more likely to perform abnormally (Alderson and Wall 1993: 117). The stress placed on
TOEIC test-takers in South Korea can result in lowered test reliability since the test-takers
may not be performing as they would in a less stressful situation.
Another issue the research uncovered was students not understanding the purpose of their
studies. Less than a third of the students in group A understand that the TOEIC tests business
English. However, as noted, a number of these students did not know they were studying
TOEIC, which likely had an impact on these results. The difference between the two age
groups may also be attributed to group B having already studied the TOEIC for two
semesters, and should therefore be more knowledgeable about the test and its contents. In
addition, group B will need TOEIC scores to get jobs in the near future, making it more
important for them to have a better understanding of the test, which should result in a rise in
motivation to know more about the TOEIC. Motivation will be covered more fully in the
next section