Chapter 1 — General overview

TOEIC stands for Test of English for International Communication. The topics are generally related to the professional world, particularly business (business).

The test is divided into four sections:

• Listening comprehension: 100 questions in 45 minutes (linear version) or 45 questions in 25 minutes (adaptive version), scored from 5 to 495 points.
• Speaking: 5 tasks (11 questions) in 20 minutes, scored from 0 to 200 points.
• Reading comprehension: 100 questions in 75 minutes (linear version) or 45 questions in 37 minutes (adaptive version), scored from 5 to 495 points.
• Writing: 3 tasks (8 questions) in 60 minutes, scored from 0 to 200 points.

The Listening and Reading sections are available in a linear version (on computer or paper) or an online adaptive version (Multistage Adaptive). The Speaking and Writing sections are not adaptive. The cumulative test time is 2h22 when the Listening and Reading sections are taken in the linear version.

The Listening + Reading total ranges from 10 to 990 points. The Speaking and Writing scores (0 to 200 points each) are reported separately: no single overall score out of 1390 is issued, as each skill receives its own score and level.

The test positions the candidate at CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) levels A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1.