Processes and effects of test preparation for writing tasks in a high-stakes admission test in China: Implications for test takers

Abstract

This study investigated the processes and effects of test preparation for a high-stakes English admission test in the context of tertiary education. A total of 623 Chinese college students who were preparing for the writing tasks of the Graduate School Entrance English Examination (GSEEE) responded to the questionnaire survey. In terms of the processes for test preparation, five components emerged: memorization, test familiarization, comprehensive learning, skill development, and drills. With regard to the effects of test preparation, regression analysis of 161 GSEEE writing scores revealed that test takers’ language proficiency and individual preparation efforts had a significantly positive effect on test scores. The findings highlight two specific preparation activities that produce positive test outcomes and cast doubt on the effects of prevailing memorization practices, which consist of the memorization of all-purpose sentence patterns. The implications of these results for improving test preparation for test takers are discussed.