This study investigated the effects of high and low need achievement, individual vs. group test adminstration, and potential dropout and nonpotential dropout on the Manual Dexterity Aptitude of the General Aptitude Test Battery. Following the administration of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), 120 high school males were assigned to one of eight treatments. Although there were significant differences by need achievement level, there was no difference by subject group. The interactions of the three independent variables revealed that poor performance resulted from either having low need achievement or from being tested individually. This study did not demonstrate what conditions needed to be present to produce maximum performance; it demonstrated what conditions, when absent, produced significantly lower test scores. (Author/BJG)