TOEIC Training How to register for the TOEIC
Most TOEIC horror stories are admission problems, not English problems. They are all avoidable.
You register for the TOEIC online, through ETS Global, which represents ETS in France. The flow itself is short. What costs candidates dearly is not the registration — it is what they discover on the morning of the test.
The six steps, in order
- Create an account on the ETS Global site. This is also where your score report will be published after the test, so keep the email address reachable.
- Choose the test. For most people that is TOEIC Listening and Reading, public programme. If you are unsure, read which TOEIC test to take first — you cannot switch after payment.
- Choose the date and centre from the open sessions. The price appears at this step, and it varies between sessions.
- Enter your details and upload a photograph, which will appear on the score report.
- Accept the terms and conditions.
- Pay by card — Visa, Mastercard or American Express. No cheques, no cash, no bank transfer. A confirmation email follows.
Check the spelling of your name
The name you enter must match the ID you will present exactly. A swapped forename and surname, or a missing accent, is fixed before the test — not in front of the invigilator.
The deadlines that matter
Three dates structure the calendar, and two of them are irreversible.
| Deadline | When | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Registration closes | Around 10 days before the session | You aim at a later session. |
| Arrival at the centre | Before test materials are handed out | Refused entry, with no refund and no transfer. |
| Score review request | Within 3 months of the test date | The score can no longer be challenged. |
If the score has to appear in an application, work backwards from the application deadline rather than forwards from today: add the results turnaround — a few hours for computer-delivered, ten to fifteen calendar days for paper — then the ten-day registration cut-off, then your preparation time. Two months goes quickly.
Identification: the number-one reason people are turned away
This is the strictest rule of the day and the least known. The document must be original, physical, unexpired, with a recent photograph and a signature. Not a photocopy, not a picture on a phone, not an expired card.
| Situation | Accepted documents |
|---|---|
| EU national testing in the EU or Schengen area | National identity card or passport |
| Non-EU national testing in the EU or Schengen area | Passport, residence card issued by an EU or Schengen state, refugee status card |
| Testing in your own country | The above, plus driving licence and military card |
| Testing outside the EU and outside your own country | Passport only |
One French quirk: a national identity card issued to an adult between 2006 and 2013 remains valid for five years beyond the expiry date printed on it, and is accepted if it otherwise meets the requirements. When in doubt, bring a passport — that document is never argued over.
What to bring
- Your ID, per the table above.
- The admission form emailed to you, printed and unsigned — you sign it on site, in front of the invigilator.
- Two HB pencils for paper sessions.
- Parental consent if you are under 18.
Allow generously for time: actual testing takes two hours, but ETS recommends setting aside about two and a half hours to cover check-in, the biographical questionnaire and the instructions.
After the test
The digital score report is published in your ETS Global account and an email tells you it is there. Turnaround depends on the format: a few hours for computer-delivered sessions at a centre, seven calendar days for remote-proctored tests, ten to fifteen days for paper — three to five with express marking.
That document stays available and verifiable for two years, which has practical consequences set out in how long a TOEIC score is valid.
Before you pay, find out where you stand
Registration is final and the test has no pass mark, so you are the one deciding whether your current level justifies the spend today. Sit a timed section first.
Quick answers
What ID do I need?
What if I arrive late?
Can I pay by cheque or cash?
Sources
Fees, deadlines and funding rules change. Where a number matters to your decision, check it against the official page linked here before you book.
Now find out where you actually stand
Reading about the test only gets you so far. Take a section under real conditions and get a score on the official 10–990 scale.
Keep reading
Where can you take the TOEIC?
Public session or institutional session — the difference decides where you go and who gets your result.
How much does the TOEIC cost?
The headline price is not the whole bill. Here is what you pay, what varies, and what you can skip.
How long is a TOEIC score valid?
What expires is ETS’s willingness to vouch for the score, not the paper in your drawer.