Combining test-taking intervention with course remediation: effects on National Board subtest performance.

Effects of test-taking skills instruction over a five-year period were assessed by examining retest performances of second-year medical students who, because of unsatisfactory performance, were required to repeat National Board Part I subtests and who all participated in a summer review program. Two groups of students were involved in the study: an intervention group consisting of 14 students who participated in a special intervention program involving test-taking skills instruction and a comparison group that included 13 nonparticipants. The intervention group's mean retest performance was significantly greater (F = 9.38, P < .005). The results suggest that intervention programs can have a significant impact on academic success, and deserve serious consideration by medical students who demonstrate low performances on examinations because of comparatively poor test-taking skills and for students undergoing academic remediation.