The TOEIC
| ETS TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) |
ETS TOEFL ITP (Test of English as a Foreign Language) |
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| Use | • Evaluation of general English proficiency for the global workplace | • Evaluation of English proficiency and readiness for academic programs |
| • Placement in language programs | • Placement in language programs | |
| • Assess progress from beginning to end of course | • Assess progress from beginning to end of course | |
| • Recruitment | • Exit test | |
| • Selection of job applicants and candidates for professional and technical training | • Practice with multiple choice items | |
| • Professional and trade certification | • Screening for study abroad | |
| • TOEFL ITP is not accepted by universities for admission | ||
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| Who takes the test? | • Adult students in business, vocational, trade and language schools, as well as Intensive English Programs (IEP's) | • Students in secondary schools, and adult schools |
| • Students in community colleges and university/college IEP's | • Students in community colleges and university/college IEP's | |
| • Employees of international businesses | • Applicants to exchange and fellowship programs | |
| • Job applicants | ||
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| Who uses the results? | • Language schools and IEP's | • Language schools and IEP's |
| • Teachers | • Teachers | |
| • Employees/students | • Students | |
| • Professional organizations | • Directors of scholarship and study abroad programs | |
| • Training managers | • Professional organizations | |
| • Human resources/development managers | ||
| • Recruiters | ||
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| Language Context | • Language used in the global workplace and everyday life | • Language used in social and academic contexts in North America |
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| Test format | • 200 multiple choice questions | • 140 multiple choice questions |
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| Score scale | • 10 - 990 Total | • 200 - 677 Total |
| • 5 - 495 Listening Comprehension | • 20 - 68 Listening Comprehension | |
| • 5 - 495 Reading Comprehension | • 20 - 68 Structure and Written Expression | |
| • 20 - 67 Reading Comprehension | ||
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| Administration | • Available to companies and language schools for local use on any date | • Available to academic institutions, language schools, and agencies for local use on any date |
| • Open testing sessions on specific dates | ||
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| Administration time | • 120 minutes | • 115 minutes |
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| Turnaround time for results | • Official machine scoring within 24 hours | • Official machine scoring within 24 hours |
Our research indicates that there is a fairly strong relationship between the TOEIC and the TOEFL ITP tests (r = .75). People who score highly on one test will also tend to score highly on the other. However, while the two tests are broadly related in that they both measure English proficiency, the purposes, uses, scales, and context of the two tests are different. Therefore, only general comparisons should be made between scores on the two tests. Scores on one test cannot be considered equivalent to scores on the other test.
The table below shows the approximate relationship between scores on the two tests. This comparison is based on a subsample of 360 examinees who participated in a large-scale study that included 1162 students from language programs in community colleges, four-year institutions, and intensive English programs across North America. Students were drawn from all proficiency levels and came from many different countries.
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Score Range Comparisons*
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TOEIC
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TOEFL ITP
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50 - 100
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272 - 291
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100 - 150
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291 - 311
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150 - 200
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311 - 331
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200 - 250
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331 - 351
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250 - 300
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351 - 371
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300 - 350
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371 - 390
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350 - 400
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390 - 410
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400 - 450
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410 - 430
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450 - 500
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430 - 450
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500 - 550
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450 - 470
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550 - 600
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470 - 489
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600 - 650
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489 - 509
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650 - 700
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509 - 529
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700 - 750
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529 - 549
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750 - 800
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549 - 569
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800 -850
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569 - 588
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850 - 900
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588 - 608
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900 - 950
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608 - 628
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950 - 990
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628 - 677
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*The table presented here is based on an analysis of the scores of a group of 360 examinees. There will be people in a given score range who may score higher, or lower, than indicated here. This table is intended to serve as a guideline only and will not necessarily apply equally to every individual.
Because the TOEIC and TOEFL ITP tests were developed to serve distinctly different purposes, the design, content, and context of each test are also very different. The table above shows only that a student who scores within a certain TOEIC score range is likely to score within a corresponding TOEFL ITP score range. It does not mean that the TOEIC test is equivalent to the TOEFL ITP test or that both tests assess English proficiency equally well at all levels.
The TOEIC test provides a measure of general English used in the workplace and does not contain academic language. Students planning to pursue undergraduate or graduate education in North America should take the TOEFL ITP test. Students who want to demonstrate their ability to use English in the workplace, or organizations that must document employees' English proficiency, will prefer to use the TOEIC test.
