The primary purpose of assessment in an instructional setting is twofold: to determine whether learners have achieved the stated objectives and learner outcomes described in the curriculum and to determine whether educators meet those learning objectives in the classroom. Assessment, quite often, is administered in the form of a written or computerized test or exam. An exam is a measurement instrument designed to measure knowledge and understanding of defined content (Gaberson, 2008). Testing is an important activity for the learner as the learner needs to identify how they performed on the test, and whether test results allow them to progress in their program (Sainsbury & Walker, 2008). Testing is also important for the educator. Testing is a means to identify whether teaching is effective and how well the student comprehends the material. Because testing is a "high-stakes" (Hoachlander, 1998) activity in which students must offer their best performance, it can be anxiety provoking and can negatively affect their performance. There are many reasons why students might underperform on tests, including poor performance related to test anxiety, poor study skills, improper test preparation, language difficulties, and the presence of cultural bias through poorly written questions (Lusk & Conklin, 2003). There is little empirical evidence available on the validity of various testing formats, yet educators still rely heavily on traditional individual testing as a method of evaluation or assessment (Halstead, 2007). An additional complicating factor is that all tests have error; without conducting a proper item analysis, poorly constructed or unvalidated tests can inaccurately reflect student knowledge (Gaberson, 2008). Because of the many disadvantages inherent in traditional testing, alternate testing methods have been explored. One of these is collaborative testing, a relatively recent modality that is becoming more frequently utilized as an alternative. Collaborative Testing The intervention that will be examined in this review is collaborative testing. Collaborative testing is a method in which students work together while taking a written evaluative exam. Collaborative, or cooperative, testing is an umbrella term used to describe a test method different from traditional or individualized testing. Collaborative testing has been utilized in undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate settings. Collaborative testing, which is a student-centered, active learning approach, is also referred to as group testing, double testing, paired testing, cooperative testing, and dyad testing (Centrella-Nigro, 2012). Group testing is the term utilized when a test is administered to more than two students. Generally, in group testing the group consists of three to six students (Centrella-Nigro, 2012; Leight, Saunders, Calkins, & Withers, 2012; Wiggs, 2011). The terms dyad or paired testing are utilized when students are paired with a partner to take an exam (Centrella-Nigro, 2012;
