What score do you need to pass the TOEIC?

The short answer spoils the question: the TOEIC has no pass mark. That is not a generous reading — it is written in the ETS score user guide: "The TOEIC test is not the type of test that awards a pass or fail grade." Every score from 10 to 990 is reported, and none is flagged as insufficient.

If you are not even sure a TOEIC is what is expected of you, start with TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS or Linguaskill.

The threshold that concerns you does exist — but it is set by the school, employer or authority asking for the test. They are the ones to ask. This guide tells you what to expect when you do.

785: where that number comes from

It is the most quoted threshold in France, for a reason: schools accredited by the Commission des titres d'ingénieur make the award of the engineering degree conditional on a certified B2 level. Without it the degree is withheld, whatever the academic record.

785 is not arbitrary, and ETS did not choose it. In the standard-setting study ETS publishes, the B2 cut score is defined per section: 400 on Listening, 385 on Reading. 400 + 385 = 785. The French threshold is simply the sum of the two official B2 cut scores, restated as a total. That table is set out in TOEIC score to CEFR level.

One practical consequence few candidates notice: an 800 made up of 460 Listening and 340 Reading clears 785 without reaching B2 on Reading. Most schools look only at the total. Some look at both sections.

The thresholds people actually use

These ranges describe practice, not rules. None is published by ETS, which explicitly discourages rigid thresholds — its guide states that level recommendations "should be considered guidelines, as ETS does not recommend the use of rigid cut scores".

How your score compares

A score also reads by comparison. The France barometer published by ETS Global puts the national average around 705 to 735 points depending on the year — CEFR B1 territory. Students average markedly higher than employees, and engineering-school students sit near 760.

Put plainly: aiming at 785 means aiming above the national average without being an exceptional target. Aiming at 900 is a different exercise, decided less by comprehension than by speed and by holding concentration across two hours.

Should you put the score on your CV?

Simple rule: a score only helps if it is at least what the reader expects. Below 750 it mostly documents a limit. Three principles hold:

• Give the year. An undated score looks evasive, and it is verifiable for two years anyway — see how long a TOEIC score is valid.
• Name the test. "TOEIC 870" is ambiguous; "TOEIC Listening and Reading, 870/990" is not. There are several TOEIC tests on different scales (which ones).
• Never round up. The score can be checked with ETS for two years.