When Things Go Wrong on TOEIC Link: PC Freeze, Audio Drop, Black Screen and the Recovery Playbook
TOEIC Link is a 100-minute fully online continuous exam, which means a PC freeze, audio dropout, or black screen can wreck your score in a single moment. This guide covers the six most common technical failures, the official recovery path for each, and the 30-second decision rule that decides whether you keep your session or have to retake. Stay calm, act in the right order, and most cases end with a free retake rather than a voided test.
Rule: get to the proctor chat within 30 seconds
TOEIC Link is a real-time proctored exam. The single largest lever for avoiding a voided session is the time between recognizing a technical failure and reporting it in the proctor chat (bottom-right of the test screen). Reports show that the longer you wait, the lower the chance the proctor will approve a retry.
Do not refresh the browser, do not restart the PC on your own initiative — both read as possible cheating in the proctor logs and put your session at risk. The right move is a single short message: "I have a technical issue, screen is frozen." The proctor decides what comes next.
- Report any technical failure to chat within 30 seconds
- Self-initiated reload or restart is a rule violation
- Proctor logs auto-record interruptions on their side
- Earlier reports get more retry approvals
The six most common failures and first responses
Reported technical failures cluster into six types. The first response is always the chat, but the second response (after the proctor instruction) varies by type. PC freeze and audio dropouts together account for roughly 70% of cases.
Audio failures during Listening are especially time-sensitive: whether you can re-hear the affected question often decides your section score. The instant audio cuts, type "Audio cut off at question N" in chat. Including the question number significantly increases the chance you can restart from that question.
Half of these are preventable with prep
About half the six failures can be made significantly less likely with pre-test prep: (1) restart the PC one hour before the test and shut down background apps, (2) Chrome or Edge latest only, (3) wired LAN with other Wi-Fi devices disconnected, and (4) re-plug the external mic and headphones via USB 30 minutes before start.
Also do not skip the equipment check at the start of the session. Mic-test and audio-test failures that surface only after the Speaking module begins typically take 5+ minutes to recover, eating into your test time. Do not move past the equipment check until every indicator is green.
First-response matrix by failure type
| Failure | Frequency | First response | Likely proctor instruction |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC freeze | High | Chat: "Screen frozen" | Wait 60s; if unresolved, allow re-login |
| Audio cut | High | Chat: "Audio cut at Q-N" | Restart from same Q (Listening only) |
| Black screen | Medium | Chat: "Screen blank" | Permission to refresh (F5) |
| Mic not detected | Medium | Flag at equipment check | USB re-plug instruction |
| Connection drop | Medium | Phone support directly | Same-session rejoin within 5 min |
| Keyboard unresponsive | Low | Chat: "Cannot type" | Check OS lang / allow re-login |
* If you lose connection entirely the chat itself is unreachable — note the ETS support phone number before the test.
T-60 minutes checklist
- Restart PC and close non-essential background apps
- Wired LAN; disconnect other devices from Wi-Fi
- Re-plug external mic and headphones via USB
- Clear the equipment check with every indicator green
Frequently Asked Questions
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