Abstract The main purpose of this study was to assess grade nine English language teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practices of speaking tests and their washback with particular reference to Bibugn Woreda high schools. In particular, this study aimed to assess the perceptions of EFL teachers and learners towards the role of speaking tests, students’ and teachers role during speaking tests; it examines the methods or techniques EFL teachers employed to test students’ speaking competence and it investigates the washback effect of the speaking tests on students’ attitudes towards speaking skills, their practice of speaking and their study skills. To achieve this purpose, mixed method (both qualitative and quantitative) was employed. The participants of the study were 11 grade nine English language teachers and 228 randomly selected students from the three high schools of Bibugn Woreda. A 40 items questionnaire was used for both teachers and students to obtain relevant data about their perceptions towards speaking tests, their classroom practices of testing speaking and the effect of their tests on students’ attitudes, practices and study skills. Interview was utilized to obtain relevant data and to triangulate it with regard to their perceptions of the roles of speaking skills, their classroom practice of testing speaking and the washback of their tests. Moreover, to examine English language teachers’ use of indirect (written) speaking tests, document analysis was used. For this purpose, the distribution of language items (skills) was counted from grade nine English textbook. Similarly, one year (2009 E.C) classroom English tests were collected from the three schools and analyzed in line with the contents of the textbook and the distribution of written speaking test items in comparison with other contents (skills). Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively: the data from the questionnaire and document analysis were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics whereas the interview data were analyzed qualitatively using narrative descriptive data analysis technique. The findings of the study revealed that both English teachers and students had a positive perception towards the roles of speaking tests, teachers’ role and students’ role during speaking tests. The findings also showed that most of the teachers were not using the methods of testing speaking. Only a few teachers were using the oral testing methods such as role plays, oral interview, picture cues and describing themselves. Rather, they preferred to use indirect (written) speaking tests blaming reasons such as large class size, vastness of the textbook, and students’ lack of interest towards speaking tests. Even though most of the teachers and students responded that speaking was often tested indirectly using written dialogue completion, the findings of the document analysis revealed that speaking comprised only a few numbers of items and the highest portion of the test items were taken from grammar contents so that less attention was given on speaking. As a result, both teachers and students pointed out that students had a negative attitude towards speaking skills and they had less classroom participation during speaking tests. Based on the findings of the data, students wanted to learn always grammar and they invested much of their study time to grammar rather than speaking. Therefore, speaking tests and their testing habits had a negative washback effect on students’ attitudes towards speaking skills, their practice of speaking and study skills. Table of Contents