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Server error scuppered the most popular English proficiency test for some candidates on Saturday. The TOEFL test began at 10 a.m. at some 50 locations across the country, but a considerable number of test takers could not take the test due to errors at ETS, the U.S. business that runs it.
Only candidates who had entered test rooms before the server errors occurred finished the test without a hitch. The rest had to wait for two to three hours watching a computer screen that read, "accessing," while others could not enter the test rooms because it was impossible to confirm their identity.
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Jongno Street, where many private English institutes are located
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TOEFL-related websites teemed with complaints. A 26-year-old candidate who identified himself as Na, taking the test in Daegu, said, "This was my last chance to take the TOEFL to get admissions to American graduate schools. I¡¯m upset because my plan was frustrated."
An official with Edelman Korea, the PR agency for ETS, said, "We haven't yet received any data from ETS headquarters in the U.S. on the exact number of test takers and victims. We're going to notify each candidate as soon as we decide on a concrete plan."
ETS will give full refunds to those who could not take the test or allow them to resit as early as possible. To take the Internet-based TOEFL test that was introduced to Korea in September 2006, candidates worldwide access the ETS headquarters' server simultaneously. One to five such tests are conducted each month, with about 3,500 to 6,000 candidates each time. The fee for each is US$170.
In 2007, there was trouble because of the limited number of rooms available.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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