In preparation for online administration of the ACT® test, ACT conducted studies to examine the comparability of scores between online and paper administrations, including a timing study in fall 2013, a mode comparability study in spring 2014, and a second mode comparability study in spring 2015. This report presents major findings from these…

Imposing time limits on tests can serve a range of important functions. Time limits are essential, for example, if speed of performance is an integral component of what is being measured, as would be the case when testing such skills as how quickly someone can type. Limiting testing time also helps contain expenses associated with test…

This study investigated the effect of several different modes of test administration on scores and completion times. In Experiment 1, paper-based assessment was compared to computer-based assessment. Undergraduates completed the computer-based assessment faster than the paper-based assessment, with no difference in scores. Experiment 2 assessed…

This report describes trends related to accommodations in testing for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and summarizes the performance of accommodated LSAT takers for the 1993-1994 through 1997-1998 testing years. Data show that the number of requests for accommodated testing increased steadily from the 1994-1995 through 1996-1997 LSAT testing…

The impact of allowing more time for each question on SAT® I: Reasoning Test scores was estimated by embedding sections with a reduced number of questions into the standard 30-minute equating section of two national test administrations. Thus, for example, questions were deleted from a verbal section that contained 35 questions to produce forms…

The scores of students with disabilities who took the ACT Assessment at least twice, and at least once under extended-time guidelines, were studied. The investigation identified three groups of students. The first group was composed of 3,410 students who tested at least twice under extended-time guidelines. The second group of 3,439 students…

The research leading to the decisions to revise the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (GRE) (beginning in October 1981) is reviewed. The issues discussed include the format of the test (the timing of each section and the number of sections, the content of the sections--especially the analytical section), the scoring procedure for the GRE,…

Research and analysis conducted to determine the effects of reducing the administration time for one or more levels of the Basic Occupational Literacy Test (BOLT) are described. The total usable sample consisted of 2,423 subjects. Data were collected from 23 states from 1978 to 1981. Data came from a variety of sources, including schools and…

A study was conducted to explore the relationship of race and socioeconomic status to the learning of reading skills among ninth-grade black and white students in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, city and county schools. Each student was given diagnostic reading tests by timed, untimed, and auditory administration. Socioeconomic status was measured by…

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was used in this study, which attempted to develop a new methodology for assessing the speededness of right-scored tests. Traditional procedures of assessing speededness have assumed that the test is scored under formula-scoring instructions; this approach is not always appropriate. In this study,…

The advantages that computer adaptive testing offers over linear tests have been well documented. The Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) design is more efficient than the Linear test design as fewer items are needed to estimate an examinee's proficiency to a desired level of precision. In the ideal situation, a CAT will result in examinees answering…

Using a quasi-experimental analysis of variance (ANOVA) design, this project examined the effects of the use of accommodations with students of limited English proficiency (LEP) and non-LEP students and whether the use of accommodations affected the validity of test score interpretations. Major accommodations examined were extra time, and extra…

The effects of extended time on SAT Reasoning Test™ performance are examined. The study explored the impact of providing standard time, time and a half (1.5 time) with and without specified section breaks, and double time without specified section breaks on the verbal and mathematics sections of the SAT®. Differences among ability, disability, and…