Dear Student,

Tests are an inevitable part of education—you've been taking classroom and standardized tests since you began school at the age of five or six. In high school, you probably took the ACT or the SAT as part of the college admissions process. Nevertheless, a new test may be unsettling, especially if you have to achieve a particular score to be admitted into a specific program.

You may be wondering if there's a good reason for you to take College BASE. The answer is "Yes." Your state or your particular college may want to know that you and other students on your campus have a solid grounding in academic basics (reading and writing, math, science, and/or social studies). College BASE does not measure your "intelligence." Instead, College BASE tests your skills and knowledge in several areas in which many people believe a college-educated individual should be able to show competence.

To prepare for College BASE, review the College BASE Test Content and Informational Guide. Pay particular attention to the description of test content. Each of the four main parts of the test (English, mathematics, science, social studies) is divided into "clusters" and "skills" that are defined in the ensuing pages. Each skill is covered by 8-9 questions, and each question has been written for a particular skill. Work the sample questions (including the sample essay) and read the analyses that accompany them. The analyses will give you an idea of strategies to use in responding to similar questions when you actually take the College BASE exam.

Most of what you need for success on College BASE is already in your academic knowledge. Tests, both classroom and standardized, can produce anxiety. Both are timed and both are required. Also remind yourself of how far you've already come in your academic career. Think about the courses you've successfully taken and all the knowledge and skills you've learned and developed.

Compare the outline of what College BASE covers to all the courses you've taken (in high school as well as in college) and the material those courses covered. Then consider your strengths and weaknesses. For example, are there particular skills or clusters of skills in which you feel underprepared? How long has it been since you took algebra? Have you had at least one college-level writing course? The point is that you need not fly blindly into this examination. You can prepare for College BASE (but you can't "cram"). You may even wish to go over notes or review textbooks from classes you've taken. Using the knowledge you already have and refreshing your knowledge in other areas, you have the potential for doing well on the College BASE exam.

For extra help in math, you may order the College BASE Study Guide for Mathematics from the Assessment Resource Center. Study Guides for the other subjects are not available.

Here are some final steps to sound preparation for taking College BASE: Read each question on the test carefully, and read the alternative answers carefully as well—some answers differ from the others only slightly. Eliminate clearly wrong answers so that if you must guess you can narrow your options and increase your chances of getting the right answer. There is no "guessing penalty" on College BASE.

If you are unsure about some aspect of your preparation, talk to your advisor or someone at your college's student learning center. Take this College BASE Test Content and Informational Guide with you for a description of the specific area of the test what most concerns you.

If you or your advisor has questions, please call or email the College BASE coordinator at 1-800-366-8232 or collegebase@missouri.edu at the Assessment Resource Center at the University of Missouri. We want you to succeed, and we believe that with proper preparation, you can succeed.

Best wishes.