Method of self-assessment of academic potential I am a soon-to-be-CS-grad at a small teaching university I'm sure you haven't heard of.  I have had several internships, most of which were more development than research (teaching programming at local high schools, developing web services at local companies, etc), and would like to "try on" research before I commit myself to a post-grad program.

Is there a way to accurately assess my ability to perform in a research environment?  I do well in classes, but I am realizing that has little bearing on research ability.  I feel that I am  fairly smart, and know I put in more hours than my undergrad peers, but again, that means basically nothing.

How can I tell if I would be a productive researcher, or if I'm just suffering a minor case of DK-itis?  Is committing to it and spending years of my life the only way to discover my own hackery?
The best way to assess your ability to do research is to do research.  It's kind of like figuring out what Tiggers like to eat---there's just no substitute for trying.

Research generally requires intelligence, hard work, and creativity, but whether you have enough of them and whether those talents combine in a way that fits well with research and whether you actually enjoy deploying them in that manner is something you simply will not be able to know until you get involved in some.

One good way to do this would be by enrolling in a Master's program with a research component.  This is only a couple of years commitment, and can give you ample opportunities to try out research in your field of interest.  If you end up deciding that research is a good path for you, it will help you build credentials to get into a good Ph.D. program.  If you ended up deciding otherwise, you'll still have a nice higher degree that may get you a higher paycheck in industry.