TOEIC vs TOEFL
TOEIC and TOEFL are two tests that measure the abilities of people to comprehend and use English as a means of communication. These are standardized tests that are meant to help students and other people to showcase their abilities to academic institutions and businesses that they can perform in competitive environments. There are many similarities in these two tests confusing people desirous of studying or working abroad as to which one of the two they should take. This article takes a closer look at TOEIC and TOEFL to come up with their differences.
TOEFL
English has become a very important language across the world with more than 2 billion speakers. This has necessitated a standardized test to assess the abilities of an individual. TOEFL is an acronym that stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. It is a test that is conducted by Educational Testing Service, or simply ETS as it is known worldwide. Students from across the world need to take this test as scores of TOEFL are recognized and accepted by most educational institutions in North America before granting admission. If you are from an Asian country, a high score in TOEFL indicates that you are competent in English and have the ability to a level that is necessary to complete higher studies in a foreign university. TOEFL is mostly used by Universities and other academic institutions to ascertain the proficiency of students applying for courses for higher studies.
TOEIC
TOEIC is an acronym that stands for Test of English for International Communication. It is a standardized test conducted by ETS that fulfills the requirements of governmental organizations and businesses to employ candidates having good knowledge of English. The scores of this test reflect whether the candidate is able to communicate effectively in English or not. Organizations and businesses in European and North American countries are increasingly relying on the scores of this test before recruiting candidates. TOEIC has been recognized as the standard test to assess the workplace communication skills of individuals. Nearly 4 million individuals take TOEIC every year to prove their communication skills to potential employers across the world.
TOEIC vs TOEFL
• TOEIC and TOEFL are tests conducted by ETS to assess the abilities of individuals in English language, but they serve different purposes.
• TOEFL has been traditionally used by educational institutions to ascertain the reading and writing abilities of students desirous of pursuing higher studies.
• TOEIC is used more by government organizations and businesses to check on workplace communication skills of prospective employees.
• TOEIC is more objective in nature, whereas TOEFL is more subjective in nature.
• A wider range of skills is assessed with TOEFL than TOEIC.
• TOEFL is more of an academic test whereas TOEIC is more of a workplace test.
• The scores of TOEFL and TOEIC cannot be compared directly as they assess different abilities.
• TOEFL has a duration of 4.5 hours and tests reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills whereas the duration of TOEIC is 2.5 hours.
• Scores in TOEFL are provided on a scale of 0-120 whereas scores in TOEIC are provided in a scale of 100-450.