A critique of a variety of formats used in combined-response test items (those in which the respondent must choose the correct combination of options: a and b, all of the above, etc.) illustrates why this kind of testing is inherently flawed and should not be used in optometry examinations. (MSE)

At intervals during the reading of an article, college students were asked to stop and state how they were preparing to answer an unspecified question about the article. Those students who had attempted to discern the question had significantly superior performance to those who had not devised such a strategy. (JN)

Describes a study skills program for college freshmen that was based on information obtained from older college students about the problems they had encountered as entering freshmen. (FL)

Investigated the effects of instruction in test-taking techniques upon the standardized reading test scores of second-grade Black students. The experimental group performed significantly higher than the control group when administered the Stanford Achievement Test. Counselors should help students increase their test wiseness. (Author/JAC)

Suggests ways English teachers can prepare their students to take college entrance exams and state-mandated minimum competency tests. (DD)

This review presents a critical analysis of the skills required for test-taking, the training of test-taking skills, and the experimental evidence on the training. Based on the recommendations of psychologists such as Thorndike, Cronbach, and McClelland, practical classroom strategies for test-taking are discussed. (Author)

There are many connections between good test taking practices and good general learning practices. This article offers strategies related to reading and math instruction and testing. It also describes how to teach students the fundamentals of standardized tests. Tips for reducing test stress are provided. (SM)

Discusses the development of SAT Pre-Game, a free one-day seminar designed by the National Alliance of African-American Athletes and the Princeton Review Foundation to help high school athletes do well on the Scholastic Assessment Tests. Students take a sample SAT, receive motivational talks, evaluations of their tests, and help with test-taking…

This study explored the relationship between time needed to complete multiple choice tests and college student test performance. Examination time and performance for midsemester and final exams were measured. Results indicated that the variables were relatively unrelated. Students tended to use a consistent test-taking tempo on relatively untimed…

Describes how Michigan's English Language Arts Assessment (ELA) takes parts of the old fifth-grade writing assessment and fourth-grade reading tests, adds new elements, and wraps everything around a theme. Presents a seven-step activity to help prepare fourth graders for the ELA. Concludes that the overall impact on scores is not known. (SG)

The special educator must be aware of possible sources of error in assessment of children with learning problems. Sources of error can be attributed to unconscious examiner bias, ambiguous test responses, linguistic and cultural differences of the examiner and examinee, previous test-taking experience, and problems with test reliability and…

Data from 10,000 college applicants, who had taken the Scholastic Aptitude Test-Verbal, were used to assess claims that guessing improves formula scores. Number of items attempted, a guessing index, the formula score, and an approximation of an ability score were obtained. Success in guessing is proportional to examinee ability. (TJH)

Some examinees' test-taking behavior may be so idiosyncratic that their test scores are not comparable to those of more typical examinees. A new theoretical approach to appropriateness measurement is proposed that specifies a likelihood ratio test and an efficient computer algorithm for computing the test statistic. (TJH)

The design of a valid and reliable test of test-wiseness is reported: a 33-item multiple-choice instrument with 4 subscales trialed with several groups of English-as-a-Second-Language students. Findings indicate differential skills in test-taking; some learner scores are influenced by skills that are not the focus of the test. (13 references)…

Test developers have an obligation to create the most appropriate assessment instruments possible as L. J. Kilian argues, but whether they do or not, educators still are responsible for providing test preparation that is professionally ethical and educationally defensible. (SLD)