The objective of the present research was to investigate the effects of test-wiseness training on achievement. The study involved 208 Black, White and Hispanic students in grades three and five. An experimental training session was employed to test whether four aspects of test-wiseness (following directions, guessing, answer changing, and use of…

The effects of a test coaching program, "Scoring High on the California Achievement Test," were investigated with a sample of 876 students in grades 1, 2, 4, and 5. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to determine the effects of the program, grade level, sex, and race. Significant differences in favor of the Scoring High program…

Because test scores reflect not only a student's knowledge in a given area, but also his or her familiarity with cues present in the test, and because tests are so prevalent and important in schools, there is a great need to teach test wiseness skills. It is ethical to do so if no material from the final test is included. Certain principles and…

The objective of the study was to determine whether Competency-Based Testing (CBT) schools altered their curriculum differently than Non-Competency-Based Testing schools (NCBT), and, if so, what selected factors were identified as contributing to the differences among the responses secondary schools made to CBT. The data from 410 member high…

Students' test scores are influenced by their subject matter knowledge, their physical and emotional health, and their skill in the mechanics of test taking. Designed for use in the Detroit (Michigan) Public Schools, this document focuses on improving skills in the mechanics of test taking. The first section overviews strategies for…

The package presents a training approach for increasing test-taking skills of learning disabled (LD) and behaviorally disordered (BD) children along with a research study illustrating the approach's effectiveness with 92 LD or BD elementary students. The approach focuses on such strategies as attending to appropriate stimuli, marking answers…

During April and May 1980, the General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service conducted a survey involving a nationally representative sample of examinees to gather detailed information on the background and preparation of persons currently taking the tests. This report is based on the responses of about 13,000 GED candidates at nearly 250…

The usefulness of before-adjunct questions with standardized multiple-choice tests in increasing reading comprehension scores was studied by examining the relative effectiveness of reading test questions first or reading the passage first. Subjects were 210 fourth graders randomly assigned to two treatment groups. The Level 9 Reading Comprehension…

The objectives for this study were to: (1) develop a valid, reliable measure of test-wiseness with equivalent forms for use with students in the health sciences; and (2) determine the level of test-wiseness of entering medical students. The test-wiseness areas included in this study were: similar options, umbrella term, item give-away, convergence…

The Florida Statewide Assessment Program provides "The Practice SSAT-II," for students who will be taking the State Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II). This practice test may be administered to tenth grade students taking the test for the first time and to eleventh and twelfth graders if they have previously failed the SSAT-II.…

Suggestions are made regarding ways teachers can help adult learners reduce their test anxiety. These general comments apply to content-oriented courses and may have some general applicability to all testing situations. The suggestions include clearly characterizing the test prior to its administration, planning for last-minute questions on test…

Whether or not a short-term intervention program could improve performance on standardized figural analogy and surface development tests was studied through training 10 students from an introductory psychology class with relatively low scores on the figural analogies subtest of the Cognitive Abilities Test. An additional 10 students served as…

The Health Assessment and Teaching Performance Examination (HATPE), a criterion-referenced examination, requires the application of theory and competence in the performance of health assessment and teaching. The HATPE incorporates the theory related to history taking, physical examination and organization of a summary of data as well as the…

A national sample of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) candidates was surveyed to determine the ways in which they had prepared for the examination. Candidates' SAT scores were retrieved from test files, along with selected background information that included rank in high school class and scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT),…

A seminar was offered to improve the understanding of tests as they are used in academic and employment decisions, and to assist participants in improving their scores on standardized tests through increased understanding of test-taking strategies. The long- and short-range implications of training students in the techniques of test-taking are…