<![CDATA[This study aims to improve the readiness of Islamic Religious Education teachers in facing the Academic Competency Test through a mentoring program based on the Teacher Working Group and the integration of Al-Islam, Muhammadiyah Studies, and Arabic Language values. The method used is a quantitative descriptive approach supported by qualitative data through a needs assessment questionnaire. The instrument employed a Likert scale with variables including knowledge, teacher readiness, utilization of working group, value integration, mentoring needs, and open-ended questions. The study involved teachers at the elementary school level from 12 Muhammadiyah schools in Yogyakarta City. The analysis results indicate that teachers’ level of understanding of test is in the moderate category (mean ≈ 3.00), while their level of readiness remains moderate but tends toward low (mean=2.57), particularly in the aspects of developing question banks (mean=2.08) and conducting competency test-based practice exercises (mean=2.25). Meanwhile, the utilization of working group is also in the moderate category and has not yet been optimized as a platform for competency development based on the academic competency. These findings reveal a gap between teachers’ conceptual understanding and their practical readiness, indicating the need for a systematic, collaborative, and needs-based mentoring program. Programs that can be developed include workshops on constructing Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions, mentoring in developing question banks, and strengthening working group as a professional learning community.]]>
