STRATEGIESfor Test Taking

Lee Darby, MEdSan Diego Community College District

Test Taking

• Test scores may not reflect competence

• Test taking is a skill that can be improved with practice

• Improvement can be madebeforeduringafter

an exam is given

Before the Exam

• Know stuff!

• Study

• Keep Up

• Talk/Work with classmates

Before the Exam

• Attitude

• Beliefs/self-image affect performance

• Describe research study

• Examine self

Before the Exam

• Sleep (better than study at some point)

• Comfort (materials, organization, water, relaxation techniques)

During the Exam

• Think like the test writer

• Why is the question on the exam

• What is the test writer looking for

• What is the point (objective)

During the Exam

• Estimation

• What should answer look like?

• What kind of number or size?

• Does each answer seem connected to question?

During the Exam

• Elimination

• Most of the answers are wrong

• Eliminate wrong answers to confirm correct answer

During the Exam

• Back Engineering

• Most useful in math or chemistry

• Take each answer to see if it is correct

During the Exam

• Look for Context Clues

• Which word tells what the problem is about

• Identify key words

During the Exam

• Time Management

• Watch clock to help, not to pressure

• Look at the average time for each question

• Better to do many easy questions than a few hard ones

During the Exam

• Easy Questions: Answer them and move on

• Hard Ones: Mark and return to them later after finishing the easy ones. If no time left, guess on these.

• No Clue: Mark, Guess, and Go

Some examples…

Examples

Which of the following principles of elevator engineering applies in adjusting cable tension?

• A Torque should exceed 28 ft lbs/sec

• B Door alignment should be from bottom

• C Cable tension must not exceed rating of pulley assembly

• D Tension must be adjusted at each level

Examples

What is the value of 20322?• A 4,124

• B 41,902

• C 4,129,024

• D 412390124

Examples

• What is the value of x where:

• A 2.5• B 3• C 5• D 9

After the Exam

• Exams are reviewed with you• Discover why you missed the questions

you missed:• Studied wrong material• Missed the point of the question• Didn’t understand the question• Fell for a trick• Other reason

After the Exam

• Analyze the key words

• Identify the clues

• Look for connections you could have made

After the Exam

• Reflect

• Identify strengths / weaknesses on exam

• Think about how you could have used better strategy

• Make plans for next exam

• Prepare

• Strategize

• Reflect

• Improve skill with each exam you take

• Keep getting better

• And better

• And better

• And better• And better

TO TEST BETTER!