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University of Iowa handbooks for new students, 1960-1968

Page 7

Why are the Tests Given? 
   The University requires the American College Tests for three main reasons. First, to enable the more advanced students to satisfy specific requirements. That is, certain students will be excused from Mathematics Skills on the basis of their performances on these tests. Second, the University uses the test results to place students in class sections according to their individual needs. For example, students especially slow in reading will be placed in a section of Communication Skills where they can receive special help in overcoming this handicap. Finally, the University gives the tests to aid instructors in their jobs of advising and counseling students as they proceed with their college careers.
   But, you may say, grades are supposed to show what a student has learned. Why does the University have to give special tests to find out what I know? The answer is that your scores on these tests give a much better picture than your grades do of what you really know or are able to do. There are several reasons for this. 
   Your grades show mainly what you have learned in your academic courses. Yet, you may also have learned a great deal from your outside reading and experiences. The tests measure what you have learned outside the classroom as well as inside. What you have learned from conversations at home, from books and magazines, from trips, or in other ways, may have as much to do with your true educational development as what you have learned in a particular course.
   Your grades usually indicate only how well you compare with other students in courses you have completed. The test scores indicate how you compare with all the other entering students who took the tests.
   For all these reasons, then, the University requires these tests. By studying the "profile" of your scores, your professors and adviser can get a fair and accurate picture of your present educational development.

What Do the Tests Measure? 
Test 1.  English 
   This is a test primarily of the appropriateness and effectiveness of written expression. A decided majority of the items are concerned with elements of diction, style, form, and organization, and the remainder with elements of correctness and the mechanics of writing.

Test 2.  Mathematics 
   This is a test of general mathematical reasoning ability and includes formal mathematical skills generally taught in the first three years of high school.

Test 3.  Social Studies 
   This test measures the student's ability to interpret and evaluate reading selections in the social studies--political science, economics, sociology, history, psychology, and anthropology. It particularly emphasizes the concepts , terminology, figures of speech, biases, stereotypes, and styles of writing that often

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Why are the Tests Given? The University requires the American College Tests for three main reasons. First, to enable the more advanced students to satisfy specific requirements. That is, certain students will be excused from Mathematics Skills on the basis of their performances on these tests. Second, the University uses the test results to place students in class sections according to their individual needs. For example, students especially slow in reading will be placed in a section of Communication Skills where they can receive special help in overcoming this handicap. Finally, the University gives the tests to aid instructors in their jobs of advising and counseling students as they proceed with their college careers. But, you may say, grades are supposed to show what a student has learned. Why does the University have to give special tests to find out what I know? The answer is that your scores on these tests give a much better picture than your grades do of what you really know or are able to do. There are several reasons for this. Your grades show mainly what you have learned in your academic courses. Yet, you may also have learned a great deal from your outside reading and experiences. The tests measure what you have learned outside the classroom as well as inside. What you have learned from conversations at home, from books and magazines, from trips, or in other ways, may have as much to do with your true educational development as what you have learned in a particular course. Your grades usually indicate only how well you compare with other students in courses you have completed. The test scores indicate how you compare with all the other entering students who took the tests. For all these reasons, then, the University requires these tests. By studying the "profile" of your scores, your professors and adviser can get a fair and accurate picture of your present educational development. What Do the Tests Measure? Test 1. English This is a test primarily of the appropriateness and effectiveness of written expression. A decided majority of the items are concerned with elements of diction, style, form, and organization, and the remainder with elements of correctness and the mechanics of writing. Test 2. Mathematics This is a test of general mathematical reasoning ability and includes formal mathematical skills generally taught in the first three years of high school. Test 3. Social Studies This test measures the student's ability to interpret and evaluate reading selections in the social studies--political science, economics, sociology, history, psychology, and anthropology. It particularly emphasizes the concepts , terminology, figures of speech, biases, stereotypes, and styles of writing that often 7