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Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

yes, ETS reports that Japan has the lowest scores in all of Asia. Here is a 2006 report. Look at page3 5 and 6.

http://www.fr.etseurope.org/uploads/tx_etsfreeresources/TOEIC_06_Worldwide_report.pdf

Chris21 · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Posts: 366 Location: Japan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

So, you choose not to believe that scores from 145,000 Korean test takers means anything? Go find better figures. ETS is the place that developed the TOEIC. Best answer I can give you.

Many students in Japan are forced to take TOEIC, too, so you can't throw out data for that reason.

73% of Japanese and 99% of Korean TOEIC test takers had taken the test before, but Japan has more people that take the test multiple times. What does that prove? I don't know, other than that Japanese take the test a lot. Perhaps the figures per 2006 were not means of 800,000 separate people, but maybe 1/2 or 1/4 of that, which puts the figures much closer to Korea's.

As for "elite" test takers, the report (did you read it all?) says this:
test-takers from Japan (68%) were in scientific or technical positions. ...Generally speaking, however, the majority of test-takers from each country worked in scientific or technical positions (52%), marketing/sales (17%), or clerical positions (9%).

Find some way to normalize the data if you like. Bottom line to me is that scores from Korea and Japan TOEIC takers stink.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I have read in many places that the TOEIC scores in Japan are skewed because so many people take it even if they haven't really prepared for it. In South-East Asian countries most people take it for a specific reason and also don't have the money to pay the test fee unless they are really serious about it and believe they have a good chance at a good score, so a larger number of the people who take the test in those countries do well.

Plenty of my Japanese friends and acquaintances take the test every so often for fun without really studying, and people at my workplace take the test once a year, even though many of them couldn't care less about their score.

Of course there are other factors at work, but it makes sense that the above is one factor affecting TOEIC scores.

Amethyst99 · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Canada

southofreality · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Near as I can tell, GEOS has updated its web page.
Use this to send an inquiry to them.
http://www.geoscareer.com/contact/index.php?nr=1

Back on topic now...

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

Well actually, the initial thread was someone asking about work in Tokyo, so it has wandered a bit off thread Cool

. But I have enjoyed the wandering.

Amethyst99 · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Canada

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Amethyst, I'm pretty certain southofreality was making a joke about how the thread was off topic. No offense intended, I'm sure.

southofreality · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo

JenR · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Japan and USA

Everyone wants to teach in Tokyo.

But I found the less urban centers much nicer to teach in.