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Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday workplace activities.
The TOEIC test is a two-hour multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions divided into 100 questions each in listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Each candidate receives independent marks for written and oral comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 and 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colours, corresponding to achieved results :
  •       orange (10-215)
  •       brown (220-465)
  •       green (470-725)
  •       blue (730-855)
  •       gold (860-990)

There are an estimated 3 million testees in 60 different countries per year, but most of these are Japanese and South Koreans. The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and, to a lesser extent the FCE/CAE, is widely accepted as a measure of English ability in other countries. ETS claims that the TOEIC measures the ability to function in an English-speaking workplace.

Until recently, it only measured reading and listening skills (not speaking and writing) and, because of this deficiency, has long been criticized as an unreliable meter of general competence in English. A high score on the TOEIC test did not by any means provide a reliable indicator of functional English ability. Testimonies abound regarding Koreans and Japanese who scored high on the test, but who couldn't produce functional spoken English. Ostensibly, the popularity of the TOEIC is due to its former focus on grammar rules and reading, as these are the only English skills traditionally focused upon in the Korean and Japanese educational curriculums.

These curriculums are notorious for producing a serious imbalance in language skills and there is a distinct deficiency in productive skills (speaking and writing) among Japanese and Koreans educated under that system. Its academic ETS counterpart - the TOEFL test, has more international recognition and prestige because it has always had a speaking and writing component. Cambridge University's IELTS (academic) is also widely used as a meter of academic preparedness, especially in commonwealth countries. (The IELTS general is widely used by commonwealth countries for immigration). In response to widespread criticism, ETS revised the TOEIC in 2007 to include speaking and writing sections, with a de-emphasizing of grammar rule knowledge. While the IELTS is generally accepted in Europe, the TOEIC is making some inroads. (See below: TOEIC in Europe)

The questions on the TOEIC attempt to reenact international business environments and contain vocabulary and usage that are not necessarily needed in everyday life. Even a native speaker will find it hard to get full marks unless he/she has a good educational background, which strongly suggests that the TOEIC may not necessarily be a 100% true test of English communicative competence.

In answer to criticisms that the Listening Section hires only American and Canadian English speakers despite its "International" appellation, the year 2006 saw a major renewal. The changes can be summarized as follows:
  • Overall, passages have become longer.
  • Part 1 has fewer questions involving photo descriptions.
  • The Listening Section hires not only North American English speakers but also British, Australian and New Zealand English speakers. The ratio is 25% each for American, Canadian, British and Aussie-Kiwi pronunciation.
  • Part 6 no longer contains the error spotting task, which has been criticized as unrealistic in a corporate environment. This part instead adopts the task wherein the test taker fills in the blanks in incomplete sentences.
  • Part 7 contains not only single passage questions but also double passage questions wherein the test taker has to read and compare the two related passages such as e-mail correspondence.