1. You can take the TOEIC at home now, but not on a phone
If you have ever wondered, "Can't I just take the TOEIC on my computer at home?", there is good news. As of 2026, in Japan, you can.
Since April 6, 2026, individuals can sign up for the TOEIC Listening & Reading IP Test (Online) through Study Sapuri ENGLISH. You can take it any time of day, as long as you have an internet connection. It has 90 questions and takes about one hour. You need a computer or an iPad. You cannot use a smartphone. The fee is 3,980 yen, and you see your score right after the test ends.
The regular TOEIC L&R Public Test takes about two hours and has 200 questions. So if you only want to know roughly where you stand now, the online IP test is much lighter.
There is one piece of bad news, though.
The test is called Listening & Reading, so you cannot skip the listening part.
If you hoped to take "reading only," the name of the test already closes that door.
2. Whether your company accepts the score depends on your company
The online IP test is not a fake practice test. It is an official TOEIC Program test run by IIBC. IIBC and Study Sapuri both say its score means the same as a Public Test score.
But "the score means the same" and "the place you submit it to treats it the same" are two different things.
IIBC's Public Test Score Confirmation Service does not cover IP tests. Also, schools and companies can set their own rules for what they accept.
So if your company only says "TOEIC L&R 400 or higher," an IP score may be accepted. If the rule says "Public Test," "Official Score Certificate," or "through the Public Test Score Confirmation Service," an IP score will probably not be enough.
This is not about your English. It is about your company's rules.
The worst case is that you study for dozens of hours and then hear, "Sorry, we don't accept IP scores here." Check the rule first.
3. How many hours do you need for a 400? It mostly depends on your score today
It is natural to ask, "How many hours a day, for how many months, do I need to reach 400?"
But the answer is not the same for someone at 300 and someone at 390.
An IIBC study article gives about 300 hours as a rough figure for raising a TOEIC L&R score by 100 points. Another IIBC article suggests checking your current level first, then aiming for about 100 points higher.
That said, 300 hours is not a promise that anyone will gain 100 points. It changes with your starting level, what you study, how well you focus, and how used to the test you are.
So it makes more sense to measure where you are now before you decide how many hours you need for a 400.
At 390, you may just need to get used to the test format. At 250, the gap is bigger, and you will probably also need to work on words, basic grammar, and getting used to English audio.
The most sensible answer is a little annoying: first, find out where you are now.
4. And then even finding out where you are now feels like too much
This is where it gets very human.
You think: I should study for the TOEIC.
First, I should know my current score.
So I should take a practice test.
A full-length test takes about two hours.
The online IP test takes about one hour.
...Ugh. That still sounds like a lot.
You have not learned a single English word yet, and you are already tired of the TOEIC.
This sounds like a joke, but it matters a lot for how you plan your study. Before you decide what to study, count how many steps you must go through just to begin. If there are too many, even a sensible plan does not get done.
Study Sapuri ENGLISH also has a free five-minute level check. It does not give an exact official TOEIC score. But if "a two-hour practice test is impossible for me" sounds like you, it makes the first step much smaller and gives you a rough idea of your level.
5. Your real problem may not be English, but how hard it is to start
"Let's study 30 minutes every day" is easy to say.
The hard part is starting those 30 minutes every day.
You sit down. You open your book. You look for your earphones. You search for where you stopped yesterday. You wonder what to do today. By then, an argument has started in your head.
People who already study every day do not vote each evening on whether to study a language today.
Think of someone who speaks three languages and studies one more every day. Their skill is impressive, but so is the number of times they have started again.
Knowing a thousand words is great. But having pressed "I'll do it today" close to a thousand times is great in a different way.
6. Research says that the more a habit forms, the less you argue with yourself
One study followed 91 university students for six weeks. They chose their own study habit and recorded it in an app. The more they repeated it, the more automatic it became. The more automatic it became, the less they felt pulled toward other things or got in their own way while studying.
This does not mean a habit is done in "21 days." The speed depends on the person and the action.
What matters is that as a habit forms, you no longer have to find motivation from zero every time.
Other studies and reviews also show that "if-then" plans, which tie an action to a certain cue, help people start the action they meant to do.
"I'll work hard on English" is vague. "After I get out of the bath, I'll open Part 5 for five minutes" gives you a clear starting point.
This is less about talent for languages. It is about building a shortcut that starts you.
7. A low-effort route for people who find the TOEIC a chore
If you jump straight to "one hour a day for 300 days," the plan alone will tire you out before you begin.
Try something like this at first:
- If your company or school needs the score, first ask whether an IP test is accepted.
- If you have no idea of your level, start with a rough five-minute check.
- If you need an exact score, choose the online IP test at home or a Public Test.
- In the first week, start at the same cue every day, even for just five minutes.
- Once you know there is a real gap to 400, raise it to 10, 20, then 30 minutes.
- Do not give up on listening. Half of the L&R test is listening, so skipping it only makes a 400 harder.
This does not mean five minutes a day will get you a 400.
The point of the five minutes is to practice pressing the start button.
8. In short: before you prepare for the TOEIC, prepare to start
What a TOEIC beginner needs to know first is fairly simple.
You can take the test at home. As of 2026, individuals can sign up for the online IP test. You need a computer or iPad, not a phone. It takes about one hour.
Whether your company accepts the score is up to your company, so check first.
You cannot decide how long it will take to reach 400 until you know your current level.
And if even checking your level feels like a chore, your first task is not English. It is making the start easier.
Study for the TOEIC.
Before that, find out your level.
Before that, get ready to find out your level.
So before you have learned a single English word, your project already has three floors.
People who study a foreign language every day are really impressive.
References (9)
- IIBC, "TOEIC L&R IP Test (Online) now supports API integration," 2026-04-07: https://www.iibc-global.org/iibc/press/2026/p301.html
- Study Sapuri ENGLISH, "TOEIC L&R IP Test (Online)": https://eigosapuri.jp/toeic/iptest/
- IIBC, "TOEIC L&R IP Test (Online) candidate guide": https://www.iibc-global.org/hubfs/library/default/toeic/corporate/lrip_online/pdf/iponline-jyukenkankyo.pdf
- IIBC, "Public Test Score Confirmation Service": https://www.iibc-global.org/toeic/test/lr/guide04/score2.html
- IIBC, "Tips for improving your English, STEP 3": https://www.iibc-global.org/toeic/toeic_program/levelup/step3.html
- IIBC, "Target TOEIC L&R scores and the study time you need": https://www.iibc-global.org/toeic/support/study_methods/methods07.html
- Stojanovic et al. (2020), App-Based Habit Building Reduces Motivational Impairments During Studying: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32116961/
- Brandstätter, Lengfelder & Gollwitzer (2001), Implementation intentions and efficient action initiation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11708569/
- Schweiger Gallo & Gollwitzer (2007), Implementation intentions: a look back at fifteen years of progress: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17295981/
