TOEIC Prepositions: 980 Questions, and "By" Is the Answer 133 Times
Prepositions are the second-easiest grammar cluster on the TOEIC and one of the most concentrated. Of the 16,214 questions eng-test.com analysed, 980 test a preposition, 40.3% of those are rated easy and only 6.1% hard. One word does most of the work: by is the correct answer 133 times, nearly twice the next preposition. Almost all of it is about deadlines.
How often do prepositions appear on the TOEIC?
Often, and predictably. In eng-test.com’s analysis of 16,214 TOEIC-style Reading questions, 980 test a preposition — 6.0% of the bank. They are also easy marks: 40.3% are rated easy and only 6.1% hard, the second-lowest hard rate of any grammar cluster after verb form.
| What the label says | Questions |
|---|---|
| Grammar: prepositions of time | 244 |
| Grammar: gerunds after prepositions | 112 |
| Grammar: prepositions | 109 |
| Grammar: gerund after preposition | 31 |
| Grammar: prepositions of place | 21 |
| Grammar: prepositions with adjectives | 20 |
| Grammar: prepositions with verbs | 20 |
| Grammar: prepositions of cause | 17 |
Time is the dominant theme. Prepositions of time alone account for 244 questions — more than twice any other label — which makes sense for a business-English exam built on deadlines, schedules and notice periods.
Which preposition is the answer most often?
By, at 133 correct answers — nearly twice the next one. It wins because it is the deadline preposition, and deadlines are everywhere in TOEIC business contexts: submit by Friday, respond by the end of the week, arrive by 9 a.m.
| Preposition | Times it is the answer | Mostly used for |
|---|---|---|
| by | 133 | a deadline: finish by Friday |
| for | 75 | duration or purpose: for three weeks, for review |
| on | 50 | a specific day: on Monday, on 14 May |
| in | 39 | a month, year or period: in March, in two hours |
| before | 36 | earlier than a point in time |
| during | 35 | across a period: during the meeting |
| to | 34 | direction or a fixed pairing: adhere to |
| at | 30 | a clock time or a point: at 3 p.m. |
| within | 30 | inside a time limit: within 30 days |
| despite | 24 | contrast, followed by a noun or -ing |
| including | 23 | listing what is covered |
| due to | 18 | cause, followed by a noun |
If a TOEIC blank is followed by a deadline — a day, a date or “the end of…” — by is statistically the most likely answer in this bank. Check until only if the sentence is about something continuing up to that point.
What is the difference between by, until, within and before?
They are the four that get confused, and the exam knows it. Each answers a different question about time, and only one of them means “at any point up to this moment, then it is over”.
| Word | Means | Use it when | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| by | no later than this point | something must be completed | Submit the form by Friday. |
| until | continuing up to this point | something keeps going, then stops | The office is closed until Monday. |
| within | inside this length of time | a window is given, not a date | Reply within 48 hours. |
| before | earlier than this point | emphasis on being ahead of it | Please arrive before 9 a.m. |
| during | at some time inside a period | the period is named, not the moment | Phones are off during the meeting. |
| from … to | a start and an end | a range is given | Open from 9 to 5. |
The classic trap is by versus until. “Finish the report until Friday” is wrong because finishing is not continuous; “The office is closed by Monday” is wrong because closure is. If the verb describes a completed action, the answer is by.
What form comes after a preposition?
The -ing form, always. 143 of the 980 preposition questions test exactly this across two labels, and it is the most mechanical rule on the exam: after any preposition, an English verb takes -ing.
| Phrase | Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for … | for submitting | for submit |
| before … | before leaving | before to leave |
| by … | by improving | by improve |
| without … | without notifying | without notify |
| interested in … | in joining | in join |
| responsible for … | for managing | for manage |
| look forward to … | to hearing | to hear |
| in addition to … | to providing | to provide |
The last two are the ones that catch people, because the “to” in look forward to and in addition to is a preposition, not an infinitive marker. That is why submitting and improving appear in the answer list above — they are verbs sitting in preposition slots. The wider rule set is in the eight trigger words that decide a verb form.
Which prepositions are locked to a particular word?
A short list, and they are pure memory. When a verb or an adjective demands one specific preposition, no reasoning helps — and the exam puts three plausible alternatives beside it. The bank has 40 questions on prepositions with verbs and adjectives combined.
| Word | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adhere | to | adhere to the code of conduct |
| comply | with | comply with the regulations |
| abide | by | abide by the rules |
| conform | to | conform to the dress code |
| participate | in | participate in the workshop |
| responsible | for | responsible for the budget |
| familiar | with | familiar with the software |
| eligible | for | eligible for the allowance |
These overlap with the verb-choice cluster, where the preposition printed in the sentence often gives the answer away — the collocations behind one question in six covers that pattern from the verb side.
How should you study TOEIC prepositions?
Split them into three piles, because they are learned three different ways. Time prepositions are a decision tree, the -ing rule is mechanical, and fixed pairings are rote memory. Treating all prepositions as one topic is why they feel endless.
- Learn by / until / within / before as a set of four contrasts, not as four words. This covers the largest label in the cluster at 244 questions.
- Memorise the one-line rule for gerunds: after a preposition, add -ing. That is 143 questions.
- Make a list of fixed pairings as you meet them — adhere to, comply with, responsible for. Never write the verb alone.
- Do this cluster early. At 6.1% hard it is one of the two cheapest grammar wins, alongside verb forms at 6.0% hard.
- Drill inside timed items — Part 5 question types and tactics and the free 5-question sample.
How reliable are these figures?
These count eng-test.com’s own bank, not official ETS papers, which are not public. The 980 total groups eight skill labels that all test prepositions, so it is a family rather than one official category, and difficulty is the bank’s own consistent internal scale.
Figures come from a 16,214-question snapshot of the active Reading pool inside eng-test.com’s bank of 20,000+ original items, taken on 10 July 2026 and re-counted on 26 September 2026. eng-test.com is independent and not affiliated with ETS or the official TOEIC test. Methodology: our analysis of 16,214 TOEIC Reading questions. Exam format: the complete guide to the TOEIC test.
Frequently asked questions
Which preposition appears most on the TOEIC?
- By, which is the correct answer 133 times in the analysed set — nearly twice the next preposition. It dominates because it is the deadline word, and TOEIC business contexts are full of deadlines.
What is the difference between by and until?
- By means no later than that point, for something that gets completed: submit the form by Friday. Until means continuing up to that point, for something ongoing: the office is closed until Monday.
What form of the verb comes after a preposition?
- The -ing form, without exception. Thank you for submitting, before leaving, by improving. The bank has 143 questions testing this rule across two skill labels.
Is it "look forward to hear" or "look forward to hearing"?
- Hearing. The to in look forward to is a preposition, not an infinitive marker, so it takes -ing. The same applies to in addition to and be used to.
Are TOEIC preposition questions hard?
- No, they are among the easiest. Of 980 preposition questions, 40.3% are rated easy and only 6.1% hard, second only to verb-form questions at 6.0%.
What does within mean on the TOEIC?
- Inside a stated length of time, used when a window is given rather than a fixed date: reply within 48 hours. It is the correct answer 30 times in the analysed set.
Which prepositions must be memorised?
- The ones locked to a particular verb or adjective: adhere to, comply with, abide by, conform to, participate in, responsible for, familiar with, eligible for. No rule predicts these.
How many TOEIC questions test prepositions?
- 980 of the 16,214 analysed questions, or 6.0%. The biggest sub-group is prepositions of time at 244 questions, followed by gerunds after prepositions at 143 across two labels.