Self-reported test preparation showed no significant difference in ACT composite scores in a national sample (Scholes & Lain, 1997, Experiment 2)¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr3·q2·i0negligible
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i0 In a comparison of 64,567 students who retook the ACT, students self-reporting a test preparation course did not differ significantly from students reporting no test preparation on ACT composite scores (effect size 0.02, improvement index +1). → ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs 2016
Evidence¶
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs 2016¶
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs. (2016). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/664
q2 · i0 · review · r3
Comparison using a national database of ACT takers who retested between October 1, 1994 and September 20, 1995; 3,071 self-reported preparers versus 61,496 non-preparers. The WWC row reports intervention mean 21.30 (SD 4.50) versus comparison 21.20 (SD 4.50), effect size 0.02, improvement index +1, p .23 — not statistically significant.
"ACT composite High school students 64,567 21.30 (4.50) 21.20 (4.50) 0.10 0.02 +1 .23"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- ACT/SAT test preparation and coaching programs have positive effects on general academic achievement (high school), based on six studies averaging a +9 improvement index — a broader claim this one bears on
- Commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores in a national propensity-score-matched sample (Domingue & Briggs, 2009) — related
- Two computerized SAT coaching programs showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores (McClain, 1999) — related
- Embedding test-taking strategies and ACT practice items in algebra improved practice ACT mathematics scores (McMann, 1994; effect size 0.34) — reports the opposite
- A school SAT preparation course improved SAT scores at one Texas school (Filizola, 2008; domain average effect size 0.28), driven by the mathematics subtest — reports the opposite
- A 6-week computerized Latin and Greek root-word program improved SAT verbal scores (Holmes & Keffer, 1995; effect size 0.49) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
self-reported-act-prep-no-significant-difference-scholes-lain |
title |
Self-reported test preparation showed no significant difference in ACT composite scores in a national sample (Scholes & Lain, 1997, Experiment 2) |
description |
Self-reported test preparation showed no significant difference in ACT composite scores in a national sample (Scholes & Lain, 1997, Experiment 2) |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2016 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-09 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — actsat-test-preparation-and-coaching-programs-2016 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.