The purposes of this study are to develop a valid procedure for teaching students to use behavioral objectives and to determine minimal levels of competence in using objectives. It was hypothesized that when objectives are provided for a unit of instruction, subjects trained to use objectives will score significantly higher on an examination consisting of items matched to the objectives than subjects not trained. The subjects were 159 undergraduate students enrolled in a survey course of human communication theory at Florida State University. The hypothesis was supported by the data, and implications for future research and classroom application are noted. (RB)