Most U.S. institutions require international students to meet a minimum English proficiency test requirement for admission to the institution. The language requirements for admission appear to be the same for technical and for academic students. Standardized English proficiency tests purport to be non-specific; yet an analysis of the items on a widely used test showed that the majority of the items referred to materials of an academic nature. This involves a problem for English for Special Purposes (ESP) training programs, which provide training in a register of English that is not necessarily academic. Three points must be considered in relation to this dilemma: (1) to avoid preparing students to participate in a program to which they cannot gain admission, ESP programs must prepare students to take the required non-specific tests; (2) while proficiency test scores can predict success in technical programs, they should not be the sole criteria for evaluating a student's readiness to enter technical training; and (3) English programs providing preparation for technical training at U.S. institutions cannot survive without acknowledging the dual nature of their commitment to students, to prepare them for admission to the university as well as for participation in the technical program. (Author/AMH)