 (short talks)
a shift from individual questions to sets of questions in Part 3 (conversations)
the use of different English accents, as spoken in the U.S., Great Britain, Canada and Australia
Reading section enhancements include three major changes:

the elimination of Part 6 (error recognition questions)
the addition of text completion questions (Part 6)
the inclusion of reading sets of questions based on two inter-related passages (Part 7)
One other change is the range of accents in the listening section of the test. There are examples of a U.S. (North American) accent, a Canadian accent, a British accent, and an Australian accent. The accents are slight but they reflect types of English that are taught and spoken in the international workplace. Hence, the TOEIC test is more valid as a test of international communication.