A study was conducted to ascertain whether additional focus on test-taking strategies might significantly improve the passing rate of Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) students on the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). All students who took the summer and fall 1984 administrations of the CLAST were included in the study. Original passing rates were recalculated based on three test-taking strategies serving as possible alternatives to skipping test items. Study findings included the following: (1) students were most likely to skip items on the reading test, with Black students more likely than Whites or Hispanics to skip at least one item in all three test areas; (2) most students responded to all test items; (3) for all students taking the test, the number of items skipped averaged less than one; (4) both Whites and Blacks had a significantly higher mean number of skipped items in computation than Hispanics; and (5) the recalculation of passing rates to reflect instruction in test-taking skills showed that the reading passing rates would be affected by only a small amount; that the writing passing rate would have been affected only during the fall 1984 administration; and that the passing rate for computation would be affected least of all. Based on study findings, it was concluded that if efforts to improve students' test-taking strategies were initiated, activities should focus on the area of writing. (LAL)