It is important to prepare for the TOIEC test even if you have a good grasp of English. Sharpening your test-taking skills will benefit you, and answering sample questions will help you prepare for the test. Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the TOIEC, also suggests reading the TOIEC Listening and Reading Examinee Handbook. It also provides sample tests on its website if you don't want to pay for test preparation.
Tests are administered 12 times each year in the United States. You can register online on ets.org, or through mail by sending in an application form. The registration deadline is Thursday the week before the test at 5 p.m. When registering, you must choose a test center and reserve a seat. The cost for the test is $75.
Each of the listening and reading parts has 100 items. Two and one-half hours are allotted for the test, with 45 minutes for the listening section and 75 minutes for the reading section. The listening portion involves questions and short audio conversations in English, and test takers must answer questions based on the audio. For the reading part, test takers answer questions that involve completing English sentences, recognizing grammatical errors and comprehending passages.
The speaking test has 11 questions that must be answered in 20 minutes. Scores for the speaking portion range from 0-200, and tests the candidate's ability to read text aloud, describe a picture, respond to questions and solve problems. The writing test has eight questions that must be answered in 60 minutes, and scores range from 0-200. Candidates must respond to the questions in proper written English.
There are two ways that ETS administers the TOIEC test. Through the Public Testing Program, students can sign up with ETS to take the test. The second way is specifically for those outside the U.S., through the Institutional Testing Program, in which the test is given on-site by a company or school affiliated with ETS. ETS has local preferred network offices throughout the world for international students to use as a resource for the TOIEC test.