Is it necessary to teach to the test in order for students to do well on standardized tests?

One of the main criticisms of No Child Left Behind is that it forces teachers to spend their time drilling students on the types of questions that appear on the tests. Must this be the case? I am not familiar with the types of questions on the test, but if they give an indication of what students know then there should be a better way of teaching students so that they perform well on the tests. If teaching to the tests is the best method of preparation, then the tests need to be revised.

I think there should be standardized testing to show how well students and schools are doing, though I think the government places too much emphasis placed on the test results.