Out of over 1.9 million students in the 2018 ACT-tested graduating class, 44% took the full ACT® test at least twice in hopes of improving their scores. Camara and Allen (2017) support this practice, confirming that factors such as time in the classroom between test administrations are associated with increases in ACT Composite scores from the…

We use the score reports of 375,000 US-based GMAT® test takers to document patterns of mismatch between student ability and school quality. We find substantial levels of mismatch in candidates' selection of MBA programs for score-sending, and by extension, applications. The evidence suggests that the high levels of mismatch in the selection of…

This study aimed to investigate whether the COVID-19 lockdown affect pain, exam anxiety and general anxiety in students preparing for university exam. A total of 364 students were divided into groups as high school seniors (HS, n = 241) and high school graduates (HG, n = 123). Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for neck and low-back pain, Beck Anxiety…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between race, high school graduation, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and four-year college-going rates. The setting included 89 school districts that were located in two adjacent suburban counties in New York State: Nassau and Suffolk. A Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis,…

This quantitative study used archived student records to determine which high school and postsecondary factors are the most significant predictors of college retention among 2,175 students enrolled at the University of West Georgia in Fall 2018. A two-tailed t-test was conducted for research questions one and two to analyze the high school GPAs…

This descriptive correlational study examined the predictive relationships between ACT composite scores, high school GPA, ACT testing attempts, and gender with teacher candidate's overall performance on the edTPA and each of the three edTPA instructional tasks (Task 1, Task 2, and Task 3). The edTPA is a portfolio-based subject-specific teaching…

As access to higher education increases, it is important to monitor students with special needs to facilitate the provision of appropriate resources and support. Although metrics such as the "reading readiness" ACT (formerly American College Testing) of provide insight into how many students may need such resources, they do not specify…

The study set to investigate the Finnish matriculation examination with a focus on the subject of social studies. The goal was to examine how well the subject-specific exams of the examination measure students' attainment in the courses of the respective subjects across upper secondary studies. The data was drawn from a longitudinal study of 6,172…

This qualitative study explores parents' perceptions and satisfaction with schools' test preparation materials and the effects and challenges of district-mandated test preparation materials on teachers. Parents attempt to assist their students in getting into the best schools by spending money on commercial test preparation materials and private…

Grade inflation is causing student's hard work to be undervalued. As high grades get easier and easier to achieve, the highest grades can only go up so far. The difference between excellent and decent is compressed. Everybody wins is a system that guides and shapes the mindset of most American students--except a small number of kids who lose out…

Studies have identified negative effects of cortisol, a stress hormone, on academic performance. Because natural disasters induce community-wide stress, students who experience natural disasters may subsequently perform worse academically. Our study is the first to examine the immediate effects of close exposure to a natural disaster on academic…

This report investigates the progression of students from GCSE to A level in the same (or related) subject. That is, for a range of subjects, the proportion of GCSE students who continue to study the subject at A level is calculated. To understand possible sources of variation progression rates are broken down by GCSE grade and student gender.…

The University Enrollment Quota Policy in China determines the proportion of Chinese University Entrance Exam (known colloquially in China as the Gaokao) takers in each province that is admitted to the country's universities each year. This policy strongly favors Gaokao takers from just eight provinces, while those from the other 23 provinces have…

Placement and support of students in first-year mathematics courses at institutions of higher education has long been a consequential issue. In a bid to address it, many systems and institutions of higher learning have elected to implement a co-remediation framework in place of pre-remediation, due in large part to the prohibitive cost of the…

We investigated whether and to what extent different scoring instructions, timing conditions, and direct feedback affect performance and speed. An experimental study manipulating these factors was designed to address these research questions. According to the factorial design, participants were randomly assigned to one of twelve study conditions.…