What is the level and difficulty of TOEIC 750 points?

Many people are taking TOEIC as a member of society or for job hunting. When you can solve the problem to some extent, 750 points will be within the range. Generally, it is said that if you have a score of 750 or higher, you can work smoothly in English, and the evaluation from companies will change.

In this article, we will explain the difficulty level and tips for studying for those who are aiming for a TOEIC score of 750. We will also introduce recommended reference books, so please refer to them.

TOEIC 750 points of difficulty

First, I would like to introduce the difficulty level of TOEIC 750 points. With reference to the official TOEIC data, we will explain the outline of how much English is required to get 750 points and how many people actually get it. In addition, we will tell you what grade the TOEIC 750 points correspond to in the Eiken, so please get a rough idea of the level.

TOEIC 750 points evaluation

TOEIC defines the correlation between score and communication ability level as follows. (Excerpt)

If you have a score of 750 points, you can say that you can understand daily conversation, have no major obstacles in your work, and have the ability to deal with specific fields. However, it is still difficult to respond smoothly to topics in non-specialized fields, and it is not enough to have fluent conversations with any person or environment.

Source: PROFICIENCY SCALE

Comparison of TOEIC 750 points and other English qualifications

Below is a comparison table of other typical English qualifications and TOEIC scores. Not official data. The scoring criteria for each exam are also different, so this is just a guide.

TOEIC 750 points correspond to Level 1 in Eiken, 6 in IELTS, and 60-78 in TOEFL. By the way, in the Eiken, the level of quasi 1st grade is set to the intermediate level of the university, and it is expressed as "It is required to fully understand and use English required in social life".

Source: Level 1 exam content / past questions | Eiken

Percentage of people who have obtained TOEIC 750 points

Let's take a look at the overall average score and the percentage of people with a score of 750 or higher from the 277th test results published by TOEIC in September 2021. The 277th exam was conducted on September 12, 2021 and had 37,835 test takers.

First, the average total score for the 277th session was 608.3 points (listening part: 328.0 points / reading part: 280.3 points). Looking at the average score of the past few times, it has been around 610 points. In addition, the listening part has a score of around 330 and the reading part has a score of around 280. It tends to be easier to earn points in listening than in reading comprehension, which includes difficult problems such as long reading comprehension.

Next, in the 277th session, 9,057 people got a total score of 745 points or more, which is the top 23.9% of all examinees. In other words, getting 750 points or more means aiming for the top 20% of the total.

Reference: Average Score / Score Distribution Details (277th) ｜ TOEIC Listening & Reading Test Official Data / Materials ｜ [Official] TOEIC Program ｜ IIBC (iibc-global.org)
Reference: Public Test Average Score / Score Distribution List ｜ TOEIC Listening & Reading Test Official Data / Materials ｜ [Official] TOEIC Program ｜ IIBC

Benefits of getting 750 TOEIC points

A TOEIC score of 750 or higher opens up many opportunities for the path you are aiming for and the job you want to challenge. Specifically, it has the following two merits.

You can appeal your English ability when you get a job or change jobs

TOEIC is the best way to appeal your English ability when you get a job or change jobs. This is because it is well known in Japan and the scoring criteria are clear, so many companies use it for recruitment selection and assignment decisions after joining the company as a criterion for checking their English proficiency. The TOEIC score of 750 is generally considered to be a level at which English practice can be carried out smoothly. As a company, we will give priority to those who have objectively proved their high level of English proficiency.

Even if there are many people who are taking TOEIC in preparation for job hunting, not many people will get a score of 750 or higher when they are students. In other words, if you have 750 points, you can be one step ahead of the surrounding job hunters at the time of selection. The TOEIC score of 750 is said to be the cut-off line in the global division of Japanese companies. If you want a global job, a score of 750 or higher will increase your chances of clearing the English screening.

You will be able to use English in the business scene

TOEIC is a test that measures a wide range of practical communication skills, and highly practical English used in the office and daily life is given. In other words, if you have 750 points, you can understand English used in the business scene smoothly, and you can take the initiative in using it. Even if you can exchange business emails in English, you will be able to do a lot of work as an immediate force.

Furthermore, if you can speak English fluently, you will have more opportunities to play an active role globally. For example, you will be more likely to have the opportunity to attend a meeting in English or go on an overseas business trip. If you have the ability to get 750 points, you can aim for 800 points, which is one rank higher. If you have 800 points or more, you may be selected as a candidate for overseas assignment to an English-speaking country.

Common points of people who cannot reach the TOEIC score of 750

If the score does not increase as expected no matter how hard you try, it is possible that the points you are trying to do are different or the measures are not sufficient. From here, I will introduce the common points of those who cannot reach the TOEIC score of 750. If either is true, follow the advice and review your study practices.

No measures have been taken for TOEIC

If you can speak English, you may get an average score of 600 points without any special measures. However, if you are aiming for the 750 point level, you need to take TOEIC-specific measures. Some people lament that they cannot improve their TOEIC score, but some of them have not studied using the TOEIC reference book in the first place. Use the TOEIC reference book properly to grasp the tendency of questions from past questions and memorize frequently-used words. It's the most reliable and efficient way to improve your score.

Also, some people just solve it crazy and don't try to get the hang of it. TOEIC is a game against speed. I don't have time to solve each question carefully. You can solve the problem at a good tempo by getting the knack of reading the question first before answering, grasping the pattern of the hooking problem, and so on. Details on listening and reading, and tips for studying each, will be described later.

Not enough time to study TOEIC

You may not have enough time to study TOEIC physically. There are individual differences in the amount of growth, and the difficulty level varies depending on the score level, but in general, it takes about 200 hours of study time to improve the TOEIC score by 100 points. In other words, even a person who currently has about 650 points will need 200 hours to reach 750 points, and another 400 hours if 550 points.

Make a solid plan on how to devote this amount of study time and how much study time you need per day by counting back from the TOEIC test date. For example, to increase 100 points in 3 months, it can be calculated that it takes about 33 hours in a month and 1 hour or more of study every day. For working people, it is also important to make good use of gap time such as travel time and break time.

How to study to get TOEIC 750 points

Although I was able to get up to 700 points on the TOEIC, many people may not be able to improve their scores. 750 points is a level that makes it difficult to break through with just your ability, so you will need to study hard. I will explain the points of study method separately for reading and listening.

Reading Tips: Review basic grammar and improve your vocabulary

To get 750 points, you need to do a simple calculation and get 375 points or more for each of reading and listening. Basically, you will earn a little more by listening, but even if you get 350 points by listening, a correct answer rate of 70% or more is required. Here are three tips for reading to break through 750 points.

Word

The best way to improve your understanding of English is to improve your vocabulary. TOEIC does not require the academic vocabulary of other exams, but it does require knowledge of a wide range of vocabulary related to business and daily life. It is efficient to memorize words by dividing them into genres such as "business," "daily life," "medical care," and "social problems."

Grammar

At TOEIC, the ratio of problems related to grammar and wording is high, which is very important. Before solving past questions, let's first review the grammar learned in junior high school and high school. If you have the basic grammar in mind, you will be able to solve the "fill-in-the-blank" problem in the first half faster. The key to improving your score is how much time you can spend on reading comprehension questions in the second half.

Skimming scanning

It is also important to have skimming ability to quickly read sentences while grasping the main points and scanning ability to quickly find out what is being asked in the question from the text. You will learn these by completing many exercises.

In reading, you have to solve 100 questions in 75 minutes, and if you think carefully about each one, you will run out of reading comprehension questions in the second half. Even if there is a problem that you do not understand, it is important to be clean enough to proceed with the problem one after another.

Listening Tips: Read the problem in advance

Reading tends to be more difficult, so in order to get a total of 750 points or more, I would like to earn about 400 points in listening if possible. In other words, a correct answer rate of nearly 80% is required.

The key to increasing the listening accuracy rate is to "look ahead and stay behind." By reading the questions and options before the voice and inferring the theme of the conversation first, it is possible to listen by focusing on the main points such as 5W1H. The audio will only be broadcast once, so avoid missing it.

If you have already scored around 700 points, you will probably be able to answer the relatively easy "photo problem" and "response" in the first half. The key to a high score is to improve the score in the latter half of "conversation" and "explanatory text", where the content becomes complicated and high listening ability is required. Use past questions to capture things such as "training to hear the voice while reading the options," "shadowing the voice," "improving vocabulary," and "learning common tricks."

6 recommended reference books for those who are aiming for TOEIC 750 points

Since TOEIC is so popular, there are many reference books, so don't you wonder which one is better? It is important to choose a reference book that suits your level. Finally, I would like to introduce 6 recommended reference books for those who are aiming for a TOEIC score of 750. We will tell you about the characteristics and the people who are suitable for it, so please refer to choosing the one that suits you.

Contains 1049 grammar questions

" 1000 Questions on TOEIC L & R Test Grammar Questions " is a grammar reference book boasting overwhelming volume and quality by the author who gets a perfect score every time in TOEIC. This is a book that covers the grammatical items that are given in Part 5 of the TOEIC. It contains 1049 grammar questions, so it is recommended for those who have grammar problems and want to do the amount anyway. It has gained a lot of support for its logical and easy-to-understand explanations and ease of use. The target level is wide, ranging from 500 points to 900 points, which is useful for many examinees who want to train their grammar questions and speed up their answers.

An indispensable book for production preparation

" TOEIC (R) Test New Format Selection Mock Test Reading 2 " is a reference book that completely covers all the questions that are likely to be asked in the actual test in 5 mock tests. The latest 500 questions (100 questions x 5 sets) carefully selected from the new format and the latest questioning tendency by the elite TOEIC instructors will cultivate the true ability to deal with any problem. Since the explanation is logical and the correct answer rate is posted for all questions, you can predict the score in the actual production. Since it is made faithfully to the actual TOEIC, it is recommended for those who want to gain practical experience for the public test and those who want to gain patience for difficult problems. It is a book that you can expect to improve your score if you do it thoroughly, but the difficulty level is higher.

With easy-to-understand video commentary

" TOEIC Test Ultimate Mock Test 600 Questions " is a reference book that contains 3 mock tests (200 questions x 3 sets) that look exactly like the actual test and a review mock test. Compose a mock exam by adjusting the balance of vocabulary, topics, difficulty level, question type, etc. used in the public test. It is a book for test takers of all score levels. A major feature is that you can check all the explanations for the three mock exams in the video. You will be able to understand the points more intuitively as if you were actually taking a lecture. In addition, the ALC Test Center's automatic scoring site is available. The conversion score and weakness problem type are also displayed, so you can objectively grasp your ability and challenges at that time.

Reference: TOEIC (R) L & R Test 600 questions of the ultimate mock exam + – ALC Co., Ltd.

Perfect for improving vocabulary

" New TOEIC Test Word Limited Express 1, Word Limited Express 2 Vocabulary Double Edition " is a reference book of words with problems that look exactly like the actual test. The author, who has a perfect score on the TOEIC, takes the test continuously and analyzes frequently-used words, so he has a good reputation for the high accuracy rate. In addition to the frequently used TOEIC words, you can also learn their paraphrase expressions, so you can aim to greatly improve your vocabulary with one book. You can also download the sound source for free, which is convenient for checking pronunciation. Affordable price and easy-to-carry book size are also attractive. It will be a strong ally for those who want to surely increase their vocabulary centering on the main words.

For advanced students who want to practice reading problems

" 700 Questions to Read the TOEIC L & R Test " is a Japanese version of the TOEIC preparation book produced by the Hackers Language Institute, which has gained tremendous support from Korean TOEIC learners. Seven reading mock exams are included. Anyway, it is recommended for those who want to solve a lot of reading problems and want to train their speed to solve all the questions. It is for advanced users with 700 to 900 points, and there is no explanation, so be careful about that point. Also for advanced users, a listening edition with 7 mock exams has been published. If you work together, you will be able to take comprehensive measures.

Reference: 700 reading questions in the TOEIC® L & R test

You can expect a reliable score increase

" New TOEIC Test Part 1 and 2 Limited Express Difficulty Countermeasure Drill " is a listening countermeasure book focusing on parts 1 and 2 that can be a reliable source of points in TOEIC. This is a book in which the author with a perfect score of TOEIC takes the test continuously and continues to analyze it in detail, condensing only the frequently-used ones, including words, expressions, and questions. The cost performance is good for the overwhelming amount of information, and it is also attractive that it is easy to carry. It is recommended for those who have missed points even in the first half of listening and want to take proper measures in Part 1 and those who want to know the points for improving the score in Part 2. If you have already got close to the perfect score in the first half, use a countermeasure book specialized in the second half.