Peer-reviewed research
Testing On Computers: A Follow-up Study Comparing Performance On Computer and On Paper
Michael Russell, Education Policy Analysis Archives, Volume 7, Number 20, 1999
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- A follow-up study in which eighth grade students took language arts, science and math items on paper and on computer. It also recorded each student's prior computer use and keyboarding speed.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed. Results were mixed across the three subjects, and the students were schoolchildren taking tests in a study, not law students taking exams. Use it as evidence about keyboarding speed and test mode, not as a rule for any one exam.
Facts taken from this source
- In the 1999 follow-up study, for students whose keyboarding speed was half a standard deviation below the mean, taking the tests on computer had a substantial negative effect.
“for students whose keyboarding speed was 0.5 standard deviations below the mean, performing the tests on computer had a substantial negative effect” (Abstract)