Chapter 7: Student Test Taking Strategies

In today's universities, grades are substantially determined by test results. So much importance is placed on students' test results that often just the word "test" makes students afraid. The best way for students to overcome this feeling of fear or nervousness is to prepare themselves with test-taking strategies. This process should begin during the first week of each semester and continue throughout the school year. The key to successful test taking lies in a student's ability to use time wisely and to develop practical study habits.

Actually, effective test-taking strategies are synonymous with effective learning strategies. This section is intended to provide suggestions for long-term successful learning techniques and test-taking strategies, not quick "tricks". There is nothing that can replace the development of good study skills.

The following steps will help students approach tests with confidence:

·         Make a semester study plan.

·         Come to class regularly.

·         Use good review techniques.

·         Organize pre-exam hours wisely.

·         Plan out how to take the exam.

·         Use strategies appropriate to the skill area.

·         Learn from each exam experience.

Make A Semester Study Plan

Students need to plan their study time for each week of their courses. They should make schedules for themselves and revise these schedules when necessary. These schedules should:

·         BE REALISTIC. Keep a balance between classes and studying. Block out space for study time, class time, family time and recreation time.

·         INCLUDE A STUDY PLACE. Finding a good place to study will help students get started; don't forget to have all the materials needed (i.e. pens, paper, textbooks, highlighter pens etc.).

·         INCLUDE A DAILY STUDY TIME. Students forget things almost at once after learning them, so they should immediately review materials learned in class. Students should go over the main points from each class and/or textbooks for a few minutes each night. Encourage students to do homework assignments during this time as a good way to remember important points made in class.

Attend Class Regularly

In order for language learning to take place, students need to come to class on a regular basis. It is not surprising to note that poor attendance correlates highly with poor test results.

Teachers need to point out early in the semester what constitutes legitimate reasons to be absent and stress the advantages of regular attendance.

Use Good Review Techniques

If students make a semester study plan and follow it, preparing for exams should really be a matter of reviewing materials. Research shows that the time spent reviewing should be no more than 15 minutes for weekly quizzes, 2 to 3 hours for a midterm exam, and 5 to 8 hours for a final exam.

When reviewing for a test, students should do the following:

·         PLAN REVIEW SESSIONS. Look at the course outline, notes and textbooks. What are the major topics? Make a list of them. How much time was spent on each of these topics in class? Did the teacher note that some topics were more important than others? If so, these should be emphasized in review sessions.

·         TAKE THE PRACTICE EXAM. By taking the practice exam students will have an idea of the tasks/activities that they will encounter on the real exam. They will also know the point allocation for each section. This information can help them plan their time wisely.

·         REVIEW WITH FRIENDS. Another way of studying for an exam is to create a "study group". By studying with friends there is the advantage of sharing information with others who are reviewing the same material. A study group, however, should not take the place of studying individually.

Organize Pre-Exam Hours Wisely

Students who have regularly reviewed course materials throughout the semester don't have to "cram" at the last minute. They can concentrate their efforts on particular areas of difficulty and conduct an overall review of the material to be tested.

Physical and mental fitness are important considerations for good test taking. These can be best achieved by making sure that the student has adequate rest and nutrition in the hours preceding the exam. A well-rested and well-fed student who has prepared thoroughly is likely to be calm and self-confident, two other important factors for successful test taking.

Some teachers have found it useful to encourage students in stress-reducing activities.

Strategize Your Exam Plan

An important factor in test taking is exam planning. Students should arrive early at the designated exam room and find a seat. All books and personal effects (with the exception of student ID cards and writing materials) should be left at the front of the room. Students should come prepared with several pens or pencils and an eraser.

As soon as the exams have been distributed and students have been told to start the exam, the student should write his/her name and ID number on all pages of the test paper.

If one section is given first, such as the listening portion of English exams, the student should focus attention on this section. With any section of the exam, the student is well-advised to do an overview of the questions, their values, and the tasks required. At this point, students should determine if the exam must be done in order (i.e. listening first) or if they can skip around between sections. The latter is not possible on some standardized exams where students must complete one section before moving on to the next.

An important consideration in effective test taking is time management. When exams are written, review time is usually factored into the overall exam design. Students should be encouraged to allocate their time proportional to the value of each exam section and to allow time to review their work. Teachers when proctoring can assist students with time management by alerting them to time remaining in the exam. Computer based tests (such as the new TOEFL) often show a countdown of the remaining time. Students should be made aware of this feature during the practice exams.

A recent research project investigating the reading skills of English students has yielded several disturbing findings. First, students frequently fail to read directions or read them superficially. Teachers can acquaint students with the requisite metalanguage of rubrics, and encourage them to emphasize the important points of the task. For example, teachers should point out that reading for main ideas requires very different strategies than scanning for specific information. Brainstorm with your students on the key terms found in rubrics.

Another finding in this project is the fact that students don't spend enough time on the reading and that they don't refer back to the text as often as they perhaps should. Again, when students are reading for specific detail, it is important that they refer back to the main text for each question.

Use Strategies Appropriate To The Skill Area

Teachers should train students in effective strategies for the various skill areas to be tested. Important activities (i.e. like note-taking for listening and writing tasks) should be demonstrated to students during classroom activities. Representative strategies for English skill areas will be modeled in today's workshop.

Learn From Each Exam Experience.

Each test should be a learning experience. Go over test results with students. Teachers should note specific students' strengths and weaknesses. The analyses that teachers receive right after computer-based exams provide teachers with invaluable information in a timely manner. Teachers should use this information to send students to student support services for remediation.

Each exam that the students take should help them do better on the next one.