A review of literature by reading authorities identified seven criteria necessary for meaningful research about reading readiness tests. These criteria were then used in analysis of 15 research studies dealing with the "Metropolitan Readiness Test" and first grade reading achievement. Five major findings resulted from this analysis: first, MRT scores provide few direct implications about the instructional programs that individual students should receive (contrasting with the consensus of reading experts that reading readiness tests and research should help to determine how children are ready to begin reading instead of if they are ready to learn to read). Second, the time when the MRT is administered does not substantially affect its predictive validity. Third, research reports ignore aptitude-treatment interactions affecting MRT's validity, making it difficult to determine MRT's usefulness in conjunction with different instructional circumstances. Fourth, the statistical power computed in the studies (indicating MRT's ability to predict or detect significant relationships) is extremely high. Fifth, the average correlation of .59 between the MRT and first grade reading attainment is large enough to warrant predictions of group reading performance but not of individual reading performances. (A bibliography lists the resources used to establish the criteria and to collect the research data.) (RL)