There is widespread belief that test-taking ability is an influential component of academic success distinct from domain knowledge and comprehension. Most of today's college students took many more tests over the course of their primary and secondary education than students of previous generations, and also participated in regular training to…

This article describes and reviews The School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI™; Stroud & Reynolds, 2006), published by Western Psychological Services, a self-report inventory designed to assess academic motivation, as well as learning and study strategies. The test identifies 10 primary constructs, referred to broadly as…

Considerable evidence indicates that self-efficacy, task value, anxiety, and the use of language learning strategies are related. However, there is currently an insufficient understanding about their relations in high-stakes testing contexts. The author aimed to investigate how well social factors, test value, anxiety, test performance, and…

The purpose of this study was to compare high- and low-achieving undergraduate college students on selfefficacy, test anxiety, and self-reported test-taking ability. Eighty students from 2 sections of educational psychology course participated in the study; complete data were collected for 76 students. Before taking their first exam, students…

This book is designed to help the adult learner overcome test anxiety and become an effective test taker. A survey to determine what the reader knows about test formats is followed by facts on many types of tests, help with real-world problems in test taking, reviews of writing skills for essay tests, and practice test questions. Some resources,…

As teachers of higher education, we expect students to enter college with some understanding of what it means to be an effective learner and the ability to apply effective learning strategies. Unfortunately, many students do not develop effective learning strategies unless they receive explicit instruction and the opportunity to apply these…

School psychologists face the challenge of completing standardized, multiple choice tests for professional development in order to meet the competency standards set by organizations and regulatory agencies. Research has indicted that adequate preparation in test-taking skills can significantly improve attitudes toward test taking and actual…

This guide provides an outline of the information and techniques covered on an audiotape developed to help students lower their test anxiety. First, a rationale for the development of the test anxiety materials is provided and the use of these materials at Lane Community College is discussed. Next, a detailed outline of the material is provided,…

Extended research on cognitive factors that may differentially underlie test anxiety and academic performance by assessing differences in (a) information-processing strategies used to encode course-work information, (b) degree of belief in one's negative self-statements, (c) Type A behavior, (d) test-taking skills, and (e) unrealistic expectations…

An annotated bibliography of 33 studies on recognition of and intervention into test anxiety (TA) for elementary school students (grades 1 through 8) is provided, and the research results are analyzed. Focus is on increasing the ability of educators to recognize students experiencing TA and to examine methods of reducing its effects. A basic…

Teachers can implement effective strategies to assist test-anxious students. By being aware of the types of student with these traits, they can develop, modify, and implement various strategies into their teaching repertoires. Furthermore, teachers who employ formative factors, habitual prudence, purposeful learning experiences, and test-wise…

Examines how test anxiety affects children in certain evaluation situations and focuses on developing more valid and effective measurement procedures in school achievement testings. Third and fourth graders were divided into three anxiety groups and tested under time and no time pressures. Anxiety level, time pressure, and sex affected…

Adapted from a variety of sources, this booklet offers students tips about improving their study skills so that they can earn better grades and make the most of their talents. Topics discussed in the booklet are why students should work to improve their study skills; listening in the classroom; getting the most from textbooks; note taking; the…

Reviews major research conducted between 1984 and 1989 on test anxiety among college, concluding that test anxiety may result from long-term memory problems. Explores techniques for reducing test anxiety, assessing the relative validity of each. Proposes a holistic approach to reducing test anxiety that addresses cognitive and emotional…

A study was conducted to determine whether cooperative testing would result in better performance and less anxiety than individual testing. Two sections of a developmental psychology class used cooperative testing, and a third section used traditional testing methods. Four multiple choice tests containing 50 items were administered to each group,…