A proposal to institute "a common test in the academic competencies" of English and mathematics as an admission requirement for all Nova Scotian universities was announced by the Royal Commission on Post-Secondary Education in 1985. The commission viewed writing proficiency as an innate ability, independent of learning, environment, knowledge, or background; thus, the tests were to measure ability rather than knowledge. A presumption behind the commission's recommendations was that scores on standardized tests would provide accurate predictors of academic success. These exams were presented without mention of either the needs of the students or the potential impact on high school and university curricula. Rather, they would be simply barriers to admission, their sole purpose being to decrease the attrition rates at universities, hence decreasing the burden on the tax payer. In response, the Metro Halifax universities set up a subcommittee to study the implementation of common entrance exams in English and mathematics. They argued that a test that was not informed by teaching or consideration of students' needs merely treated symptoms without providing solutions. The subcommittee managed to prove that implementation of the exams was not feasible but noted that rejecting the tests without offering positive suggestions for addressing the problem of students' writing was not acceptable, either. (AEW)