Identifies general and specific skills for taking tests. Contends that students who use effective general test-taking skills improve their performance on standardized tests. (JDH)

Suggests class activities in three short articles including: (1) "Students Evaluate Reading," by Lenore Sandel; (2) "Solving Verbal Analogies," by Edward J. Dwyer; and (3) "Becoming Testwise," by Dean Schoen. (RS)

Parents and teachers can help relieve student test-taking anxiety by redirecting the student from fear of failure toward productive study skills. (DF)

Presents a musical play designed to orient students to standardized tests by promoting appropriate test-taking skills and attitudes. Suggests effective staging techniques. (ABB)

The effectiveness of test-taking skills training was studied by calculating test performance quantitative indices of effect magnitude from data in 24 studies. Longer training programs produced significantly greater achievement gains than shorter programs, supporting recommendations for test-taking training in schools. (Author/MT)

Describes study to determine effect on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of coaching with a microcomputer software program, Computer SAT. Results indicate mathematics scores are improved by computer coaching with no difference between effectiveness of individual or small group computer use, and verbal scores are improved by small group use.…

This paper provides information about the efficacy of a model for preparing teacher candidates for the Arizona teacher licensure examination (i.e., Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments [AEPA]). The model includes test familiarization, drill and practice with feedback, training in strategies for specific item types, and general test…

Test takers were asked to report which, if any, methods they used to help prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The study began with the 1991-1992 academic testing year and ended with the 1996-1997 academic testing year. More than 100,000 students responded in each of the years, with the exception of a smaller sample in 1996-1997…

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…

Describes computer programs designed to help students prepare for such tests as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Program's ACT Assessment. Includes list of special benefits the computer can provide in several areas as well as reviews of several programs. (JN)

Curriculum alignment, which links instructional content to state-designed tests, is destigmatizing "teaching to the test." Ignoring this linkage can have painful consequences. Substandard school performance can cause Texas principals to lose their jobs and Maryland schools to forfeit substantial monetary rewards. Indianapolis schools try…

Describes a game that was developed in lieu of the traditional end of the chapter review used to assess student knowledge of a subject. (ZWH)

Surveyed 90 elementary and secondary school counselors to examine strategies employed in test preparation programs, degree to which counselors follow structured curriculum in presenting test-taking activities to students, extent to which counselors target particular strategies, and how counselors evaluate program success. Found counselors more…

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.…

Explores the level of self-regulation of learning by college students. Addresses three questions: (1) what strategies students use as they prepare for tests; (2) whether students change strategies throughout the semester; and (3) whether changes in strategies are reflected in improved academic performance. Finds little evidence of the…