TOEIC Decision Point

May vs Might: Permission or a More Tentative Possibility

In TOEIC Part 5, may and might can appear in policies, customer notices, forecasts, project risks, and possible future outcomes.

Do not ask “Which one always means a stronger chance?” In ordinary English, both can express possibility. A useful first question is: does the sentence give permission, present an open possibility, or describe a hypothetical or counterfactual result?

May can give formal permission and can also express possibility. Might also expresses possibility and is especially useful in hypothetical or counterfactual patterns. Do not treat the pair as a fixed percentage scale.

The quick choice

First check whether the sentence clearly gives permission. If not, look for a hypothetical or counterfactual pattern. If the sentence only expresses ordinary possibility, may and might can overlap.

May

Formal permission or possibility: customers may return items, employees may apply, delays may occur.

Might

Possibility, especially in hypothetical or counterfactual patterns: the project might be delayed, the plan might have failed, costs might increase.

The signal to remember

Clear permission = may. Hypothetical or counterfactual result = often might. Ordinary possibility can allow either form.

This is the MTC move. Use the situation around the blank rather than trying to calculate an exact percentage of possibility.

Employees may request flexible working hours with supervisor approval.
The sentence gives formal permission. Choose may.

Without additional funding, the expansion might have been cancelled.
The sentence describes a hypothetical result. Choose might.

Customers may choose either standard or express delivery.
The sentence presents an allowed option.

The revised schedule might reduce the risk of further delays.
This expresses possibility; in a sentence like this, may can also be possible depending on context and intended nuance.

What to notice

The purpose and structure of the sentence can make the intended meaning clearer.

may apply / may enter / may request / may choose
These can express permission or an available option when the context clearly grants permission.

might be delayed / might increase / might have failed
These can express possibility, including hypothetical or counterfactual results.

Do not force a false percentage rule

May and might can overlap when they simply express possibility. A well-formed practice item needs another signal, such as clear permission or a genuinely hypothetical or counterfactual pattern.

Clear may signal

A policy, instruction, or allowed choice: applicants may submit documents online.

Clear might signal

An imagined alternative or past possibility: the launch might have failed without the backup system.

Visitors may use the west entrance after 6 p.m.
This is permission.

The west entrance might have remained closed if repairs had taken longer.
This is a hypothetical past result.

Under pressure, ask one question: permission, open possibility, or hypothetical result?

Quick TOEIC check

Choose first. Then read the feedback. Use the quick check: clear permission, ordinary possibility, or a hypothetical/counterfactual result?

1. The travel-expense policy states that employees ___ request reimbursement for approved business travel expenses as an allowed option.

may might

Correct: may

The policy explicitly grants an allowed option, so may expresses formal permission.

Not quite.

The sentence explicitly describes permission under a policy, not uncertainty about whether employees will make a request. Choose may.

2. The company ___ have closed two regional offices, but the emergency loan prevented that outcome.

may might

Not quite.

The second clause confirms that the offices did not close. The blank describes a counterfactual past result, so choose might.

Correct: might

Might have closed fits the counterfactual past result that did not happen.

3. The application instructions state that applicants ___ submit supporting documents electronically or by post; both methods are permitted.

may might

Correct: may

The instructions explicitly permit either submission method, so may expresses permission.

Not quite.

The sentence explicitly says both methods are permitted, not merely possible. Choose may.

4. The old system ___ have remained in use, but the replacement arrived on time and prevented that outcome.

may might

Not quite.

The second clause confirms that the old system did not remain in use. Choose might for the counterfactual result.

Correct: might

The replacement arrived on time, so might have remained describes a counterfactual past outcome that did not happen.

The mistake to avoid

Do not memorise “may is stronger” and “might is weaker” as an absolute rule. The two forms overlap substantially when they express possibility.

Weak choice

Try to assign an exact probability without using the sentence purpose.

Better choice

Check for permission, an allowed option, or a hypothetical result.

Keep the distinction accurate

Both words can express possibility, so a bare probability contrast is sometimes not enough. A single-answer practice item needs a visible permission or counterfactual signal.

Do not invent a difference when the sentence gives none. Use the strongest visible signal.

Quick tool: clear formal permission = may. Counterfactual result = often might. For ordinary possibility, check the full context.

Related practice

Continue building fast sentence decisions

These pages also train the test-taker to use the purpose and visible pattern of the sentence.

Read Who vs Which vs That Read Assure vs Ensure Read Still vs Yet

Next step

Use review to choose the next practice

If a question feels clear during review but was difficult during practice, compare the permission or counterfactual signal with the choice you made.

The Learning Block Diagnostic reviews six MTC study patterns: Speed Trap, Memoriser, Over Thinker, Translator, Passive Listener, and Burnout.

Take the Learning Block Diagnostic Find Your TOEIC Plan Browse the Strategy Library

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