The TOEIC exam is almost an obligatory step for any Grandes Écoles student. For good reason, this test allows you to certify your level of English. It is your gateway to a new job, a promotion or to validate a diploma. However, do you know how this test is scored and how to interpret it? Business Cool deciphers the TOEIC scores and its grid for you!
The TOEIC in brief
The TOEIC (or Test of English for International Communication) is undoubtedly the most commonly used certification in English. The TOEIC Listening and Reading test, the most popular TOEIC, is broken down as follows: 200 questions divided into two parts (of 100 questions each), an oral comprehension called “Listening” and a written comprehension called “Reading”. The highest score is 990 points and certifies perfect command of English. Pass this exam and you can advance your career!
Understanding the TOEIC scale
The TOEIC tests your ability to use English in a common situation in business life. It allows you to attest to your professional level of English. Like each exam, it has its own scale and its own interpretation of scores. As seen above, the TOEIC is scored on 990 points. In reality, it is made up of two parts, each rated out of 495.
How is the TOEIC scale broken down?
Each part of the TOEIC has 100 questions, these are asked in the form of multiple choice questions. Once all the answers are collected, they are converted into a score ranging from 5 to 495. The TOEIC uses a scaling system for its scoring. Once you reach a certain level of correct answers, each additional correct answer usually earns you 5 points (10 points in some cases).
The number of correct answers required to obtain a high TOEIC score varies depending on the oral and written portions of the test.
| Correct Answers | Listening Score | Reading Score |
| 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | 5 | 5 |
| 8 | 5 | 5 |
| 9 | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 11 | 5 | 5 |
| 12 | 5 | 5 |
| 13 | 5 | 5 |
| 14 | 5 | 5 |
| 15 | 5 | 5 |
| 16 | 5 | 5 |
| 17 | 10 | 5 |
| 18 | 15 | 5 |
| 19 | 20 | 5 |
| 20 | 25 | 5 |
| 21 | 30 | 10 |
| 22 | 35 | 15 |
| 23 | 40 | 20 |
| 24 | 45 | 25 |
| 25 | 50 | 30 |
| 26 | 55 | 35 |
| 27 | 60 | 40 |
| 28 | 70 | 45 |
| 29 | 80 | 55 |
| 30 | 85 | 60 |
| 31 | 90 | 65 |
| 32 | 95 | 70 |
| 33 | 100 | 75 |
| 34 | 105 | 80 |
| 35 | 115 | 85 |
| 36 | 125 | 90 |
| 37 | 135 | 95 |
| 38 | 140 | 105 |
| 39 | 150 | 115 |
| 40 | 160 | 120 |
| 41 | 170 | 125 |
| 42 | 175 | 130 |
| 43 | 180 | 135 |
| 44 | 190 | 140 |
| 45 | 200 | 145 |
| 46 | 205 | 155 |
| 47 | 215 | 160 |
| 48 | 220 | 170 |
| 49 | 225 | 175 |
| 50 | 230 | 185 |
| 51 | 235 | 195 |
| 52 | 245 | 205 |
| 53 | 255 | 210 |
| 54 | 260 | 215 |
| 55 | 265 | 220 |
| 56 | 275 | 230 |
| 57 | 285 | 240 |
| 58 | 290 | 245 |
| 59 | 295 | 250 |
| 60 | 300 | 255 |
| 61 | 310 | 260 |
| 62 | 320 | 270 |
| 63 | 330 | 275 |
| 64 | 325 | 280 |
| 65 | 335 | 285 |
| 66 | 340 | 290 |
| 67 | 345 | 295 |
| 68 | 350 | 295 |
| 69 | 355 | 300 |
| 70 | 360 | 310 |
| 71 | 365 | 315 |
| 72 | 370 | 320 |
| 73 | 375 | 325 |
| 74 | 385 | 330 |
| 75 | 395 | 335 |
| 76 | 400 | 340 |
| 77 | 405 | 345 |
| 78 | 415 | 355 |
| 79 | 420 | 360 |
| 80 | 425 | 370 |
| 81 | 430 | 375 |
| 82 | 435 | 385 |
| 83 | 440 | 390 |
| 84 | 445 | 395 |
| 85 | 450 | 400 |
| 86 | 455 | 405 |
| 87 | 460 | 415 |
| 88 | 465 | 420 |
| 89 | 475 | 425 |
| 90 | 480 | 435 |
| 91 | 485 | 440 |
| 92 | 490 | 450 |
| 93 | 495 | 455 |
| 94 | 495 | 460 |
| 95 | 495 | 470 |
| 96 | 495 | 475 |
| 97 | 495 | 485 |
| 98 | 495 | 485 |
| 99 | 495 | 490 |
| 100 | 495 | 495 |
Listening: calculation of the TOEIC score
If you wish to validate level B1, you will need to have at least 56 correct answers, or 275 points. From 93 correct answers, you will obtain the maximum points for the oral comprehension part (Listening).
Reading: score calculation
For the Reading section (written comprehension), you will need to obtain at least 83 correct answers to validate level B1. The lowest score is achieved if you validate at least 30 correct answers.
Please note that, during the TOEIC test, you will always have the choice between several propositions (4) and you will have to choose the most suitable answer. Plus, if you make a mistake, it doesn’t take away any points. It is therefore important to answer all the questions even if you are not sure of yourself.
TOEIC score and its CEFR equivalences
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, also known as the CEFR, is used to compare the results of different language tests on a common scale. Each level of the CEFR corresponds to specific skills in comprehension and expression. Levels, such as A1, B2, C1, are probably familiar to you, because they allow you to easily determine your level of mastery of a language.
Using the table below, you can easily convert your TOEIC score to CEFR level.
| Level | TOEIC score | TOEFL score | IELTS score |
| Beginner (A1) | Between 0 and 250 points | Between 0 and 18 points | Between 0 and 1.5 points |
| Elementary (A2) | Between 255 and 400 points | Between 19 and 40 points | Between 2 and 3.5 points |
| Intermediate (B1) | Between 405 and 600 points | Between 41 and 64 points | Between 4 and 5 points |
| Advanced Intermediate (B2) | Between 605 and 780 points | Between 65 and 95 points | Between 5.5 and 7 points |
| Advanced (C1) | Between 785 and 990 points | Between 96 and 120 points | Between 7.5 and 9 points |
Converted into a TOEIC score, this gives:
| Level | TOEIC score | TOEFL score | IELTS score |
| Beginner (A1) | >120 | >5 | <4 |
| Elementary (A2) | >225 | >17 | >4 |
| Intermediate (B1) | >550 | >42 | >4.5 |
| Advanced Intermediate (B2) | >785 | >72 | >5.5 |
| Advanced (C1) | >945 | >95 | >7 |
How to interpret your TOEIC result?
The TOEIC certificate provides an evaluation grid to place your score on a scale. Your total score combines written and oral comprehension, thus determining your position. Separate assessment grids are available for each section, allowing you to assess your language skills in each area.
For oral comprehension, there are three levels:
- 200 points: understanding the main ideas of a photograph or description, as well as the details of a simple conversation or the end of a dialogue.
- 300 points: understanding of ideas, context and purpose of longer texts, with possible assimilation of details through repetition or paraphrase.
- 400 points: understanding of difficult texts, short or long, on various subjects. Ability to grasp details during conversation, especially when sentences are complex (including negatives).
Regarding reading comprehension, there are four levels:
- 150 points: understanding of simple and common vocabulary, as well as the ability to find the correct answer when the language used in the question matches that of the text.
- 250 points: ability to make simple inferences, understand basic grammatical structures and make connections between information.
- 350 points: ability to grasp the ideas and purpose of a text, to establish links between information using more complex grammatical structures. Understanding intermediate-level vocabulary and identifying the meaning of words and expressions using context.
- 450 points: ability to make inferences from information provided, understanding of a wide range of vocabulary, and ability to distinguish nuances between similar terms.
