A simply constructed, psychometrically sound testing procedure which enables the instructor to assess higher cognitive process with respect to the material in questions, and which is amenable to machine scoring, is described. It involves the application of the word association technique long used in psychoanalysis to the classroom setting. The actual testing procedure requires the selection by the instructor of a number of stimulus terms which sample a wide range of the concepts covered in the course. The student is usually required to produce four associatives for each stimulus term, providing sufficient discriminatory power for evaluating student knowledge. After details of the method, its analysis and psychometrics are given, it is concluded that the word-association technique is of sufficient reliability and validity to warrant further investigation. Nearly the entire second half of the report is devoted to appendices on instructor orientation material, lists of stimulus items for each course, sample test, word count, psychometric characteristics, and reliability calculation. (LH)