English language trainers not uncommonly ask us whether they should use the TOEIC Listening & Reading test with all their students or instead assess their lower-level students with the TOEIC Bridge test. 

There are arguments for and against using TOEIC Bridge in such situations, and so the answer to the question depends largely on your philosophy and needs.

• To give a bit of background, TOEIC Bridge is not simply a shorter version of the TOEIC Listening & Reading test (it lasts one hour as compared to two) but also includes other modifications. For example speech on the listening section is slower, with longer pauses, and content focuses to a greater extent on everyday English such as one would use with family and friends.
   
• TOEIC Bridge can be a tool for motivating and encouraging new English learners. It challenges them at their own level and they will not face the same number of questions likely to be beyond their knowledge as they would while taking a TOEIC Listening & Reading test. 
  
  TOEIC Bridge is therefore often used by institutions seeking a "starter test" for new language learners who may lack confidence in their abilities.Some examples of such users would include adult education programs, vocational programs, and government ministries working to promote English language learning.
   
• On the other hand, starting with the TOEIC Listening & Reading test allows learners  and teachers to continue measuring progress using the same scale even as they proceed to advanced levels. Those using scores on their resume will also find that the L&R scale is more familiar to potential employers than the Bridge scale. (However, equivalency tables do allow rough conversion of scores between the two tests.)
   
• If you use the TOEIC Listening & Reading test is chosen, you can add the TOEIC Speaking & Writing test to assess all four English skills areas. No similar complementary test currently exists for Bridge.
   

• While Bridge is sometimes thought of as the option for lower-level learners, in fact both TOEIC and TOEIC Bridge have been proven to reliably used to measure skills at the beginning to lower-intermediate level (Common European Reference Framework A1 through B1 levels). TOEIC Listening & Reading can also reliably measure higher scores, up through the C1 advanced level.
  
   So another point to consider would be be how many of your group of test takers can be expected to fall at the top of the skills scale as opposed to the bottom. If you expect to have some advanced English users in your group and want to measure their skills accurately, you will do best to choose TOEIC L&R. If you want to assess a group of students who may all fall somewhere around an A1or A2, Bridge will allow more precise comparison of their levels.
     

Hopefully, a consideration of these points will help you in deciding which test is right for your audience and goals. You also of course are welcome to contact us to discuss further.

 —Lia Nigro, TOEIC USA Team