Benefits of testing? Surely, to most educators, this statement represents
an oxymoron. Testing in schools is usually thought to serve only the
purpose of evaluating students and assigning them grades. Those are
important reasons for tests, but not what we have in mind. Most teachers
view tests (and other forms of assessment, such as homework, essays, and
papers) as necessary evils. Yes, students study and learn more when given
assignments and tests, but they are an ordeal for both the student (who
must complete them) and the teacher (who must construct and grade
them). Quizzes and tests are given frequently in elementary schools,
often at the rate of several or more a week, but testing decreases in
frequency the higher a student rises in the educational system. By the
time students are in college, they may be given only a midterm exam and
a final exam in many introductory level courses. Of course, standardized
tests are also given to students to assess their relative performance compared
to other students in their country and assign them a percentile
ranking. However, for purposes of this chapter, we focus on the testing
that occurs in the classroom as part of the course or self-testing that
students may use themselves as a study strategy (although surveys show