5.5 Test Taking

Test taking (with few exceptions) comes down to discipline, preparation and execution. Students wanting to be successful have to have the self-discipline to schedule time to study well in advance of the exam. They have to actually do the work: the preparation needed in order to have the best opportunity for success on the exam. Then they must execute: they have to be able to apply their preparation accordingly and perform well on the exam.

Preparation for an exam is not glamorous. It’s easy to find other things to do that are more interesting and fun. Students need to keep themselves motivated with their “eyes on the prize.” Think of it like this: if the most important event of your life was coming up and you wanted to perform to the best of your ability in that event, you would likely spend some time preparing for it, rehearsing for it, and practicing it. A student may argue that an exam is not the most important event of their life, but think back to the chapter on motivation and passion. If you’re already spending the time, effort, energy and money to attend college, why not do it to the best of your ability?

It is beneficial to spread exam preparation and practice out over time and prepare periodically rather than to wait until the last minute and binge study or cram. Your preparation would not be the same and this may affect your test score. Binge studying and cramming also are not healthy. Staying up late puts stress on our brain and body, and not getting adequate sleep places our bodies at risk for getting sick.

Studying the right thing is a process and a skill. As you gain more experience, you will learn how to become better at knowing what to study. It can be very frustrating to spend a lot of time preparing and studying and then finding out that what you studied was not on the exam. You will see a lot of variance with exams due to different instructors, classes and types of tests. The better you become at predicting what will be on the exam and study accordingly, the better you will perform on your exams. Try placing yourself in your instructor’s shoes and design questions you think your instructor would ask. It’s often an eye-opening experience for students and a great study strategy.

Preparation for Exam Strategies¹

While exams can be intimidating, preparation can help you assess the situation, understand what will be expected of you, and come up with a plan that suits you and your learning style. The following section will provide guidance on how to prepare for any of your upcoming exams.

Find out as much about the exam in advance as you can.

Some professors will tell you how many questions there will be, the exam format, and how much time you will have, while others will not. Ask questions about the exam if there is not information given, preferably before class, after class, in professors’ office hours or via email rather than during class.

Know the test

If you know how many questions, what the format is, and how much time you will have, you can start to mentally prepare for the exam. There are two more important aspects that you may or may not know: a) what will be covered or asked on the exam; b) how the exam will be scored. Obviously, the more you know about what will be covered, the easier it is for you to be able to prepare for the exam. Most exam scoring is standardized, but not always.

Look for opportunities where some areas of the exam are worth more points than others. For example: An exam consists of 21 questions, with 10 being True/False, 10 being multiple choice, and one essay question. The T/F questions are worth 1 point each (10 points), the multiple-choice questions are worth 2 points each (20 points), and the essay question is worth 30 points. You know that the essay question is the most valuable (it is worth half of the value of the exam), and you should allocate time  accordingly. Starting with the essay question is the correct approach. Do a quick analysis of time to be able to spend your time on the exam wisely. You want to spend some time with the essay question since it is so valuable, without sacrificing adequate time to ensure the T/F and multiple-choice questions are answered.

Often, the order of the exam in this scenario will be: T/F first, multiple choice second and essay third. Most students will go in the chronological order of the exam, but a savvy student would start with the essay. If an exam were to last for 30 minutes with this format of questions, a student should spend 15 minutes on the essay question, ten minutes on the multiple choice, three minutes on the T/F and two minutes reviewing their answer.

Also, look for situations where exams penalize students for incorrectly answering a question. This does not occur very often, but it is the case with some exams. With the SAT for example, students are awarded one point for a correct answer and ¼ of a point subtracted for an incorrect answer. Points are not awarded nor subtracted for leaving a question blank. Thus, the strategy for a multiple-choice question is: if you can narrow down the potentially correct answer to two rather than four or five, it is statistically advantageous to answer the question and guess between the two answers; however, if a student had no idea if any of the answers were correct or incorrect, it would be best to leave the answer blank. Remember, this is rare, but it is important to understand the strategy when students take these exams.

In conclusion, the more information you have about the exam, the better you can prepare for content, allocation of time spent on aspects of the exam, and the more confident you will be in knowing how and when to attempt to answer questions.

Take care of your body

Before the exam, it is important to prepare your brain and body for optimal performance for your exam. Do not cram the night before. Get a good night’s sleep. Make sure you eat (nutritiously) before the exam. Exercising the day before and, if possible, a few hours before the exam can also help with your focus and energy levels.

Pre-Test Strategies

Q: When should you start preparing for the first test? Circle…

1. The night before.
2. The week prior.
3. The first day of classes.

If you answered “3. The first day of classes,” you are correct. If you circled all three, you are also correct. Preparing to pass tests is something that begins when learning begins and continues all the way through to the final exam.

Many students, however, don’t start thinking about test taking, whether weekly exams, mid-terms, or finals, until the day before when they engage in an all-nighter, or cramming. From the previous unit on memory, you might recall that the brain can only process an average of 5-7 new pieces of information at a time. Additionally, unless memory devices are used to aid memory and to cement information into long term memory (or at least until the test is over tomorrow!) chances are slim that students who cram will effectively learn and remember the information.

Mid-Test Strategies

Here is a list of the most common–and useful–strategies to survive this ubiquitous college experience.

• Scan the test, first, to get the big picture of how many test items there are, what types there are (multiple choice, matching, essay, etc.), and the point values of each item or group of items.
• Determine which way you want to approach the test: Some students start with the easy questions first, that is, the ones they immediately know the answers to, saving the difficult ones for later, knowing they can spend the remaining time on them. Some students begin with the biggest-point items first, to make sure they get the most points.
• Determine a schedule that takes into consideration how long you have to test, and the types of questions on the test. Essay questions, for example, will require more time than multiple choice, or matching questions.
• Keep your eye on the clock.
• If you can mark on the test, put a check mark next to items you are not sure of just yet. It is easy to go back and find them to answer later on. You might just find help in other test questions covering similar information.
• Sit where you are most comfortable. That said, sitting near the front has a couple of advantages: You may be less distracted by other students. If a classmate comes up with a question for the instructor and there is an important clarification given, you will be better able to hear it and apply it, if needed.
• Wear ear plugs if noise distracts you.
• You do NOT have to start with #1! If you are unsure of it, mark it to come back to later on.
• Bring water…this helps calm the nerves, for one, and water is also needed for optimum brain function.
• If permitted, get up and stretch (or stretch in your chair) from time to time to relieve tension and assist the blood to the brain!
• Remember to employ strategies to reduce test-taking anxiety (covered in the next lesson)
• If despite all of your best efforts to prepare for a test you just cannot remember the answer to a given item for multiple choice, matching, and/or true/false questions, employ one or more of the following educated guessing (also known as “educated selection”) techniques. By using these techniques, you have a better chance of selecting the correct answer. It is usually best to avoid selecting an extreme or all-inclusive answer (also known as 100% modifiers) such as “always,” and “never”. Choose, instead, words such as “usually,” “sometimes,” etc. (also known as in-between modifiers). If the answers are numbers, choose one of the middle numbers. If you have options such as “all of the above,” or “both A and B,” make sure each item is true before selecting those options. Choose the longest, or most inclusive, answer. Make sure to match the grammar of question and answer. For example, if the question indicates a plural answer, look for the plural answer. Regarding matching tests: count both sides to be matched. If there are more questions than answers, ask if you can use an answer more than once. Pay close attention to items that ask you to choose the “best” answer. This means one answer is better or more inclusive than a similar answer. Read all of the response options.

Post-Test Strategies

In addition to taking a big sigh of relief, there are advantages in continuing thinking about your exam and taking a couple of approaches after you receive your results. One of the biggest mistakes that students make after they take an exam in a course is that they do not use the exam for the future. The exam contains a lot of information that can be helpful in studying for future exams. Students that perform well on an exam often put it away thinking they do not need it anymore. Students who do poorly on an exam often put it away, not wanting to think about it any further.

In both cases, students are missing out on the value of reviewing their exams. It is wise to review exams for three reasons: 1) students should review the answers that were correct because they may see those questions on future exams and it is important to reinforce learning; 2) students should review the answers that were incorrect in order to learn what the correct answer was and why. For example, if most of your incorrect answers were small things such as failing to include the last step in a math item, or neglecting to double-check for simple errors in a short-answer or essay item, you can take steps to address these issues or prepare if these questions appear on a future exam. In addition, occasionally an answer is marked incorrect, when it should have been marked correct. The student would never know this if they didn’t review their exam; and 3) there is value in reviewing the exam to try to predict what questions or what format will be used by a professor for a future exam in the same course.

Strategies for Specific Exam Formats

Each exam is unique, not to mention the environment or the expectations surrounding it. However, specific types of exams will have some commonalities. Think about these approaches when you come across one of these common types of exams.

True or False Questions

Look for qualifiers. A qualifier is a word that is absolute. Examples are: all, never, no, always, none, every, only, entirely. They are often seen in false statements. This is because it is more difficult to create a true statement using a qualifier like never, no, always, etc. For example, “All cats chase mice.” Cats may be known for chasing mice, but not all of them do so. The answer here is false and the qualifier “all” gave us a tip. Qualifiers such as: sometimes, many, some, most, often, and usually are commonly found in true statements. For example: “Most cats chase mice.” This is true and the qualifier “most” gave us a tip.

Make sure to read the entire statement. All parts of a sentence must be true if the whole statement is to be true. If one part of it is false, the whole sentence is false. Long sentences are often false for this reason.

Students should guess on True or False questions they do not know the answer to unless there is a penalty for an incorrect answer.

Multiple Choice Questions

Think of multiple choice questions as four (or five) true or false statements in one. One of the statements is true (the correct answer) and the others will be false. Apply the same strategy toward qualifiers. If you see an absolute qualifier in one of the answer choices, it is probably false and not the correct answer. Try to identify the true statement. If you can do this, you have the answer as there is only one. If you cannot do this at first, try eliminating answers you know to be false.

If there is no penalty for incorrect answers, a good suggestion is to guess if you are not certain of the answer. If there is a penalty for incorrect answers, common logic is to guess if you can eliminate two of the answers as incorrect (pending what the penalty is). If there’s a penalty and you cannot narrow down the answers, it’s best to leave it blank. You may wish to ask your instructor for clarification.

Answers that are strange and unrelated to the question are usually false. If two answers have a word that looks or sounds similar, one of those is usually correct. For example: abductor/ adductor. If you see these as two of the four or five choices, one of them is usually correct. Also look for answers that are grammatically incorrect. These are usually incorrect answers. If you have to completely guess, choose B or C. It is statistically proven to be correct more than 25 percent of the time. If there are four answers for each question, and an exam has standardized the answers, each answer on the exam A, B, C and D would be equal. But most instructors do not standardize their answers, and more correct answers are found in the middle (B and C then the extremes A and D or E). “People writing isolated four-choice questions hide the correct answer in the two middle positions about 70% of the time.”² There are 20 percent more correct answers found in B or C than a standardized exam with equal correct answers for each letter.

Matching Questions

Although less common than the other types of exams, you will likely see some matching exams during your time in college. First, read the instructions and take a look at both lists to determine what the items are and their relationship. It is especially important to determine if both lists have the same number of items and if all items are to be used, and used only once.

Matching exams become much more difficult if one list has more items than the other or if items either might not be used or could be used more than once. If your exam instructions do not discern this, you may wish to ask your instructor for further clarification. Good advice for students is to take a look at the whole list before selecting an answer because a more correct answer may be found further into the list. Mark items when you are sure you have a match (pending the number of items in the list this may eliminate answers for the future). Guessing (if needed) should take place once you have selected answers you are certain about.

Short-Answer Questions

Read all of the instructions first. Budget your time and then read all of the questions. Answer the ones you know best or feel the most confident with. Then go back to the other ones. If you do not know the answer and there is no penalty for incorrect answers, guess. Use common sense. Sometimes instructors will award partial credit for a logical answer that is related even if it is not the correct answer.

Essay Questions

Keep in mind that knowing the format of the exam can help you determine how to study. If you know that you will be taking a True-False exam, you will need to discern whether a statement is True or False. You will need to know subject content for the course. But if you are studying for short answers and especially for essay questions, you must know a lot more. For essay questions, you must have much greater content knowledge and be able to make a coherent argument that answers the question using information from textbooks, lectures or other course materials. You have to put a lot more time and thought into studying for an essay exam than for True-False or Multiple-Choice exams.

Read the essay question(s) and the instructions first. Plan your time wisely and organize your answer before you start to write. Address the answer to the question in your first or second sentence. It may help to restate the original question. Write clearly and legibly. Instructors have difficulty grading essays that they cannot read. Save some time for review when you have finished writing to check spelling, grammar and coherent thought in your answer. Make sure you have addressed all parts of the essay question.

Anxiety on College Campuses

Anxiety is prevalent on college campuses. In 2018, the American College Health Association published the National College Health Assessment. In it, the organization stated that 63% of college students in the United States experienced overwhelming anxiety in the previous 12 months. Additionally, 23% of students reported being diagnosed or receiving treatment for anxiety over that time period.³ While anxiety and stress are serious concerns, it helps to use resources and practices to make them manageable. We will spend time in future chapters discussing the link between health and academic success, emphasizing the importance of self-care to overcome some of these challenges.

However, one facet of anxiety that we will discuss in this chapter is testing anxiety. Almost everyone experiences some level of nervousness or tension before tests. The term “test anxiety” refers to the emotional, physical, and cognitive reactions that some students have to exams. These students have an adverse reaction preparing or taking an exam, not performing to their potential and their scores not reflecting their knowledge or capability. The fear of exams is not an irrational fear – after all, how you perform on college exams can shape the course of your academic career. Dealing with testing anxiety is not rare. It is estimated that 20-35% of college students suffer from testing anxiety.⁴

Addressing Test Anxiety

Some students experience physical symptoms of anxiety before and during exams (an upset stomach, sweaty palms, etc.). Many of these students have trouble recalling information that they actually know and become so nervous about preparing for or taking a test that they have difficulty planning, thinking, concentrating, and relaxing. A little nervousness can actually help motivate us; however, excessive fear of exams is a problem when it interferes with your ability to be successful in college.

Anxiety is created by expectations or thoughts about what is likely to happen. If you think negative things to yourself about your abilities, you produce a corresponding negative emotional reaction: anxiety. If you believe you are not smart, you don’t know the information well enough, or you aren’t capable of performing well on exams, then your expectations will be for failure. Negative expectations then create anxiety, and anxiety can disable you from actually doing well. Therefore, if you believe in yourself and your abilities and have positive expectations for how you will perform on the exam, you will be better able to cope with the anxiety (a small amount of anxiety can be helpful for performing well.).

Students may blame poor exam performance on test anxiety. This poor performance may actually be a lack of preparedness for a test (which causes anxiety), rather than classic test anxiety. Be well prepared. If your anxiety is a direct result of lack of preparation, consider anxiety a normal, rational reaction. Lack of preparation is indicated by the following:

• Cramming the night before the exam
• Poor time management
• Failure to organize course information
• Poor study habits
• Worrying about past performance on exams and how friends and other students are doing in comparison to yourself

However, if you are adequately prepared but still panic, “blank out,” and/or overreact, your reaction is not rational. In either case, it is helpful to know how to overcome the effects of test anxiety.

Coping with Test Anxiety

Addressing testing anxiety can be a daunting task. It is an irrational fear brought up by a high stress situation. However, we do have control over many aspects of it. When discussing coping mechanisms to deal with anxiety we have to address things we can do to prevent it from happening in the first place and things we can do to lower the impact when it happens.

Mental preparation is a primary concern when dealing with test anxiety. Preparing for an exam appropriately can help lower the stress around it and increase confidence. First and foremost, start by having a study plan, implementing various approaches from the previous chapters. Then, you can start focusing on your mental preparedness.

Make sure to develop a positive mindset and outlook. Remind yourself that your entire future doesn’t depend on this exam. Don’t give a test the power to define you. An exam won’t tell you whether you’re brilliant or stupid. As you anticipate the exam, think positively (e.g., “I can do okay on this exam. I’ve studied and I know my stuff.”). Remember that the most reasonable expectation is to try to show as much of what you know as you can. Then, remind yourself of past successes. Think of a tough course in which you struggled but eventually succeeded. Tell yourself that if you did well on that past exam, you can do well on the upcoming exam.

If you find yourself worrying a lot when studying, engage in “thought stopping”, mentally comparing yourself to your peers, or thinking about what others may say about your performance in a course. Alternatively, you can practice anxiety control strategies. As you study, deliberately induce anxiety by saying to yourself the negative thoughts you typically have during an exam (i.e., “I’m going to fail”). Remind yourself that you will probably experience some anxiety during tests, but the anxiety won’t hamper your performance because you’ve practiced controlling it. Additionally, try not to study right before an exam. Frantic reviews are often more confusing than helpful. Lastly, get a good night’s sleep. Don’t go without sleep the night before an exam. Being fully rested lowers stress levels and prevents stress from building up as you take your exam.

It is possible that anxiety might spike once the exam begins. There are two approaches to consider. First, minor stretching exercises on your seat can help. Change positions to help you relax. Stretch your arms and legs and then relax them again. Tense and relax muscles in several parts of your body, then take several deep breaths with your eyes still closed. These breathing exercises are the second technique to try. Breathe in slowly to the count of seven and exhale to the count of seven. While it might seem counter-intuitive, taking a couple of minutes to steady your breathing can make the remainder of the exam more productive.

You can control test anxiety so that your performance on a test reflects your real standing in that course. However, if levels of test anxiety that interfere with your academic success persist, talk to a counselor for some specialized help. Health Services can assist with diagnosis and provide short or long-term counseling services to aid with the problem. Additionally, the Educational Access Center (EAC) provides accommodations for students with disabilities.

Citations

1. Dillon, Dave. Blueprint for Success in College and Career. OER Commons. https://press.rebus.community/blueprint2/. CC BY 4.0.
2. Yigal Attali and Maya Bar-Hillel, “Guess Where: The Position of Correct Answers in Multiple-Choice Test Items as a Psychometric Variable,” Journal of Educational Measurement 40 no. 2 (2003):109-128.
3. Nicole J. LeBlanc, M. (2019, August 27). Anxiety in college: What we know and how to cope. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/anxiety-in-college-what-we-know-and-how-to-cope-2019052816729
4. Damer, D. E., & Melendres, L. T. (2011). “Tackling Test Anxiety”: A Group for College Students. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 36(3), 163-177.