Recently, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) changed by including a direct writing assessment where examinees choose between computer and handwritten composition formats. Unfortunately, examinees may have differential access to and comfort with computers; as a result, scores across these formats may not be comparable. Analysis of TOEFL results for 152,951 examinees reveals that when English language proficiency is controlled, handwriting composition scores are approximately one-third of a standard deviation higher than computer-based composition scores. It is suggested that this is a result of a double translation required to compose essays with word processors. (Contains 2 tables and 12 references.) (Author/SLD)