Alternatives for testing the achievement of college students in Maryland are reviewed by committee members appointed by the State Board for Higher Education and Maryland's public institutions of higher education. The achievement testing alternatives would be a means of assessing institutional effectiveness; all entail the use of tests currently in existence. Four types of achievement tests traditionally given to students are: tests of basic skills, tests of general cognitive development, tests of subject matter mastery in specific fields of study, and tests for helping to predict future performance in graduate or professional school. The only widely used, nationally normed instruments for assessing subject matter achievement are the subject area versions of the Graduate Record Examination. General issues that should be carefully considered in developing an achievement testing program are identified: student motivation to perform well, testing for individual assessment, selecting a sample of students instead of requiring all students to be tested, and testing transfer students. Two testing approaches that seem to have advantages over other alternatives are briefly discussed: a single test for all public institutions and campus-designed testing programs. (SW)