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Why are TOEIC test scores valid for two years?
Like most language assessment solutions, TOEIC test scores are valid for two years.
ETS Global and Representatives will re-issue and confirm score results for 2 years after taking the test. If a validated score is required for your purposes, you will need to retake the test. The TOEIC® tests, like other English-language assessments such as the TOEFL® test, measures a language proficiency at a given time.
Language skills can improve or deteriorate depending on whether a person continues to learn and use the language. For example, by studying abroad or, on the contrary, by no longer communicating in the language, proficiency may increase or decrease over time. According to a research paper by Donald E. Powers and Venessa Lall that discusses these issues, a 2-year expiration policy helps protect score users from potentially overestimating test takers’ language skills. At the same time, it protects some test takers by ensuring their English language proficiency is not underestimated substantially when they have made significant improvements since they last tested.
Therefore, nearly all academic and professional institutions believe that language evaluations have an expiration date: as time passes, they are less likely to reflect a test taker’s current level of proficiency. The TOEIC program also recognizes that language proficiency changes over time and therefore sets a two-year validity period for TOEIC scores. To obtain the most accurate measure of English proficiency, we generally recommend that the language assessment scores are as recent as possible.
In addition, after the score validity period of two years, the test takers can have a renewed motivation to prepare for the test, improve their English, and achieve the desired or required score. The official ETS Global website offers many resources for test preparation. Then, all you have to do is visit our website to register for the TOEIC test.