In spite of the grade controversies you might see on Twitter, tests are an important part of learning. It is important for a teacher to know if students have knowledge or can perform a skill on their own without teacher support. They also provide an opportunity for retrieval practice, and important part of solidying memories.
That's not to say they cannot be improved. It would take too long to grade and give feedback for every question to be free response, especially for those teachers who have classes of up to 35 students. So we are left with things like matching, multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc. for the sake of efficiency. Much of the test taking advice you see online (like choose C because it is the most common right answer - which isn't even true anymore) are for those who don't have a clue about the right answer. If you have studied, it is unlikely that you don't know anything at all. So the advice in this post is for the conscientious student who prepared for the test.
Multiple Choice Questions
When I met with students, I asked them if they were the kind of person who quickly picked an answer and moved on or if the kind who talked themselves into every answer. For both, I first offer this advice. Bring a blank index card (you can also use a cover sheet if provided or even your hand) to cover the choices. Read the question first and think of the answer in your mind. Then, go look for the right answer. The only type of question this won't work for are those where "all of the above" is the right answer, but there are usually only 1 or 2 of those on any given test. For those who tend to talk themselves into the other choices, they don't even have to look at the others (maybe jump down to quickly to make sure "all of the above" isn't a choice). For those who choose answers quickly, they will at least be more likely to be committing themselves to the right answer.
If, when you thought of then answer, you had some doubts, you can then go to look at the choices. My next best advice is to cross out those you know to be wrong. Then, go on to another question. When you return to the one you had doubts about, you may find that your mind has continued in diffuse mode, allowing you to be confident about one of the answers you have left.
Short Answer Questions
It is easy to write something without really thinking about it. I can't tell you how many times I have written next to an answer, "Read this out loud. You'll hear that it doesn't make sense." That's not me being mean; it's just easy to write without checking to see if it says what you meant. You obviously can read your answers out loud during a test with other students around. However, you can do two things. First, you can do what I call "Reading out loud in your head." What I mean by that is rather than passively taking the words into your eyes, be intentional about "pronouncing" the words in your mind. I think it is called "self talk," and it helps. The other thing you can try is to ask the teacher if you can step into the hall and actually read the answer out loud so you can hear it. I wouldn't do it a lot, but it could help if you are really stuck on a question.
The Order of the Test
Because we number the questions, students assume they must start with question 1 and go in order. The problem with that is that the most challenging questions are often on the last page. Because of the benefits of moving from focused node to diffuse mode, the best advice is to start with the hardest ones. Recognize when it is time to pause and go on to some easier questions, so you can return to them after your brain has had time for active recovery. The other benefits to doing it this way are that you are able to time your pace better when the easier ones are the ones that are left and you don't already have an exhausted brain when your reach the free response section.
No comments:
Post a Comment