Book

Score: The Strategy of Taking Tests

📖 Overview

Score: The Strategy of Taking Tests offers guidance on test-taking techniques and psychology from the perspective of an experienced educator. The book breaks down the science and strategy behind successful test performance, focusing on both multiple choice and essay formats. The text examines common pitfalls and mental barriers that impact test scores, while providing methods to overcome these challenges. Specific chapters address timing, question analysis, and techniques for maintaining focus during lengthy exams. Through examples and case studies, Huff demonstrates how understanding test construction and scoring can lead to improved performance. The material covers standardized tests across academic disciplines and professional certifications. This pragmatic guide treats test-taking as a learnable skill rather than an innate ability, challenging assumptions about assessment and academic performance. The work remains relevant for modern test-takers despite its original publication date.

👀 Reviews

Limited reader reviews exist online for this obscure 1961 test-taking guide. Those who read it note its practical advice on multiple choice questions and time management. A few commenters remember using it in school during the 1960s-70s and finding the tips helpful for standardized tests. Positive comments focused on: - Clear explanations for process of elimination - Advice still relevant for modern test-taking - Simple, approachable writing style Main criticisms: - Very dated examples and references - Some obvious/common sense strategies - Limited scope compared to modern test prep books Reviews and Ratings: Goodreads: No ratings Amazon: Not listed WorldCat: Listed but no reviews AbeBooks: Listed as rare book, no reviews The book appears to be out of print with few copies in circulation. Most online mentions come from library catalogs or used book listings rather than reader reviews.

📚 Similar books

Test Taking Strategies by Kevin B. Freeman Students learn systematic methods for approaching multiple choice, essay, and standardized tests through concrete steps and practical examples.

Cracking Any Test by Robert A. Miller The book presents techniques for managing test anxiety, time management, and pattern recognition in standardized testing environments.

The Testing Trap by Peter Sacks This examination of testing culture reveals the mechanics behind test construction and scoring, enabling readers to understand how assessment systems function.

Standardized Minds by Peter Sacks The work details testing industry practices and provides strategies for navigating educational assessment systems across academic levels.

Test Success by Patricia M. Nugent and Barbara A. Vitale The text outlines methods for identifying question types, eliminating wrong answers, and applying critical thinking to achieve higher scores on academic examinations.

🤔 Interesting facts

📚 Darrell Huff, who wrote "Score," is better known for his bestseller "How to Lie with Statistics" (1954), which remains one of the best-selling statistics books of all time. 🎓 The book was published in 1961 during the height of standardized testing expansion in American education, as colleges began increasingly relying on entrance exams. 📝 Huff wrote the book in collaboration with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the organization that develops and administers the SAT and other major standardized tests. 💡 Unlike most test-prep books of its era, "Score" focused on understanding the psychology of test-taking rather than just drilling content knowledge. 🔍 The strategies presented in the book were groundbreaking for their time, including the recommendation to skip difficult questions and return to them later—a technique that is now standard test-taking advice.