Assignment: HOW TO TAKE TESTS

Study Skills 101
2022-07-18T09:10:21Z

Due: Aug 1, 2022 by 11:59pm

Taking successful notes in your courses and using those notes to study will help you be successful at taking college tests. Knowing the types of tests you might encounter will enable you to be better prepared and not get overwhelmed with anxiety while putting all the knowledge you learned from studying your notes to good use.

OBJECTIVE TESTS

Objective tests are standard. There are three types of objective tests: Multiple choice, true/false, and matching terms with definitions.

Quick Tips:

- Read through the test first.

- Plan your time and aim to move quickly, skipping questions you can't answer easily. You can return to those after you have done most of the work.

- Sometimes, the answers to questions you do not know are suggested in other questions later in the test.

- If you do not know the solution but are given four possible answers, plug in the given solutions and see which one works.

- If there are reading passages on a test, it is a good idea to read the questions before the passages.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST QUESTIONS

Multiple choice test questions can be intimidating, but remember that you usually have four answers to choose from (a, b, c, or d). Your first strategy is to eliminate possible answers that you know are incorrect to increase your odds of choosing the correct answer. Try rephrasing the questions in your own words, as this may help you eliminate answers that you know are incorrect. Absolute answers, such as those that contain the words always and never, are usually wrong; few things in life are absolute. Usually, an answer has qualifiers, words such as sometimes, often, or usually. Also, longer answers are often correct, as it takes more words to explain a complex concept thoroughly. Similarly, answers with "all of the above" or "none of the above" deserve careful consideration because they are often correct. Remember: If you first eliminate answers that you know are incorrect by crossing them off and you increase your odds of guessing correctly. Interestingly, students who change their first answer after second-guessing themselves tend to have been correct the first time! It's a good rule of thumb to change your answer only if you are sure the new one is correct. When in doubt, go with your first instinct. If you have no clue, mark the question and come back to it.

TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

Of course, you have a 50 percent chance of guessing correctly here. There are usually more true than false items. (One reason is that instructors may make up tests that concern explaining a key term or concept in the material. It is, frankly, easier to use true statements than to create a clever statement that is false). If part of a statement is true and the rest is false, the entire answer must be considered false. Again, the qualifiers sometimes, often, or usually are correct or true.

MATCHING TEST QUESTIONS

Start with the easiest matches and cross them out. Look for other questions that contain the keywords that are in the matching question with which you are struggling, and use your knowledge of vocabulary context clues to help you decide. Sometimes there are more possible answers than terms with which they can be matched. Be careful to go with your first instinct. If you can use a term more than once, do not be afraid to do so.

ESSAY EXAMS

Essay exams often elicit your understanding and opinion about an issue or reading. You will use your knowledge of evaluating a reading to write a good essay response. When you write an answer to an essay question, make sure your writing is coherent (makes sense) and logical and that all of its parts fit together. Before you write, it is essential to outline all the key points you wish to make, including your examples as secondary support. A good guideline is to spend at least half as much time planning your essay as you do writing it, considering what you will say and how you will say it. A poorly designed essay usually lacks organization. It is essential to recognize the organizational pattern when you read an essay and equally important to use an organizational pattern when you write an essay. When you have finished drafting your essay, please read it carefully several times. Make any revisions you believe are necessary, and then proofread your work to locate and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

There are three major parts to taking an essay exam: preparing, taking the exam, and submitting the exam.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM

1. Look over your notes for the class.

2. Refine your notes on the reading.

3. Anticipate questions that might be asked; look at discussion questions following the readings for ideas on what might be asked. Start studying for the test a week before it and be sure to study daily.

4. Prepare notes on possible questions and draft or outline your answers.

5. Make sure you eat break on the test day so you can think clearly.

TAKING THE EXAM

1. If you do not understand the test directions, ask the teacher to explain them to you.

2. Pace yourself. Count how many questions there are and then divide how much time you have for the test by the number of questions. This will help you finish the entire test.

3. Prioritize how you spend your time. If you have essay questions that are worth a lot of points, answer them first.

3. Read the questions carefully before responding.

4. Underline essential parts of the questions, so you ensure to address each part in your answer.

5. Make a detailed outline of what you will say, including all examples.

6. Plan your time carefully according to the question's point value.

7. Provide at least three supporting points for your analysis or argument.

8. If unsure how to structure your essay turn the questions you are answering into a thesis statement by providing your opinion on the topic.

Submitting the Exam

1. Read your essay over to ensure the structure is clear and to catch any mistakes in spelling.

2. Double-check that you have included your name and the question you are responding to.

Types of Essay Questions

In question-answer relationships, you must learn to identify exactly what you are being asked to write about. You do this by paying attention to keywords and what they are asking for. They are as follows:

1. Summarize: Provide main points only.

2. Outline: Provide main points only.

3. Compare/contrast: What are the similarities and differences?

4. Trace: What is the sequence of events in time order?

5. Explain: Why? State your point and provide examples or reasons.

6. Evaluate (or critique): What are the arguments for or against, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

7. Interpret: What does the idea mean? How does it fit in what other related information?

8. Describe: What are the important characteristics?

9. Classify: In what category does the subject belong? Explain why.

10. Define: What does the concept or key term mean? Provide examples of the idea.

When you are done, please complete the following quiz.

You can find the quiz here

References:

Christine Evans Carter. (2014). Mindscapes : critical reading skills and strategies. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (Original work published 2011)

Quizizz — The world’s most engaging learning platform. (n.d.). Quizizz.com. Retrieved August 26, 2022, from https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5c9a308da90bd7001ca94b53/study-skills-test

Taking successful notes in your courses and using those notes to study will help you be successful at taking college tests. Knowing the types of tests you might encounter will enable you to be better prepared and not get overwhelmed with anxiety while putting all the knowledge you learned from studying your notes to good use.

OBJECTIVE TESTS

Objective tests are standard. There are three types of objective tests: Multiple choice, true/false, and matching terms with definitions.

Quick Tips:

- Read through the test first.

- Plan your time and aim to move quickly, skipping questions you can't answer easily. You can return to those after you have done most of the work.

- Sometimes, the answers to questions you do not know are suggested in other questions later in the test.

- If you do not know the solution but are given four possible answers, plug in the given solutions and see which one works.

- If there are reading passages on a test, it is a good idea to read the questions before the passages.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST QUESTIONS

Multiple choice test questions can be intimidating, but remember that you usually have four answers to choose from (a, b, c, or d). Your first strategy is to eliminate possible answers that you know are incorrect to increase your odds of choosing the correct answer. Try rephrasing the questions in your own words, as this may help you eliminate answers that you know are incorrect. Absolute answers, such as those that contain the words always and never, are usually wrong; few things in life are absolute. Usually, an answer has qualifiers, words such as sometimes, often, or usually. Also, longer answers are often correct, as it takes more words to explain a complex concept thoroughly. Similarly, answers with "all of the above" or "none of the above" deserve careful consideration because they are often correct. Remember: If you first eliminate answers that you know are incorrect by crossing them off and you increase your odds of guessing correctly. Interestingly, students who change their first answer after second-guessing themselves tend to have been correct the first time! It's a good rule of thumb to change your answer only if you are sure the new one is correct. When in doubt, go with your first instinct. If you have no clue, mark the question and come back to it.

TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

Of course, you have a 50 percent chance of guessing correctly here. There are usually more true than false items. (One reason is that instructors may make up tests that concern explaining a key term or concept in the material. It is, frankly, easier to use true statements than to create a clever statement that is false). If part of a statement is true and the rest is false, the entire answer must be considered false. Again, the qualifiers sometimes, often, or usually are correct or true.

MATCHING TEST QUESTIONS

Start with the easiest matches and cross them out. Look for other questions that contain the keywords that are in the matching question with which you are struggling, and use your knowledge of vocabulary context clues to help you decide. Sometimes there are more possible answers than terms with which they can be matched. Be careful to go with your first instinct. If you can use a term more than once, do not be afraid to do so.

ESSAY EXAMS

Essay exams often elicit your understanding and opinion about an issue or reading. You will use your knowledge of evaluating a reading to write a good essay response. When you write an answer to an essay question, make sure your writing is coherent (makes sense) and logical and that all of its parts fit together. Before you write, it is essential to outline all the key points you wish to make, including your examples as secondary support. A good guideline is to spend at least half as much time planning your essay as you do writing it, considering what you will say and how you will say it. A poorly designed essay usually lacks organization. It is essential to recognize the organizational pattern when you read an essay and equally important to use an organizational pattern when you write an essay. When you have finished drafting your essay, please read it carefully several times. Make any revisions you believe are necessary, and then proofread your work to locate and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

There are three major parts to taking an essay exam: preparing, taking the exam, and submitting the exam.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM

1. Look over your notes for the class.

2. Refine your notes on the reading.

3. Anticipate questions that might be asked; look at discussion questions following the readings for ideas on what might be asked. Start studying for the test a week before it and be sure to study daily.

4. Prepare notes on possible questions and draft or outline your answers.

5. Make sure you eat break on the test day so you can think clearly.

TAKING THE EXAM

1. If you do not understand the test directions, ask the teacher to explain them to you.

2. Pace yourself. Count how many questions there are and then divide how much time you have for the test by the number of questions. This will help you finish the entire test.

3. Prioritize how you spend your time. If you have essay questions that are worth a lot of points, answer them first.

3. Read the questions carefully before responding.

4. Underline essential parts of the questions, so you ensure to address each part in your answer.

5. Make a detailed outline of what you will say, including all examples.

6. Plan your time carefully according to the question's point value.

7. Provide at least three supporting points for your analysis or argument.

8. If unsure how to structure your essay turn the questions you are answering into a thesis statement by providing your opinion on the topic.

Submitting the Exam

1. Read your essay over to ensure the structure is clear and to catch any mistakes in spelling.

2. Double-check that you have included your name and the question you are responding to.

Types of Essay Questions

In question-answer relationships, you must learn to identify exactly what you are being asked to write about. You do this by paying attention to keywords and what they are asking for. They are as follows:

1. Summarize: Provide main points only.

2. Outline: Provide main points only.

3. Compare/contrast: What are the similarities and differences?

4. Trace: What is the sequence of events in time order?

5. Explain: Why? State your point and provide examples or reasons.

6. Evaluate (or critique): What are the arguments for or against, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

7. Interpret: What does the idea mean? How does it fit in what other related information?

8. Describe: What are the important characteristics?

9. Classify: In what category does the subject belong? Explain why.

10. Define: What does the concept or key term mean? Provide examples of the idea.

When you are done, please complete the following quiz.

You can find the quiz here

References:

Christine Evans Carter. (2014). Mindscapes : critical reading skills and strategies. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (Original work published 2011)

Quizizz — The world’s most engaging learning platform. (n.d.). Quizizz.com. Retrieved August 26, 2022, from https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5c9a308da90bd7001ca94b53/study-skills-test