Standardized Test Guide

By Jessica McNally, Tests.com

 

The first standardized tests administered in the United States came about in the 1920s.  Lewis Terman, a professor at Stanford (one of the main designers of the Stanford-Binet intelligence test) promoted the use of IQ testing as a means by which to track students’ progress. By the mid-1920s, Terman had convinced numerous school districts to utilize standardized exams to sort out inferior students to be put in special education classes, and to classify superior students for accelerated or gifted programs.

 

The standardized testing industry has since grown immensely. Currently, press reports estimate the value of the testing market at anywhere from 400 to 700 million dollars. Norm-referenced tests such as the Terra Nova and ITBS are frequently used in elementary and high schools to estimate the position of a tested student in respect to his or her peers. Many states also require students to pass a comprehensive graduation exam prior to matriculation.

 

The majority of American colleges and universities now require that students take a standardized test in order to even be considered for acceptance. Such admission tests include the SAT, ACT, ASSET and Accuplacer. Test scores are often the determining factor for whether or not a student will be admitted into a post-secondary institution.

 

Students applying to graduate school may be required to take a specialized admissions test, such as the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT, for aspiring law students, or the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, for students applying to medical school.

 

Fortunately, there are numerous resources available for test preparation including individualized test preparatory classes, tutoring, books on how to study and practice exams. Usually, the test making companies themselves offer such products and services in order to provide students with a thorough knowledge of how a test is designed and what to expect when taking a test.   

 

To learn more about a specific test, visit our Test Guides. To find an academic test or test preparation materials, visit our Academic Test Directory.