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 How to Perform Better on Tests*Tests are an integral part of American life. Our society uses tests (and contests) to sort and categorize us. Whether it is the SAT or an algebra test, a basic skills test or a history exam, the CPA exam or a kindergarten reading readiness test, tests stand at the gateway of opportunity. Tests should accurately reflect our knowledge of particular subjects or predict our ability to perform in future circumstances, and sometimes they do. Tests designed by teachers vary greatly in quality; some are thorough and fair, others seem capricious and thoughtless. As students enter each new level of competition, they usually experience the apprehension of the unknown, the shock of higher standards, and the sense of inadequate preparation. Classic examples of this phenomenon occur each fall on American college campuses as freshmen face their first exams. Their frequent frenetic attempts--at preparation by cramming all night and worrying endlessly--testify to their earnestness but rarely help them perform. Students commonly have ambivalent feelings about tests. Anxiety, avoidance, and anger can occur beforehand, while celebration, remorse, and relief can be the aftermath. All are powerful emotions that can directly affect your sense of well-being and self-esteem. How can you harness these emotional engines to help you accomplish your college goals? The first step is to understand the basic nature of college tests; the second is to master a test preparation method that counteracts avoidance; and the third is to learn how to perform a test to the best of your ability and knowledge. Back To Top College tests, especially freshman level, should effectively sample your knowledge of the subject you are studying. Whatever the structure, a test should be balanced along two dimensions. The first is the breadth of content covered in class lecture/discussion and out-of-class study. Your first task is to determine the range of material each professor expects you to master for the test. Three methods may help: ask the professor directly, ask former students, and determine if your teacher puts old tests on file at the library or departmental office. The second dimension is somewhat more difficult to describe. It is the level of performance required of you. Will you simply have to regurgitate facts and definitions or merely recognize something that has been mentioned in lectures or in the text? This level (Memory) is the lowest and resembles most high school learning. Although it occurs in college, it will rapidly decrease after the freshman year. The second level of performance occurs when you understand an idea or the significance of an example. Test questions at this level (Understanding) may be worded differently from the initial presentation of the material. When you are asked to use an idea or a process, especially in a new situation, that level is Use. The fourth level is the most important, and the most difficult, for freshmen. It is the demonstration of your intellectual ability to explain cause/effect relationships or the similarities/differences between two or more ideas/theories/events. This level (Analysis) requires different preparation and performance strategies than the other three levels. Another performance level (Creation) usually occurs for freshmen only in the original construction of a theme or speech.1 Back To Top There is a reasonable, logical, and effective method of test preparation. The key point is deceptively simple--you must learn to think like a teacher, not a student, and the first step is the recognition of the difference between learning through study and preparation for performance. Learning occurs in repeated practice. Your efforts should focus on understanding the material and remembering key points or definitions. All initial learning should be completed at least 48 hours before the test. That revolutionary concept is the foundation of the preparation phase. Preparation begins with an analysis of the domain of the test. Assemble your class notes, texts, handouts, and so on. List all the topics you believe the professor might use for test questions. It is crucial that your list is complete so take the time needed. Look over your list. Can you group any items together? Is there a logical progression (linking) of topics? What organization of topics did your professor use? Is it the same as in the text? The final result of your reflection should be an exhaustive list of topics. Now look at the topics. Mark with an asterisk the ones that seem most likely to occur on the test. (Most professors give strong clues through repetition and emphasis.) Your predictive abilities will improve with practice. This stage of preparation is not yet complete. Look at your list of topics, the domain, and beside each one write your estimate of the level (Memory, Understanding, Use, Analysis) at which you will be asked to perform for that topic. Be careful and cautious. How many clues has your professor given? Is he or she concerned with details or ideas, tracing cause/effect relationships, identifying and defining terms? Essay exams are almost always at the Analysis level; problem-solving exams or case studies at the Use level. Multiple-choice exams are deceptive, for students assume they are at the Memory level, and they can be. But they can also test the other three levels. The foregoing analysis of domain should take 30--45 minutes. Take a break, then return to construct your plan. As you look at each topic and your prediction of performance level, do an inventory. What are the gaps between your learning and your ability to perform at the predicted level? The simplest method is to test yourself. Write a list of terms or events and define them; construct an essay question and answer it. If you have a study guide for the text, answer the practice questions. What is your current performance level? Once you have ascertained your current level, you will begin to realize what you must do to be ready to perform for the test. This is the "cramming" stage. You must master the material and hold it in your mind in an organized format so that you can access it for the test. There are several basic principles to successful cramming. First, try to practice performing the material at the level you predicted. For Memory, practice recitation until your recall is reliable. For Understanding, explain concepts or the significance of examples aloud, as if you were teaching someone else. For Use, especially in math, statistics, accounting, and economics, solve problems. Do not simply review those you have already worked; try to combine problems in new ways. For Analysis, try to predict questions that compare and contrast larger amounts of information. Use organizational tools like charts, graphs, mindmaps, outlines. Create simple matrices that allow you to organize comparative information. One dimension lists the topics; the other lists characteristics (see table, below). As each stage of preparation intensifies, you will find you are condensing the material, picking significant ideas or facts around which you can cluster other information. Each successive practice furthers the selection process; you begin to feel mastery over the material. This condensation process is desirable, for your personal organization of the material will allow you to answer questions even if they are not phrased in the same way you have worded your practice question. One hint: study more than you believe necessary.
Back To Top There are practical issues to address as the test approaches. Get some sleep, but get up early enough to spend one hour in a final review session. Be sure to take whatever supplies are necessary: blue book, answer sheets, watch, pens, pencils. Go to class about ten minutes early, but do not listen to the anxious conversations among your classmates. Instead, go over your review sheet and practice recalling the key information from your memory. When the test is distributed, your performance begins. Read the test, paying special attention to the directions, and notice the value of each section. Determine how you will allocate your time. Begin with the section that you feel most confident with. Read each question carefully and try to ascertain what your professor wants to know. If you do not understand a question, approach him or her and ask, "Does this question mean _____ or ______?" Do not ask "What does this question mean?" Work at a calm, measured pace, but keep your eye on the time. Do not hurry. Some quick tips: True/false Be wary of absolute words (all, always, must, and so on). Such terms often make statements false. Multiple-choice Read the stem (first part) of the question with each alternative. Read all before choosing. If you are not sure of an answer, but can eliminate one or two choices, guess. Definition or short answer Give several sentences and an example. Essay Write a thesis statement that acknowledges the entire question and shows the main idea and structure of your answer (a brief outline will help you organize your answer). If you run out of time, outline the remainder of your essay. After you have completed the exam, resist the temptation to turn it in and escape. There are several strategies that may add points to your score. Verify that you have answered all the required questions and, if you are using a machine-scored sheet, that your answers are in the correct rows and columns. Be cautious about changing your answers. Sometimes your performance will improve during the test and changing your answers will garner points. However, last-minute anxieties may persuade you to change a correct answer. If you generally gain points when you change answers, then do so. The opposite is good advice if you frequently lose points. Reread your essay answers and make any necessary grammatical or spelling corrections. Insert additional material. It can be quite normal to become anxious during a test. If that happens, simply stop and take a deep breath. Remind yourself that you have prepared and then focus on the next question. The most effective stress management technique is to keep your attention on performing, not on the results of your performance. If your thoughts continue to spin away from the test, then sit quietly for a few moments with your eyes closed. Try to physically relax by breathing deeply. Say the same things to yourself that you would say to a friend, for example, "I will answer one question at a time," "I have prepared for this exam," and so on. Back To Top A powerful technique to improve your second test scores is a thorough analysis of your first performance. Allow yourself the appropriate emotional response to the results of your first test performance, then settle down to do a thoughtful evaluation of the strategies you used. First, reflect over your preparation. Did you choose the right topics and levels? Did you study enough or in the most productive manner? During your performance, did you use time wisely? Did you follow directions? Did guessing help or hurt your performance? How well did you manage stress? What changes should you make in either preparation or performance? Two more intensive strategies may be helpful. If you are confused about your performance on the test questions you missed and believe you understood the material but could not show that, make an appointment with your professor to carefully review those questions. Take your class notes and the text with you and describe your preparation process. Your teacher is the best source of help for improving your performance. If stress played a major role in hurting your performance, then a visit to your campus counseling center can help you to learn how to manage stress so that it will not interfere with your performance. Learning to prepare and perform in the spotlight of college tests is an important skill, which you will carry with you into professional life. A vital part of that process is a decision that you may have already made. That decision is your commitment to a personal code of honor. In other words, is the work that you claim to be your work really yours? Cheating is theft, theft of another's knowledge, and the gravest punishment is the loss of personal honor, not getting caught. If you have already made that decision to be honorable, good. If not, please consider it carefully, for the implications are vast. Endnote1. This concept of vertical dimension is based on B. Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.
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