The importance of specific academic skills for entering college students was assessed based on the views of 80 Indiana University faculty members who were teaching 100-level courses during the fall semester 1982-1983. Findings include the following: reading, reasoning, speaking/listening, and studying are academic skills judged necessary for success by the greatest number of faculty members teaching lower-division classes; 74 percent said that writing skills were relevant to success in their classes, while 36 percent said that mathematics skills were important for success; assignments in lower division classes involve mainly reading and, to a lesser extent, writing skills; nearly one-fourth of the respondents use essay examinations exclusively in their classes, 26 percent use objective tests only, and about one-third use a combination of essay and objective examinations; a greater number of writing skills were judged by the faculty to be essential for entering college freshmen than was found for the other basic skills. Information was obtained on essential skills in each of the areas (reading, writing, speaking/listening, reasoning, studying, and mathematics). (SW)