Another hike due in May
By Kim Se-jeong
The fee for the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) will rise in May, upsetting millions of job-seekers and students who must take the test ― and get a decent score ― to get a job.
YBM, the local agency that manages the test in Korea on behalf of the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), recently said on its website that it would increase the fee for the test from 42,000 won to 44,500 won. The hike will take effect for the test administered on May 29, for which YBM is now receiving applications.
TOEIC is one of the most common English proficiency tests favored by many companies and institutes in Korea when they recruit and promote people. Some 2.07 million people took the test here in 2013, the last year for which data are available. The fee has been increased gradually; 10 years ago, it was 34,000 won.
"A sharp increase of prices and the costs of operating the test compelled us to increase the fee," a YBM official told The Korea Times, Thursday. "We seek the test takers understanding."
The fee is set by the local agency of each nation, without price guidelines from ETS, according to the official. He said the fee in Korea has been kept low.
Along with the increased fee, TOEIC will be have a new format for the listening and reading sections, which will involve a three-person dialogue for the listening comprehension ,and online and social network service content for reading comprehension.
Previous and prospective test-takers, mostly students and jobseekers, are not happy with the decision.
"Again? It's already too expensive," one wrote on a Facebook page for TOEIC takers. "The fee keeps going up, but my scores never do," another wrote. "This will certainly motivate other English tests to charge more."
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) created by ETS and the Test of English Proficiency (TEPS) created by Seoul National University are other popular tests.
Some complained about YBM's business ethics, citing Japan where the fee has not seen any increase.
"I heard the price in Japan has been the same for years now. I hope that YBM is not charging Korean test-takers more," another Facebook user wrote. "The government should stop giving preference to YBM."
TOEIC, which was developed by ETS at the request of Japan in the late 1970s, arrived in Korea in 1982.
Some question the test's validity as a language proficiency test, but it has never lost its prestige. Its popularity may grow further in the next couple of years as more companies and government organizations are expected to require higher scores on TOEIC as a basic qualification.
By Kim Se-jeong
The fee for the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) will rise in May, upsetting millions of job-seekers and students who must take the test ― and get a decent score ― to get a job.
YBM, the local agency that manages the test in Korea on behalf of the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), recently said on its website that it would increase the fee for the test from 42,000 won to 44,500 won. The hike will take effect for the test administered on May 29, for which YBM is now receiving applications.
TOEIC is one of the most common English proficiency tests favored by many companies and institutes in Korea when they recruit and promote people. Some 2.07 million people took the test here in 2013, the last year for which data are available. The fee has been increased gradually; 10 years ago, it was 34,000 won.
"A sharp increase of prices and the costs of operating the test compelled us to increase the fee," a YBM official told The Korea Times, Thursday. "We seek the test takers understanding."
The fee is set by the local agency of each nation, without price guidelines from ETS, according to the official. He said the fee in Korea has been kept low.
Along with the increased fee, TOEIC will be have a new format for the listening and reading sections, which will involve a three-person dialogue for the listening comprehension ,and online and social network service content for reading comprehension.
Previous and prospective test-takers, mostly students and jobseekers, are not happy with the decision.
"Again? It's already too expensive," one wrote on a Facebook page for TOEIC takers. "The fee keeps going up, but my scores never do," another wrote. "This will certainly motivate other English tests to charge more."
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) created by ETS and the Test of English Proficiency (TEPS) created by Seoul National University are other popular tests.
Some complained about YBM's business ethics, citing Japan where the fee has not seen any increase.
"I heard the price in Japan has been the same for years now. I hope that YBM is not charging Korean test-takers more," another Facebook user wrote. "The government should stop giving preference to YBM."
TOEIC, which was developed by ETS at the request of Japan in the late 1970s, arrived in Korea in 1982.
Some question the test's validity as a language proficiency test, but it has never lost its prestige. Its popularity may grow further in the next couple of years as more companies and government organizations are expected to require higher scores on TOEIC as a basic qualification.
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