In soil-cement construction, certain types of sandy soils are encountered that cannot be treated successfully with normal amounts of portland cement. While the use of additive soils, calcium chloride, and other chemicals, effectively neutralize this adverse reaction, it is impossible to detect the presence of this type of sandy soil until certain standard laboratory tests, which require approximately one week for completion, have been performed. The test method presented in this report provides a method of detecting this reaction in approximately one hour.