The paper reports on a study of social studies tests and their relationship to National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) curriculum guidelines. The study had two objectives: (1) derive learning objectives based upon the NCSS Curriculum Guidelines (1971) and the NCSS Curriculum Guidelines for Multiethnic Education (1976), and (2) acquire a representative sample of social studies tests and analyze them for congruency with learning outcomes derived from the Guidelines. Analysis of the Guidelines revealed eight important factors in social studies education: school milieu, instructional resources, instructional development, student participation, student self-worth, evaluation, content, and skills. Only content and skills were rated as appropriate for assessment. The sample of tests to be analyzed included 17 commercial tests and 10 state tests. Results showed that test publishers broadly sample the traditional content disciplines of social studies, but they inadequately sample pervasive issues and ethnic content; and test publishers sample social studies skills more broadly than would be expected from the Guidelines. In addition, criterion-referenced tests and competency tests in the states are composed of low-level knowledge items and threaten to eliminate concerns for skill development. (Author/AV)