Testing Methods
From OSU Wiki
Tests are a big part of the college life and knowing how to go about getting prepared and taking test's is a big key to succeed in college.
Contents |
Preparing For a Test
Throughout the Term
One of the most important things about taking a class is learning the material. That may sound terribly redundant, but how often do people skip class and not read the text. How can one expect to do well in a class if they haven't made a conscious effort to really learn the material (even if it is for short term memory). Here are my suggestions on how to do well in a class:
1) Go to class. You have heard it in every class "there is a direct correlation between attendance in class and grades." How can you expect to know the material for the midterm if you weren't in class the day that the teacher taught it?
2) Take Notes! Odds are that you space out through a significant portion of your classes. Face it, we're college students and sometimes we have the attention span of a gold fish. To help yourself pay attention, take notes! Don't just write what the teacher puts on the board, but take notes that will help you understand the concept. Writing helps to put the information into your memory.
3) Read and take quick notes on the text before class. This is one of the biggest things that you can do to do well in school. If you know the material before class, then when the teacher teaches it, it is like a review. This way, you get the material at least twice. Taking hand-writen notes will help to cement the reading into your brain, and it will help you to stay focused.
4) Study to learn, not to memorize. If you try to understand how the concept works, then it will most likely become much easier to understand and to remember. If you try to memorize definitions and explanations of topics, you will not only be frustrated, but you have a good chance of forgetting before the test.
Set Goals
1) Set goals each week throughout the term that you are able to achieve and don't make your goals unrealistic.
2) The goals that you set out for yourself should include many things that are school related and that make you more organized in the since of achieving study habits assignment finishing dates, and which class should be focused on more each week.
3) Make goals that respectively reflect you not any one else.
Make a Schedule
In most cases students tend cram for tests rather than gradually prepare for exams and that can cause test grades to fall in most cases, so the best way to prepare for an exam is to make a schedule that reflects what time you have. The schedule that you set out for yourself should be in most cases almost Permanente and should include: Study times, assignment dates, and the actual test dates themselves.
Pre-Test Preparation
1) You should expose yourself to the material before you attempt to study it, and that can be done either by researching the material, going to off campus lectures, or just observing how the material affects daily live’s.
2) Early Review: you should attempt to glance over each chapter or class material that the class went over before the test, and you should also review the material that was assigned or gone ever before each class.
3) Space out initial reviews so that you can review the material on the test 5-10 days prior to the actual test date.
4) Review the material as far ahead as possible prior to a test so that you can allow the material time to sink in.
5) Review the material before the test in intervals of 1-2 hours so that the material is not too overwhelming.
6) Try to get into a study group that way you have peers to help if any questions arise.
Taking the Test
1) Read the directions clearly and make sure that you know what the question is asking you to answer, and do not add any extra information to the question that you think is missing.
2) Never forget to look over the test and see how much time it has all allot for each section. If the test happens to be all multiple choose that is good to know.
3) Work on the easiest parts first then answer those parts that you have the most ease answering. Allow yourself time to answer all parts of the test easy to hard.
4) Answer all parts of the test never leave anything blank a guess is better than a blank answer, and always make the best educated guess that you are able to at all costs.
5) When answering essay questions try to use the margins or a blank piece of paper to outline your response, and make sure that your writing is neatly written and your response is easy to fallow.
6) Save time at the end of the exam to go over the exam and make sure that nothing is left blank and is the best response you know. This is hard to do under stress but it keeps you from leaving any thing blank or answered wrong.
Links
Professors suggestions on How to Succeed on Tests
Professors Sugestions should go here.
Student Tips on How to Succeed on Tests
- Pay listen for clues given by professors. Attending lectures is absolutely crucial to your success on a test because professors whether intentionally or not will note key aspects to study. If you have heavy reading for a class, make note during the lecture what topics the professor is going over; these are very likely to covered on exams. Professors may not explicitly come out and state that the topic is important, but if you see them driving home a point, make note and make sure you thoroughly understand it.
- When studying restate the topic you are studying out loud. When you are forced to think on your own without the guidance of notes the words become more tangible and the concepts become easier to comprehend and remember.
- If you need help ask early. Professors are very willing to help with any questions that you have about the course, but there is only so much they can do if you wait to long. Come to a meeting with a professor prepared with notes and questions so you will know exactly what you need answered.
Things to avoid on and before a test
1) Procrastination: this is a major problem among college students and also a lot of the U.S population, and the problem itself is very a bad idea when it comes to test because it can lead to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, depression and self-doubt that can become a major problem, and one of the biggest roadblocks, to achieving academic success.
2) Cramming: this method of studying is probably the most miss leading methods because it works for some people, but the method does not generally work for the majority of people.
3) Cheating: During a test is a bad idea because first of all you are showing that you are not trying to learn just get by, and also that you don't want to succeed just do as well as the person next to you. Finally cheating is not taken lightly at OSU and if you are caught you will probably be thrown out of the class, plus you are chancing getting thrown out of school depending on what offence it is for you.
