TEST TAKING TIPS
Contact
/ Margie WildbloodRegion / Twenty first Century Scholars Support Site, Indiana University Kokomo
Phone / 765-455-9573
Email / or
GRADE LEVEL(S)
/ 7th Grade and aboveSTUDENT INDICATOR(S) / Students will develop strategies for answering various types of objective test items. Students will develop strategies for answering essay questions. Students will discover tips for efficient cramming, as a last resort.
TIME REQUIRED / 60-120 minutes, depending on whether practice is administered during class session or as homework
MATERIALS NEEDED / Power Point Projector/Screen and Slide Presentation: Taking Objective and Essay Exams
Handouts: Copies of Power Point Slides
Word Documents: Key Words, Catch Words, Catch Phrases
Direction Words
A Sample Objective Test and Key
Writing an Essay Practice
ACTIVITY SUMMARY / Students will review a Power Point Presentation detailing strategies for taking both objective and essay tests. Handouts will be provided on specific strategies. Students will complete both an objective and essay sample test.
PROCEDURE / PART ONE: Slide 1. Title and Objectives. Explain to students that there is no substitute for class attendance, paying attention, taking good notes, and being well prepared. However, there are ways to help them take tests the “smart” way. Highlight the objectives of this lesson. Pass out slide handouts so that class can record notes during the presentation.
PART TWO: Discuss what to study and pre-test strategies (Slides 2 & 3)
PART THREE: Discuss types of objective exams and how to get ready for this type of test. Discuss general test taking strategies (slides 4, 5, 6, 7)
Discuss specific strategies for types of objective test items: multiple choice, true-false, fill-in, and matching (slides 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
PART FOUR: Discuss how to get ready for an essay test. (slides 14, 15, 16)
PART FIVE: Discuss why cramming may be necessary and strategies for making the most of cramming efforts (slides 17,18)
PART SIX: Have all students complete the sample objective test and essay test. Review objective test items for each student to self-score
Review essential items that should appear in their essay response and strategies for improving their response (review of slides)
PART SEVEN: Record number of students successfully achieving 80+ score on objective tests and number who completed the essay section listing 3 problems Rita has with essay tests.
EVALUATION: How will you know what percentage of the students have mastered the identified guidance indicators? /
- Students will score 80 points on a Sample Objective Test.
- Students will complete a one-page Essay.
CITATION(S)
You may include copyrighted materials in “materials needed,” but do not reproduce copyrighted materials in your lesson plan. Non-copyrighted materials should be included in your lesson plan and cited here. / Doing Well in CollegeBy John Langan and Judith Nadell
McGraw–Hill, Inc.
1980
KEY WORDS, CATCH WORDS, CATCH PHRASES*
KEY WORDS
Key words can be used to help you remember ideas. For example, note the key words underlined in the following class notes:
Uses of Plants in City
- Give off oxygen (and pleasant smell)
- Absorb air pollutants (gases used as nutrients)
- Cool the air (evaporation from leaves)
- Catch dust particles
- Muffle noises (traffic, construction)
- Hold earth in place
Key words: oxygen, pollutants, cool, dust, muffle, earth
CATCH WORDS
Catch words help you remember an entire series of key words. Using the first letters of you key words, create a word that you will remember. For example, you might remember the letters O-P-C-D-M-E with the nonsense word MEDCOP. After you create the catch word, test yourself until you are sure you know what each letter stands for.
M = muffle
E = earth
D = dust
C = cool
O = oxygen
P = pollutants
CATCH PHRASES
Another way to remember key words is to form some easily recalled catch phrase. Each word in the catch phrase begins with the first letter of a different key word. For example, to remember the above key words, you might create the following phrase:
Our parents cook dinner most evenings.
Oxygen pollutants cool dust muffle earth
*Excerpted from Doing Well In College, by John Langan and Judith Nadell, McGraw Hill Co, 1980
DIRECTION WORDS AND WHAT THEY MEAN FOR ESSAY TESTS
Compare / Show similarities between thingsContrast / Show differences between things
Criticize / Give the positive and negative points of a subject as well as evidence for these positions
Define / Give the formal meaning of a term
Describe / Tell in detail about something
Diagram / Give a drawing and label it
Discuss / Give details and, if relevant, the positive and negative points of a subject as well as evidence for these positions
Enumerate / List points and number them 1,2,3. . .
Evaluate / Give the positive and negative points of a subject as well as your judgment about which outweighs the other and why
Illustrate / Explain by giving examples
Interpret / Explain the meaning of something
Justify / Give reasons for something
List / Give a series of points and number them 1,2,3. . .
Outline / Give the main points and important secondary points. Put main points at the margin and indent secondary points under the main points. Relationships may also be described with logical symbols, as follows:
- ______
- ______
- ______
Prove / Show to be true by giving facts or reasons
Relate / Show connections among things
State / Give the main points
Summarize / Give a condensed account of the main points
Trace / Describe the development or history of a subject
A SAMPLE OBJECTIVE TEST*
Based on this presentation, take the following quiz:* You have 5 kinds of questions to answer, with these point values for each section:
Following directions 10 ptsMatching 30 pts
Fill-ins 20 ptsTrue-false 20 ptsMultiple choice 20 pts
______
A. Following directions. Print your full name, last name first, on the line at the right-hand side above. Write your full name, first name last, under the line at the left-hand side above.
B. Matching. Enter the appropriate letter in the space provided next to each definition.
1. Show similarities between two things ____a. Define
2. Explain by giving examples ____b. Contrast
3. Give the formal meaning of a term ____c. Direction words
4. Words that tell you exactly what to do ____d. List
5. Give a series of points and number them 1,2,3, etc ____e. Compare
6. Give a condense account of the main points ____f. Illustrate
g. Summarize
C. Fill-ins. Write the word or words needed to complete each of the following sentences.
1. You should ______consistently in order to avoid last-minute cram situations that may cause exam panic.
2. On either an objective or essay exam, you will build up confidence and momentum if you do the easier questions ______.
3. Because essay exam time is limited, instructors can give you only several questions to answer. They will reasonably focus on questions dealing with the ______areas of the subject.
4. Before starting an objective or essay test, you should ______your time.
D. True or false. Write T for True or F for False to the left of the following statements.
______1. Often the main reason that students choke or block on exams is that they are not well-
prepared.
______2. When studying for an essay test, prepare a good outline answer for each question and
memorize the outlines.
______3. If you have to cram, you should try to study everything in your class notes and textbook.
______4. You should spend the night before an exam organizing your notes.
*Excerpted from Doing Well in College, by John Langan and Judith Nadell, McGraw-Hill Co, 1980, pp. 111-112
A SAMPLE OBJECTIVE TESTPAGE 2
E. Multiple choice. Circle the letter of the answer that best completes each of the following statements.
1. One step that is not necessarily recommended in preparing for and taking an essay exam is to:
(a) list ten or so probable questions
(b)prepare an outline answer for each question
(c)focus on the details in your class and text notes
(d)understand direction words
2. When taking an objective test, remember that:
(a)absolute statements are always false
(b)absolute statements are often false
(c)absolute statements are never false
(d)a and c only
3. When taking an essay exam, you should:
(a)outline your answers before you begin to write
(b)be direct when you write
(c)use signal words to guide your reader through the answer
(d)all of the above
(e)none of the above
4. In preparing for an objective or essay exam, pay attention to:
(a)key terms and their definitions
(b)major lists of items
(c)points emphasized in class or in the text
(d)all of the above
A SAMPLE OBJECTIVE TEST* Key
Based on this presentation, take the following quiz:* You have 5 kinds of questions to answer, with these point values for each section:
Following directions 10 ptsMatching 30 pts
Fill-ins 20 ptsTrue-false 20 ptsMultiple choice 20 pts
______Last, First______
Last, First
A. Following directions. Print your full name, last name first, on the line at the right-hand side above. Write your full name, first name last, under the line at the left-hand side above.
B. Matching. Enter the appropriate letter in the space provided next to each definition.
1. Show similarities between two things _e__a. Define
2. Explain by giving examples _f__ b. Contrast
3. Give the formal meaning of a term _a__c. Direction words
4. Words that tell you exactly what to do _c__d. List
5. Give a series of points and number them 1,2,3, etc _d__e. Compare
6. Give a condensed account of the main points _g__f. Illustrate
g. Summarize
C. Fill-ins. Write the word or words needed to complete each of the following sentences.
1. You should ______study ______consistently in order to avoid last-minute cram situations that may cause exam panic.
2. On either an objective or essay exam, you will build up confidence and momentum if you do the easier questions ___first___.
3. Because essay exam time is limited, instructors can give you only several questions to answer. They will reasonably focus on questions dealing with the __most important__ areas of the subject.
4. Before starting an objective or essay test, you should ____budget ____your time.
D. True or false. Write T for True or F for False to the left of the following statements.
___T___1. Often the main reason that students choke or block on exams is that they are not well-
prepared.
___T____2. When studying for an essay test, prepare a good outline answer for each question and
memorize the outlines.
___F____3. If you have to cram, you should try to study everything in your class notes and textbook.
___F____4. You should spend the night before an exam organizing your notes.
*Excerpted from Doing Well in College, by John Langan and Judith Nadell, McGraw-Hill Co, 1980, pp. 111-112
A SAMPLE OBJECTIVE TEST KeyPAGE 2
E. Multiple choice. Circle the letter of the answer that best completes each of the following statements.
1. One step that is not necessarily recommended in preparing for and taking an essay exam is to:
(e) list ten or so probable questions
(f)prepare an outline answer for each question
(g)focus on the details in your class and text notes
(h)understand direction words
2. When taking an objective test, remember that:
(e)absolute statements are always false
(f)absolute statements are often false
(g)absolute statements are never false
(h)a and c only
3. When taking an essay exam, you should:
(f)outline your answers before you begin to write
(g)be direct when you write
(h)use signal words to guide your reader through the answer
(i)all of the above
(j)none of the above
4. In preparing for an objective or essay exam, pay attention to:
(e)key terms and their definitions
(f)major lists of items
(g)points emphasized in class or in the text
(h)all of the above
WRITING AN ESSAY*
Practice
Read the following description of one student’s study situation:
Most of the exams Rita takes include both multiple-choice and true-false questions as well as at least one essay question. She has several problems with such tests. She often goes into the test in a state of panic. “As soon as I see a question I can’t answer,” she says, “big chunks of what I do know just fly out the window. I go into an exam expecting to choke and forget.” Another problem is her timing. “Sometimes I spend too much time trying to figure out the answer to tricky multiple-choice or true-false questions. Then I end up with only fifteen minutes to answer two essay questions.” Rita’s greatest difficulty is writing essay answers. “Essays are where I always lose a lot of points. Sometimes I don’t read a question the right way, and I wind up giving the wrong answer to the question. When I do understand a question, I have trouble organizing my answer. I’ll be halfway through an answer and then realize that I skipped some material I should have put at the start, or that I already wrote down something I should have saved for the end. I have a friend who says that essays are easier to study for because she can usually guess what the questions will be. I don’t see how this is possible. Essay tests really scare me since I never know what questions are coming.”
Write a one-page (or longer) essay in which you answer in detail the question: “What specific steps can Rita take to overcome her problems with tests?”
*Excerpted from Doing Well in College, by John Langan and Judith Nadell, McGraw Hill Co, 1980, p. 115.