The TOEIC IP Test as a Placement Test: Its Potential Formative Value

Abstract

The use of the Test of English for International Communication Institutional Program (TOEIC IP) at postsecondary institutions in Japan has been increasing over the past decade. The revised TOEIC test provides test-takers and administrators with 3 levels of information: total score, listening and reading sectional scores, as well as the percentage of correct responses achieved on 4 listening subskills and 5 reading skills. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis, this study found significant differences between placement decisions for 1,524 university business students in an English for Specific Purposes program based upon their TOEIC IP scores and their 9 TOEIC subskill scores. The author also discusses some of the diagnostic shortcomings of using a standardized proficiency examination for placement purposes.