The modern-day dictionaries, particularly the EFL learner dictionaries have improved enormously on their micro-macro and super structure, yet the potential users of these kinds of dictionaries are not fully aware of this comprehensive improvement. As a result, the wealth of information, both linguistic and encyclopedic goes unheeded by the potential learners. The main cause of all this is attributed to the lack of requisite reference skill (Dictionary using skills) by the learners. The aim of

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... is study is to find out the extent to which the students of electrical engineering at UMT possess the necessary reference skills to be able to use the EFL learner dictionaries efficiently in situations of linguistic and pragmatic failure. The research methodology used in this investigation is eclectic drawing on the essential principles of both qualitative and quantitative approaches for a comprehensive understanding of the situation under investigation. As many as one hundred students were selected randomly for this study. The findings of the pilot study suggest that most of the students lack the necessary dictionary using skills to make the most of the information provided in the dictionary which, of course, underscores the need to teach the students on how to use the dictionary, the kind of dictionary most suitable for them and integrating the dictionary with the language class. Such a measure is expected to improve the linguistic and communicative competence of the learners and will make them confident and self-reliant in their study.