Test-Taking Speed: Predictors and Implications

Students often feel time pressure when taking tests, and students with disabilities are sometimes given extended time testing accommodations, but little research has been done on the factors that affect students’ test-taking speed. In the present study, 253 students at two colleges completed measures of processing speed, reading fluency, and self-reports of their reading and test-taking skills, as well as a standardized paper-and-pencil reading comprehension task. The time taken to complete the reading comprehension task was not significantly related to students’ accuracy on the task, but it was predicted by students’ reading fluency and by their self-reports of problems with timed reading/test-taking. Students’ processing speed did not significantly predict comprehension task completion time or accuracy when reading fluency and self-reports were held constant. We discuss the implications of these and other results for making determinations about extended time testing accommodations, as well as for future research studies.