What drives the gap between Japanese 80 and MNC 88?

**Speaking and Writing.** Japanese firms tolerate interpreter and translator support for meetings, so the evaluation centers on Reading / Writing. MNCs evaluate on **real-time meeting participation**, pushing S 22-24 as a floor. The gap widens for **outward-facing roles** like Marketing and Sales.

Which of the four sections should I lift first?

**The largest gap to your target by section.** Example: target 80 (L22 R20 S20 W18), current 75 (L20 R22 S15 W18) → **Speaking has the largest gap (5 points)** and gets priority. **A target total met by the wrong distribution still fails the JD.** Section profile beats total.

For overseas assignments, what does "floor of 20 across four skills" mean numerically?

**Every section at 20 (CEFR B1 upper) or above.** L 20 / R 20 / S 20 / W 20 minimum. **A profile of strong-30 + weak-15 = total 90** loses to a balanced **L 22 R 22 S 22 W 22 = total 88** for assignment performance. In an 80%+ English environment, weak skills become career-limiting.

Is TOEIC Link tied to compensation?

**Yes, increasingly so at large Japanese firms (2024-2026 transition).** Standard table: **75-80 = JPY 5,000-10,000/month / 80-85 = 10,000-15,000 / 85+ = 15,000-25,000.** **MNCs roll English fluency into base pay** with no separate stipend, but C1 (90+) becomes an implicit promotion criterion at Senior+.

Can I convert TOEIC L&R scores to role-based TOEIC Link targets?

**Rough rule: TOEIC Link total × 9 ≈ TOEIC L&R 990 scale.** Sales 80 ≈ L&R 720; IT 78 ≈ L&R 700; Overseas 85 ≈ L&R 765. **TOEIC L&R only measures L+R**, so Speaking and Writing must be cross-checked via TOEIC S&W or IELTS. **TOEIC Link gives all four skills in one sitting**, which is why it works better for role-based targeting.

TOEIC LinkPublished May 2, 2026

TOEIC Link Target Score by Job Role — Sales, IT, Marketing, Finance, Overseas Assignment

TOEIC Link reports independent L/R/S/W section scores, so target totals only tell half the story. The other half is which section the role actually uses. This guide aggregates published hiring criteria (2024-2026) from large Japanese firms, foreign multinationals, and growth-stage startups, and lays out section-by-section target scores for Sales, IT, Marketing, Finance, and Overseas Assignment — plus how to detect and close the weakest section first.

How English use varies by role

Sales / BD: customer calls + email + proposal docs. Real-time Listening and Speaking dominate; Writing has reread time. Priority S ≥ L > W > R.

IT engineers: docs reading + GitHub Issue / PR comments + Slack with international teams. Reading depth and Writing for async messaging dominate; Speaking depends on meeting density. Priority R > W > L > S.

Marketing: market research reports + PR drafting + webinars. Reading and Writing dominate; Listening is mostly recorded with no time pressure. Priority W ≥ R > L > S.

Finance / Accounting: IFRS / US GAAP documents + audit responses + monthly close in English. Reading is dominant; Writing is template-driven. Priority R >> W > L = S.

Overseas assignment: local meetings + local life + local clients — all four skills. Priority L = S > R = W, and floor scores matter (no skill below B1 upper).

Sales: S ≥ L > W > R
IT: R > W > L > S
Marketing: W ≥ R > L > S
Finance: R >> W > L = S
Overseas: balanced four skills + floor at 20
Priority drives study time allocation

Sales / BD targets

Large Japanese firm baseline: total 80 / L 22 R 20 S 20 W 18 (CEFR B2). Enough to follow international calls and respond. S 20 is the bottleneck — below this, the rep stalls in conversation.

Foreign multinational baseline: total 88 / L 24 R 22 S 24 W 18 (B2 upper - C1 lower). S 24 is the runs-a-proposal-meeting-alone level — the salesperson can drive the meeting.

Growth-stage startup global team: total 92 / L 25 R 22 S 25 W 20 (C1). Solo VC pitches and partnership negotiations. S 25 is the line in the sand; other three skills must clear 22.

Why Reading can be lower: sales decks have prep time and translation tools are tolerated. R below 18 is risky (misreading a customer email), but 20-22 is fully functional.

Japanese baseline: 80 (L22/R20/S20/W18)
MNC baseline: 88 (L24/R22/S24/W18)
Startup global: 92 (L25/R22/S25/W20)
Speaking 20 = bottleneck
Reading 20 = practical floor
CEFR: B2 to C1

IT engineer targets

Large Japanese firm baseline: total 78 / L 18 R 22 S 18 W 20 (B2). Reading 22 and Writing 20 are mandatory — read GitHub issues, comment on PRs. Speaking 18 assumes low meeting frequency.

MNC / international team: total 86 / L 22 R 24 S 22 W 20 (B2 upper). Lead Slack threads in English, speak up in design reviews, take English on-call. Listening 22 is the live-meeting threshold.

Senior / Staff (English-only operation): total 92 / L 24 R 25 S 22 W 22 (C1). Author RFCs / Design Docs solo. R 25 reads spec details, W 22 drafts design docs that need only minor edits.

Why Speaking is forgiven: IT runs heavily on async channels (Slack / Email / PR). Senior+ tightens the budget — once meeting frequency rises, S 22 becomes mandatory.

Japanese baseline: 78 (L18/R22/S18/W20)
MNC team: 86 (L22/R24/S22/W20)
Senior English-only: 92 (L24/R25/S22/W22)
R 22 + W 20 = mandatory pair
S 18 only OK Junior-Mid
Async-heavy work allows S relaxation

Marketing / Finance / Overseas targets

Marketing Japanese: total 80 / L 18 R 22 S 18 W 22 (B2). R 22 + W 22 = twin pillars. Read research, draft PR. W 22 = able to write industry-specific copy.

Marketing global: total 88 / L 22 R 24 S 22 W 24 (B2 upper - C1). Host webinars, take press calls, draft English blog posts. W 24 = publish-ready without editing.

Finance Japanese: total 75 / L 16 R 24 S 16 W 18 (B2). R 24 dominates — IFRS / US GAAP reading, audit emails. L and S forgivable at 16 (interpreters in meetings).

Finance MNC / Big 4: total 88 / L 22 R 25 S 22 W 22 (B2 upper - C1). R 25 is mandatory — read audit working papers, write review comments.

Overseas assignment: total 90 / L 24 R 22 S 24 W 20 (B2 upper). L and S 24 are the floor. No skill below 20 — you cannot compensate weak skills with strong ones once you live and work in English.

Mkt Japan: 80 (L18/R22/S18/W22)
Mkt global: 88 (L22/R24/S22/W24) — W edit-free
Fin Japan: 75 (L16/R24/S16/W18) — R-heavy
Fin MNC: 88 (L22/R25/S22/W22)
Overseas: 90 (L24/R22/S24/W20) — floor 20
Balanced (overseas) vs lopsided (finance) profiles

Detect and close the weakest section

Compare your first sitting against your role target by section. Close the largest gap first. Rough cost to lift one section by 2-3 points: L 30-50 hrs / R 40-60 hrs / S 60-80 hrs / W 50-70 hrs (1 hr/day baseline).

Speaking weakest: shadowing + 1-minute impromptu speeches daily. 30 min/day × 60 days for 2-3 points is realistic. Self-record or use a conversation tutor for feedback.

Writing weakest: 4-task templates + Task 4 essay structure memorization. 30 min/day × 50 days for 2-3 points. Templates beat raw practice for short-term lifts.

Reading weakest: vocabulary + speed reading. 1 hr/day × 60 days for 3-5 points. The decisive question: can you finish Sentence Completion fast enough to leave time for Reading Comprehension?

Listening weakest: native audio exposure + sustained Part 4 (Talks) attention. 30 min/day × 90 days for 2-3 points. Shadowing doubles as Speaking practice and is the most efficient lift.

L lift: 30-50 hrs / 2-3 points
R lift: 40-60 hrs / 2-3 points
S lift: 60-80 hrs / 2-3 points
W lift: 50-70 hrs / 2-3 points
Close largest gap first
Shadowing = L + S simultaneously

Target score by job role (Japanese baseline / MNC / top tier)

Role	Japanese total	MNC total	Top tier total	Critical section
Sales	80	88	92	Speaking
IT engineer	78	86	92	Reading + Writing
Marketing	80	88	95	Writing + Reading
Finance	75	88	92	Reading
Overseas assignment	85	90	95	Balanced (floor 20)

* Hiring criteria vary widely by company / department / level. Always reconcile with the target employer JD and ETS official CEFR mapping.

5 rules for role-based targets

Read section-by-section, not just the total
Sales prioritizes Speaking; IT prioritizes Reading + Writing
Marketing top tier requires edit-free Writing
Finance is the one role where lopsided profiles are OK
Overseas assignment requires no skill below 20

Try TOEIC Link free Read the CEFR conversion guide

Frequently Asked Questions

TOEIC® and TOEIC Link™ are registered trademarks of ETS. EnglishBlitz is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with ETS. Role-based targets are estimates from the ETS Japan TOEIC Program adoption guide (2024-2025), public hiring criteria, and our 2024-2026 hiring data aggregation. Always confirm with the actual employer JD.