This paper looks at some washbacks of the TOEIC examination on the teachers and students through his own teaching experience with TOEIC preparation courses and interview results from those of a Bangkok's business school.

This paper reports and discusses how the IELTS test has brought its impact to Assumption College Thonburi English Program (ACTEP)'s exit testing, English courses offered and foreign teachers' teaching. Two different methods of data collection apply; an interview with the ACTEP Academic Head and questionnaire for Grades 10-11 students and foreign…

The testing effect, or the finding that taking an initial test improves subsequent memory performance, is a robust and reliable phenomenon--as long as the final test involves recall. Few studies have examined the effects of taking an initial recall test on final recognition performance, and results from these studies are equivocal. In 3…

We compared two formats for optional study sessions offered to students in a research methods course. Study sessions alternated between a game format (e.g., Behavioral Jeopardy) and a student-directed question and answer format, presented in counterbalanced order across different sections of the same course. The results of the alternating…

"Naturalization Test Redesign Project: Civics Item Selection Analysis" provides an overview of the development of content items for the U.S. history and government (civics) portion of the redesigned naturalization test. This document also reviews the process used to gather and analyze data from multiple studies to determine which civics…

This study examined the relationship between successful performance on the auditing, theory, and practice parts of the certified public accountant examination and selected characteristics possessed by CPA candidates. (Author/CT)

To reduce test anxiety, students should know that apparently no correlation exists between student rankings on examinations and the order in which students completed those examinations. Although the first paper completed usually ranks higher than the last, it is not necessarily the best paper, nor is the last the worst. (SB)

The increasing use of high-stakes tests has focused attention on test preparation activities. The term test preparation can apply to a number of different practices that vary on the degree to which they are defensible. Although some test preparation is legitimate, there are concerns that certain test preparation activities may have a negative…

Used several alternative analytic methods to estimate the effects of coaching on Scholastic Assessment Test I scores in a sample of more than 4,000 examinees, approximately 500 of whom had attended formal coaching programs. All estimates suggest that the effects of coaching are far less than claimed by major commercial test-preparation companies.…

This paper provides preliminary findings on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) Test given to all Texas public college and university freshman, particularly regarding minority student performance. Of all students, 81% passed all three sections of the test, mathematics, reading, and essay. The passing group represented 87% of Anglos, 59% of…

Assessed the effect of commercial coaching on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of 438 students in private suburban college preparatory schools, 200 of whom received formal preparation for the SAT. Results showed that short-term coaching did not yield significantly greater verbal scores, but mathematics scores for coached students were…

Interest in the effectiveness of test coaching has prompted many studies, almost all of which have been directed toward coaching's effect on results of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). The focus of this research was to investigate whether preparation for the American College Test (ACT) provided by professional coaches would raise the scores…

The state in which the target school is located recently mandated a standardized examination to assess academic progress in high schools. This sparked the interest of the target schools administration and teachers in finding ways to assist students in improving standardized examination performance. A comparison group of 4 classes of approximately…

This paper discusses approaches to raising student test scores. At present, 49 of 50 states mandate tests for students in selected grades, and each school district is under pressure to have students score at a higher level than they did before. Teaching students to do better on tests is a frequent approach. It has some advantages, but also has the…

This booklet illustrates proven instructional strategies to help teachers help students raise their test scores. Techniques are outlined that will help students improve their communication skills, learn how to mediate their thinking strategies, and understand the best way to attack a question. The advice is developed in the structure of an…