ON THE NET Introducing Standardized EFL/ESL Exams

In a few months students from almost every single country will be taking high-stakes tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Testing System (IELTS), Business Language Testing Service (BULATS), and others in order to achieve a score that allows them to pursue their studies abroad. Students who want to pursue graduate studies in the United States will be able to choose from a number of tests to prove their proficiency level, but, up to now, the most important test has been the TOEFL. The TOEFL, like other exams, has been progressively converted into a computer-based test (CBT), first, and into an Internet-based test (iBT) later. Most students today take a computer version of this test. The promptness of the rating system as compared to the traditional paperand-pencil format have helped to popularize the CBT and iBT versions of TOEFL. Many of the other high-stakes tests have followed or are following this change. Probably, the second most important highstakes exam is IELTS, whose computerized version is currently being used experimentally in several countries as a first stage of implementation.