Test Preparation for the Gre Analytical Ability Measure: Differential Effects for Subgroups of Gre Test Takers

A previous study of the initial version of the GRE analytical ability measure (Powers & Swinton, 1984) revealed practically and statistically significant effects of test familiarization on analytical test scores. (Two susceptible item types were subsequently removed from the test.) Data from this study were reanalyzed for evidence of differential effects for subgroups of examinees classified by age, ethnicity, degree aspiration, English language dominance, and performance on other sections of the GFU3 General Test. The results suggested little, if any, difference among subgroups of examinees with respect to their response to the particular kind of test preparation considered in the study. Within the limits of the data, no particular subgroup appeared to benefit significantly more or significantly less than any other subgroup. Test Preparation for the GRE Analytical Ability Measure: Differential Effects for Subgroups of GRE Test Takers The question of who can profit most from special test preparation has received very little attention (Cole, 1982) despite concerns that those who may benefit most are those who can least afford to purchase effective preparation. Compared with the longstanding search for how student characteristics relate to responses to various educational interventions (see, for example, Cronbach and Snow, 1977), there has apparently been very little concern about possible interactions between examinees characteristics or experiences and their responses to various kinds of special test preparation. This is true despite speculation that such variables as motivation and previous test-taking experience may moderate the effectiveness of test preparation. A few studies, nearly all related to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), have provided some information regarding possible differential effects of test preparation for particular subgroups of test takers. In a study conducted at two secondary schools for boys, Dyer (1953) noted an interaction between coaching and enrollment in mathematics courses. The effect of coaching on SAT mathematical scores was greater for students who were not taking mathematics than for those who were. French (1955) found a similar pattern of effects for male students, according to whether or not they were enrolled in mathematics courses. However, he observed the opposite pattern for female students; that is, coaching was more effective for females who were studying mathematics than for those who were not. More recently, a reanalysis by Messick (1980) of data collected for the Federal Trade Commission's study of commercial coaching schools (Federal Trade Commission, 1979) detected several interaction effects at one of the two schools studied. Specifically, the effect of coaching on SAT verbal scores was significantly greater for a very small group of Black test takers (N = 13) than for non-Black examinees. The effect on verbal scores was also greater for test takers who reported low family incomes than for those whose parental incomes were higher. This latter result led to the speculation that examinees with below-average financial means might have especially strong motivation to perform well on the test. In a reanalysis of another data set, collected by Alderman and Powers (1980) in a randomized study of high school verbal test preparation programs, Messick (1980) found little evidence for the differential effectiveness of test preparation for the eight specially prepared Black students that were identified. In a study of the Graduate Management Admission Test &MAT), in which larger numbers of minority examinees could be identified, Leary and Wightman (1983) suggested that the effects associated with various kinds of test preparation varied somewhat across four ethnic subgroups (Black, Oriental/Asian, Spanish, and White). However, when differences in ability (as measured by earlier scores on the same test) were controlled statistically, the effect of using each of five methods of preparation was small, and for most methods, not