Now administered in 27 states and affecting 65 percent of all students, high school exit exams are gaining influence on teaching and learning because they constitute tests with extraordinarily high stakes. But what happens when students fail a high school exit exam? Few studies address the best way to remediate students in these situations. Research typically focuses on the existence of high school exit exams rather than on what to do when students don't pass. This article, therefore, moves beyond the dialogue on modifications teachers make to their instructional practice and content they cover to accommodate testing to explore the phenomenon of remedial test preparation courses--specifically for the social studies exit exam. Before taking a close look at one remediation course, it is important to put the high school exit exams in context by exploring the current teaching environment and how classroom teachers are modifying their teaching and curriculum to prepare their students for standardized tests.