This paper investigates the effectiveness of students' real communication capabilities by investigating the target language use in monologue, dialogue, and conversational "multilogue" situations. It explores Japanese college students' oral English proficiency by focusing on the linguistic and pragmatic aspects in six types of teaching tests: (1) one way monologue: speech-making overall test; (2) monologue/semi-dialogue: tape-mediated sociolinguistic test; (3) dialogue: face-to-face interview test; (4) dialogue/semi-multilogue: group interview test; (5) small-size multilogue: small-group discussion test; and (6) large-size multilogue: large-group discussion. The results demonstrate that some students who are good at monologue tests or even dialogue tests are not good at larger discussion-oriented or group activity tests. Students should be urged to develop oral communication-oriented learning habits as fluent oral communication in the target language is the ultimate goal for most if not all students. It is uncertain if a lesser ability to communicate in multilogue settings is related to Japanese culture or to some other variable. (Contains 12 references.) (KFT)