Comparing English Tests: TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, VERSANT and GCAS (and Where Eiken Fits)

After years of studying for Eiken (Japan’s best-known English test), I sometimes wonder: what level is Eiken Grade Pre-1 on TOEIC or TOEFL? You can’t say that one Eiken grade equals one exact score on another test. Still, I thought a rough guide could help, so I looked into the major English tests and put them side by side.

Of these, I’ve actually taken VERSANT and GCAS, but not TOEFL or IELTS. I’ve heard that many universities use those two to check the English level of students going abroad to study. I’m a working adult who studies English as a hobby, so Eiken has pretty much been my only test. I hope this helps if you’re trying to decide which test to take.

TOEIC (L&R and S&W)

Let’s start with TOEIC, the most familiar test in Japan. It’s long, with a lot of questions, so it takes real concentration. One difference from Eiken is that it starts with listening. On Eiken, the listening section comes after the reading and writing, when your brain is already tired, and that was really tough until I got used to it. So starting with listening, like TOEIC does, might suit some people better.

The S&W format hasn’t changed since June 2019, and as of 2026 the number of questions and the test time are the same (only the difficulty and the context of the questions are adjusted each time).

How many people take TOEIC?

According to official data from IIBC (the organization that runs TOEIC in Japan), about 2.16 million people took a TOEIC Program test in fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), and about 3,900 organizations used it. That’s about 60,000 more test takers and 700 more organizations than the year before.

TOEIC S&W also hit a record of about 51,000 test takers across public and in-company tests (up 30% from the year before), the most since it started in 2007.

What is TOEIC for?

TOEIC mainly measures English for business in Japan and other parts of Asia. There’s no pass or fail, just a score, and companies often use it for hiring and promotions. In Japan, it’s the standard qualification for job hunting and career changes.

Suitman has actually never taken TOEIC ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ I’ve studied for it with abceed (a Japanese study app), and I’d like to find a chance to take it someday. Scores go up in 5-point steps, so it seems like a good way to see your own progress. You need real English skills, but TOEIC also seems to have its own question patterns, so learning some techniques can help your score. It also tests grammar that Eiken doesn’t, like parts of speech, which I’m really bad at. If you’re aiming for a high score, I think you need to solve tons and tons of practice questions.

TOEFL iBT (big changes from January 2026)

TOEFL had a major revision in July 2023, and from January 2026 it was overhauled even more. Not many articles seem to cover this yet, so I’ll go into a bit more detail.

The July 2023 changes

The test was shortened from 3 hours to about 2 hours. Reading was cut to 2 passages with 10 questions each (20 questions), and the time went from 54–72 minutes down to 35. Independent Writing was replaced by “Academic Discussion” (writing a post for an online discussion board).

The 2026 overhaul

The section order is now fixed as Reading → Listening → Writing → Speaking. Scores are now mainly reported as a 1–6 band score (in 0.5 steps) aligned with the CEFR (the Common European Framework of Reference, a shared scale for language levels), and until January 2028 a comparable score on the old 0–120 scale is shown as well. Scores also seem to come back faster now, within 72 hours.

How many people take TOEFL?

According to ETS (the organization behind TOEFL), more than 40 million people around the world have taken TOEFL. ETS runs over 50 million tests a year across the whole TOEFL family (iBT, ITP, Junior and Primary) in 180 countries and at more than 9,000 locations. I couldn’t find detailed official numbers for test takers in Japan alone, though.

What is TOEFL for?

It’s mainly for studying at universities and graduate schools in North America, such as the US and Canada. It measures academic English (the level of lectures and textbooks), and most North American universities list a TOEFL score as an entry requirement.

You take it on a computer, either at a test center or at home. The score has changed from points to bands, and it can now measure English all the way up to C2 on the CEFR.

IELTS (Academic and General Training)

IELTS comes in two types, each with a different purpose.

Academic vs. General Training

Both take a little under 3 hours and test the same four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. But here’s a twist: with the same number of correct answers, the Academic test tends to give a higher band score. For example, to get Band 7.0 in reading, Academic needs about 30 out of 40 correct, while General needs 34 or 35. The General test content is easier, but the accuracy you need is higher, which surprised me a little.

Computer vs. paper

The content, difficulty and scoring are exactly the same; only the way you answer (typing or handwriting) is different. The computer version takes about 2 hours 45 minutes in total, a bit shorter than the paper one, because the time to transfer listening answers is 2 minutes on computer and 10 minutes on paper. The speaking test is face to face in both, and takes 11–14 minutes.

How many people take IELTS?

According to the British Council, more than 3.8 million people take IELTS each year, and more than 10,000 organizations in over 140 countries recognize it. It’s one of the largest English proficiency tests in the world.

What is IELTS for?

It’s mainly for studying in or moving to Commonwealth countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Scores are often required for visa applications (for immigration or work), so compared with TOEFL, it’s used more in the context of moving abroad.

VERSANT (speaking-focused)

From here on, these are tests focused on speaking. I’ve actually taken VERSANT.

It takes about 20 minutes, with 6 parts and 63 questions, and in every one you listen to audio and answer in English right away. There are four scoring areas: Fluency (30%), Pronunciation (20%), Sentence Mastery and Vocabulary. Fluency counts for more than pronunciation, which I think is an easy point to miss when you prepare. Each area is scored from 20 to 80, and the overall score is the average.

For example, Part A is reading sentences aloud (8 questions), and Part F is giving your opinion freely in 40 seconds. The part I struggled with most was the one where you hear a sentence and have to repeat it exactly. I just couldn’t do it. It looks easy, but it’s surprisingly hard. And the sentences get longer as you go (　ﾟдﾟ)

How many people take VERSANT?

According to Pearson and Nikkei, more than 2,000 companies in 160 countries use it. In Japan, about 500 companies and schools use it, and as of 2021 a total of 400,000 people had taken it. In Japan, it’s sold exclusively by Nikkei through the Nikkei Business School.

What is VERSANT for?

Its biggest feature is that you can take it on a computer or smartphone any time, day or night, and AI scoring gives you results in as little as about 5 minutes. Companies often use it to measure the results of English training or to screen speaking skills when hiring.

Suitman got a free VERSANT test as a bonus from some email newsletter. The deadline was close, so I just looked up a few tips online and took it. You get the results quickly, and the overall score is an average of your speaking and reading scores. I think it’s a good test if you just want to try one out.

GCAS (business-focused speaking)

I’ve also actually taken GCAS. It’s a face-to-face speaking test for business, released in fall 2017 by the Eiken Foundation of Japan.

You talk with a native-speaking examiner online, doing tasks based on real business situations like presentations, explaining data and responding to objections. There’s no pass or fail. Instead you get a CEFR level (A1–C2) and a score (0–300). It has a two-layer design: 5 English Language Skills (ELS) and 3 Business Performance Skills (BPS), each rated on the CEFR. The fee is ¥6,900 (tax included).

When I took it, the examiner was from overseas, and of course we discussed things in English. I remember the question went something like this: “You run a farm.” Wait, a farm?… “Your chickens have bird flu. Business has been tough lately. What will you do?”

At the end, I got a report with my scores from various points of view.

How many people take GCAS?

I want to be upfront about this: official numbers for companies using it or people taking it aren’t published, so it’s “unknown.” Compared with the other tests, I think it’s still not very well known or widely used. Right now, it’s mostly taken in groups through company HR or training departments, not a test individuals can easily sign up for.

What is GCAS for?

The Eiken Foundation itself seems to expect it to be used for promotions and for decisions about overseas transfers and assignments. It’s a fairly new business English speaking test.

Comparing test fees

Here are the fees too, since they’re something you quietly wonder about (prices in Japan as of 2026; they may change, so check the official websites before you apply).

Lined up like this, you can see that TOEFL is way more expensive than the rest. Even the cost tells you it’s a test for people who seriously need it to study abroad.

Comparing how long scores are valid

Here’s how long each score stays valid.

TOEFL is the only one where the score itself expires, so watch out for that.

A quick word on studying

There’s tons of information out there on how to prepare for each test and which books to use, so I won’t go deep into that here. But let me share a little about how I study.

I have Claude Code (an AI assistant) check my English writing in VSCode, and I built a system that turns the corrections straight into Anki flashcards. Whatever test you take, I think that kind of steady, daily practice is the foundation.

So which test should you take? A summary by purpose

For speaking-focused tests like VERSANT and GCAS, I think the difference really comes down to whether you practice speaking regularly. I keep taking lessons on Cambly (an online English conversation service), and I feel it’s practical preparation for tests where you have to answer in English on the spot.

Comparing the tests by CEFR level

You’ve probably seen conversion tables like this all over the internet, but there’s one important thing to keep in mind.

IELTS itself says clearly that a one-to-one match with the CEFR isn’t possible, and warns against using conversion tables as the only basis for decisions. Every conversion table online is a rough guide put together by schools and other organizations, not something officially guaranteed.

Even if they’re on the same row, each test measures different skills and combines them differently (an average of four skills, or only listening and reading, and so on). So please treat “Eiken Pre-1 = TOEFL 72” as just a rough idea.

By the way, GCAS isn’t commonly taken by individuals yet, so there’s almost no official data converting it to TOEIC or the CEFR. Rather than forcing numbers onto it, I’ll just note that it’s in a different position: business-focused and mostly taken through companies.

Summary

This started from looking into Eiken Grade Pre-1, but each test turned out to have more personality than I expected, and it was fun to compare them.

• TOEIC is for jobs in Japan, and with about 2.16 million test takers a year it’s the biggest test in Japan
• TOEFL is for studying in North America, and it was overhauled even more from January 2026
• IELTS is for studying in or moving to Commonwealth countries, with over 3.8 million test takers a year, one of the largest in the world
• VERSANT and GCAS focus on speaking and are often used for company training, hiring and assessments
• Conversion tables are only a guide, not an official one-to-one match

Which test you should take depends on why you want to prove your English. I hope this helps you choose.