Test, Review, Repeat: Mastery-Based Testing and its Benefits for Student Engagement and Performance in a General Chemistry Course

Decades of research show that tests, beyond assessing student knowledge, are powerful tools to promote learning, though they can also cause stress and disengagement. To utilize tests to encourage and motivate students, we implemented a mastery-based testing system in a large-enrollment general chemistry course (N = 234), allowing students to take three versions of each unit test, studying in between to increase their mastery of the content. Students took advantage of the mastery grading system when they struggled with unit tests, averaging six total repeated attempts. This level of repeated testing was associated with a 60% increase in students' use of study resources over the duration of the course, and a five-point overall increase in final exam scores (11 points for first-generation college students). This research suggests that mastery-based testing systems can leverage the benefits of test-enhanced learning while also providing motivation and structure to support students’ self-regulation.