This discussion paper represents one of the National Association for College Admission Counseling's (NACAC's) first post-Testing Commission steps in advancing the knowledge base and dialogue about test preparation. It describes various types of test preparation programs and summarizes the existing academic research on the effects of test…

This study investigated the effects of two practice reading methods (an ACT [American College Test]-prep program) on the performance of 11th grade students (N=43) on an ACT science portion mockup sub-test. A pre-test, treatment, post-test with control group design was used in the study. The treatments included that students read the ACT science…

Spurred in part by University of California (UC) President Richard Atkinson's February 2001 proposal to drop the SAT I for UC applicants, more attention is being paid to other tests such as the SAT II and ACT. Proponents of these alternative exams argue that the SAT I is primarily an aptitude test measuring some vague concept of "inherent…

Whether preparation classes for the American College Testing (ACT) assessment actually raise student scores was studied with middle-class, private-school high school juniors and seniors of various ethnic backgrounds. The 1990-1991 test results for 30 students who had taken an ACT coaching course were compared with those of 30 students who had not.…