The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is a multiple-choice test of English for non-native speakers of English. It consists of two sections: listening comprehension and reading. There are 100 questions in each section. Separate scaled scores are provided for each section, the part score scales ranging from five to 495 and the total score scales ranging from 10 to 990. This paper discusses the development, appropriateness, reliability, difficulty, discriminability and validity of the TOEIC. A series of validation exercises were carried out in Japan to determine the degree to which performance on the TOEIC corresponded to performance on more direct measures of each of four language skills: listening comprehension, reading, writing and speaking. In addition the relationship of performance on the TOEIC to performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was determined. Data indicated that TOEIC provides a good indication of candidates' language abilities in English. The mean scores of all the direct measures showed a consistent relationship with the appropriate TOEIC part scores. (RL)