What is the TOLES exam?
How is TOLES graded?
What skills are tested by TOLES?
How TOLES can help lawyers and law students
How TOLES can help employers and law firms

What is the TOLES exam?
The 2-hour test allows lawyers and law students to prove their ability to cope with everyday, practical tasks in English when working in a legal office or studying in a faculty of law.

It is very practical in nature and is a test of knowledge of up-to-date legal English.  It is not an exam in English or American law.  The language and terminology tested by TOLES reflect international commercial transactions in today’s global market.

How is TOLES graded?
The test is marked out of a maximum of 500 points. A coloured grading scale is used to indicate the level of a candidate’s achievement. An explanation of the colour grading scores is issued with all certificates.

Individuals may retake the exam after a minimum of a 6-month interval to try to improve on their previous grading.

The TOLES exam is open to everyone, but it is recommended that candidates have some practical legal experience or follow a specialised legal English course before attempting the exam.

What skills are tested by TOLES?

			Knowledge and use of specific legal vocabulary relevant in the global commercial market
			Formal letter writing and communicating by email
			Drafting techniques
			Reading complex documentation
			The language of negotiating
			Grammatical accuracy

How TOLES can help lawyers and law students

			Assess your true ability in legal English
			Use the exam as measure of your progress – you can take it as many times as you wish
			Demonstrate your ability to prospective employers by including your grade and certificate as part of your Curriculum Vitae
			Keep up to date in your professional development
			Prepare yourself for entry to a law course in a UK or US university or for an internship

How TOLES can help employers and law firms

			Assess that your employees are able to communicate in English efficiently and fluently
			Measure and compare the legal English skills of current employees and prospective employees
			Use TOLES to obtain an accurate idea of skills which cannot be easily assessed by interview, for example legal drafting techniques
			Encourage employees to take the exam periodically and use the results as a measure of progress
			Measure the usefulness of language training courses in your company by using the test before and after
			Reliable method of identifying an employee’s need for legal English language training