ABSTRACT
The General English Profi ciency Test (GEPT) is a suite of fi ve-level standardized tests of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) developed by the Language Training and Testing Center (LTTC) in Taiwan (see Chapter 6). It was stated both on the test’s offi cial websites2 and in many of the LTTC published research reports that the GEPT was created “in order to implement the educational ideal of ‘lifelong learning’ and effectively promote the environment in which everyone [in Taiwan] studies English” as well as to “create an assessment system that will be suitable for each level of learners in Taiwan” (Language Training and Testing Center [LTTC], 2000a, p. iv). There is no statement, however, that specifi cally explains the types of decisions that may be made based on the GEPT test scores. Thus, in reality, the GEPT scores are used for a variety of decisions in various settings; from job/scholarship applications to university admission, placement, and graduation (see Chapter 6). A website hosted by the LTTC (https://www.lttc.ntu. edu.tw/p1.htm) contains lists of places that are using the GEPT scores, which include at least 39 government offi ces and private sectors, 126 universities and colleges, and 315 junior and senior high schools. While some of the listed institutions state specifi c levels of the GEPT that they require, for the majority of the institutions, it is unclear which level of the GEPT is required and why.
