Old And New TOEIC Test: What Are Differences?

1. Comparison regarding format between old and new Toeic exam

Like the old Toeic test, the new TOEIC one comprises two sections: Listening and Reading which evaluate your reading and listening skills. There will also be 45 minutes for you to complete the Listening section and 75 minutes for the TOEIC reading section. The total number of questions have also remained unchanged (200 questions).

 

 

1.1. Here is the summary of the changes of the Toeic listening test

		Old format	New format
Part 1: Photographs	Stand-Alone Questions	10 questions	6 questions
Part 2: Question- Response	Stand-Alone Questions	30 questions	25 questions
Part 3: Conversations	Set-based Questions	30 questions – 10 conversations – 3 questions per conversation	39 questions – 13 conversations – 3 questions per conversation
Part 4: Short Talks	Set-based Questions	30 questions – 10 talks  – 3 questions per talk	30 questions – 10 talks  – 3 questions per talk
		Listening Comprehension: 100 questions	Listening Comprehension: 100 questions

→ Changes:

– The number of questions in Part 1 (Photographs) and Part 2 (Question – Response) has been reduced.

– The number of questions in Part 3 (Conversations) has been increased.

– Conversations consist of elisions (Eg: going to → gonna) and  incomplete sentences/fragments (Eg: Yes, in a minute; Could you?)

– There are shorter turns and more exchanges in conversations. 

– Some conversations have more than two speakers. 

– There are new types of questions that ask the connection between what you heard in a conversation or a talk and what is seen in a graphic. 

– There are new types of questions that ask the speakers’ implied meaning in the context of a conversation or a talk.

 

1.2. Here is the summary of the changes of the Toeic reading test

 

		Old format	New format
Part 5: Incomplete Sentences	Stand-Alone Questions	Incomplete Sentences: 40 questions	Incomplete Sentences: 30 questions
Part 6: Text Completion	Stand-Alone Questions	Text Completion: 12 questions	Text Completion: 16 questions
Part 7	Set-based Questions	Single Passage: 28 questions – 9 single passages – 2 – 5 questions per passage	Single Passage: 29 questions  – 10 single passages – 2 – 4 questions per passage
	Set-based Questions	Double Passages: 20 questions – 4 double passages  – 5 questions per set	Multiple Passages: 25 questions – 2 set-based double passages – 3 set-based triple passages  – 5 questions per  set

→ Changes:

– The number of questions in Part 5 (Incomplete sentence) has been reduced.

– There are new question types that ask the overall organization of passages.

– In Part 6 (Text Completion), candidates are required to choose which sentence fits best in the context of the overall passage. 

– Text messages, instant messages or online chat conversations with multiple writers appear in the new Toeic exam. 

– There are new questions asking the understanding of the writer’s words in context. 

– There is a small increase in the number of single- and multiple-passage questions.

– There are questions that test the comprehension of three related texts.

– Candidates are required to understand where in the passage a sentence belongs in set-based questions. 

 

2. Comparison regarding level of difficulty and score between old and new toeic exam

According to ETS, the level of difficulty of the new Toeic test remains the same as the old one. The Toeic test continues to be a fair and credible assessment of English proficiency in the workplace. 

The Toeic score system also hasn’t changed. Each of the listening and reading sections has 100 questions. The score for each section is determined by the number of correct answers, which is then converted to a scaled score ranging from 5 to 495. The final score is the sum of the two scaled scores. Hence, the best possible Toeic score you can achieve is 990 and the worst one is 10. The result certificate contains the listening, reading and scaled score.

The new Toeic exam score is valid for two years. The date of the exam is noted on the result certificate. You will receive your score within 3 weeks maximum.

Visit our website to get free TOEIC practice test for your coming exam!