The states that I've worked in don't make previous years' tests public, because they don't publish new tests every year; that's cost prohibitive.
It's been about 8 years since I proctored a math test. The test I remember most distinctly was the math test for 2nd graders in CA. I don't know if they are still taking that test.
THAT math test was a better measure of auditory memory than math skills. You see, the test developers wanted to insure that the test results would not be affected by 7 yos who couldn't read the test fluently. So...most of the test was read aloud to the students. There was a small section with calculations, but the majority were "story problems." So the proctor would read the problem to the students.
The problem with that? The problem wasn't actually printed in the students' test booklets. They couldn't read along, or refer back. The proctor was allowed to read the problem ONCE. Students were allowed to use paper and pencil for whatever they needed. 7 yos, though, are not that efficient at note-taking, and that's not the end of it. Once read, proctors were to give them 10 seconds to solve, and then read the next problem. That's not enough time to do much of anything constructive with that paper and pencil.
Those students with good auditory memory, who could remember the whole problem and sort out the relevant information without seeing it or writing it down...those students did much better on that math test than the rest.
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