Taking Tests

1
Taking Tests
Chapter 5
EXAM How to Take a Test
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• Tests are not a measure of your value as an
  individualthey are a measure only of how well
  (and how much) you studied.

3
P.O.W.E.R. Plan

• Prepare Readying Your Test-Taking Strategies
• Organize Facing the Day of the Test
• Work Tackling the Test
• Evaluate Taking Your Own Final Examination
• Rethink The Real Test of Learning

4
Why Tests Are So Unpopular

• Produce fear
• Cause anxiety
• Increase apprehension
• Focus on grades

5
Tests Can Be Valuable

• Identifies what you know
• Compares your performance to others
• Motivates you to study
• But how do YOU feel about tests?

6
Tests are a Measurement

• Tests are not a measure of your value as an
  individual.
• They only measure how well (and how much) you
  studied, and your test-taking skills.

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Prepare Readying your Test-Taking Strategies

• Attend class
• Complete all assignments
• Find out what type of test you will be given
• Ask teacher what material will be covered or if
  there is a review
• Check your syllabus to determine how much the
  test will count

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Whats in a Name?

• Quizzes
• Brief assessment covering a small amount of
  material, doesnt count much
• Tests
• More extensive and covers more material than
  quizzes
• Exams
• Weighted more heavily, more comprehensive than
  tests

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Types of Test Questions

• Essay questions
• Look at the big picture
• See the connections between the facts
• Multiple-choice, true-false, matching
• Choose best answer
• Short-answer
• Brief responses

• True-False
• Accurate or inaccurate
• Matching
• Pair correct items together
• Fill-in
• Add missing words

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Test Anxiety

• Temporary condition characterized by fears and
  concerns about test-taking
• Prepare thoroughly
• Learn relaxation techniques
• Visualize success
• Form a study group

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Techniques for Dealing with Math Anxiety

• Myths
• Boys are better than girls at math
• Math has no practical value
• Study groups are small, informal groups that are
  useful for learning course material.

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To Cram or Not to Cram?

• Hurried, last-minute studying is not the best
  answer. Long-term retention is lost and you are
  likely to forget the material.
• Instead, use your campus learning or tutorial
  center resources.

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Organize Facing Test Day

• Bring at least two pens/two pencils to test
• Bring your watch
• Dont forget blue book if needed
• Bring text if open-book test
• Bring eraser

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Work Tackling the Test

• Try to relax and remember to breathe
• Read instructions and skim the entire exam
• Spend time on questions that count the most
• Answer easier questions first
• Write legibly

15
Computerized Test-Scoring

• If you feel your test was graded incorrectly, ask
  your instructor to go over the test with you.
• Computerized testing isnt perfect.

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Conquering Essay Questions

• Turn to page 131 in your text
• Learn the differences between words used in essay
  questions
• For example, Should students pay for the cost of
  copies in the library?
• Clarify, Discuss, Justify, State

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Whats the Difference?

• College life is very different from the life of
  a student in high school
• Explain (give reasons why or how clarify,
  justify, illustrate)
• Prove (using evidence and arguments, convince the
  reader of a particular point)

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Master Multiple-Choice

• Watch out for every, always, only, none,
  and never. These are rarely correct answers.
• Generally, usually, often, rarely,
  seldom and typically may indicate a correct
  response.

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Educated Guess

• Eliminate false answers
• Narrow it down to correct answer

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True-False Questions

• Answer the ones you know first
• Dont rush
• Key words such as never, always often
  determine response

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Matching Questions

• Match items you know are correct first
• Use educated guess on the rest

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Short-Answer and Fill-In Questions

• Require specific answers
• Be as short as possible

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Academic Dishonesty

• Plagiarism
• Copying anothers work
• Copying anothers idea without giving credit
  (quotations needed)
• Paraphrasing without giving credit (document
  source)
• Results in lower grade or expulsion from class or
  college

24
Academic Dishonesty

• Includes using a calculator when it is not
  allowed
• Taking an exam for another person
• Stealing an exam
• Using a textbook for a closed-book exam
• Is plain wrong

25
Evaluate Taking Your Own Final Exam

• Check your work at the end of a test
• Look for unanswered questions
• Correct misspelled words
• Guess the answer rather than leave it blank
  (since it will be wrong anyway)
• Know when to stop

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Rethink Reflect on the Real Test of Learning

• When you get the grade back--
• Examine mistakes and learn from them
• Examine your handwriting skills
• Get the correct answers
• Talk to instructor if needed

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Career Connections
Tests do not end with a degree. Many professions
require licensing exams or continuing education.
Careers in medicine, law or business require
national, standardized tests.
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P.O.W.E.R. Plan
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Resources
How to Ace Any Test by Beverley Chin (Wiley,
2004) Test Anxiety and What You Can Do About It
by Joseph Casbarro (National Professional
Resources, 2003)
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Web Links

• Handout of suggestions on approaching
  multiple-choice exams
• http//www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/mul
  ticho.html
• Suggestions to manage and reduce level of stress
  and test-anxiety
• http//www.coun.uvic.ca/personal/stress.html

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Journal Topics

• What makes a test good and bad from your
  perspective?
• What factors contribute to your success or
  failure on a a particular exam? Which are these
  factors are under your control?
• What strategies do you use when taking tests to
  maximize your performance?