Effective Techniques for Taking Up a Test
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So, you’ve got a test? And the book has been open for hours; the music has leaned towards a focus playlist to peppy hits and is now at melancholy rhythms? The weather report has been checked thrice and your pencil sharpened twice, the portions list checked a multiple number of times, and the minute hand rounded off endlessly, and yet you’re still stuck at the third paragraph of the chapter and now have less number of hours than the chapter due?
It’s time to buckle up! And hit the books and hit them hard. While Pinterest might show Dark Academia books that want us to select a shady corner of a pre-historic library, wear corsets, and read by the lamplight, it is somewhat difficult to recreate that exact vibe before your semester exam schedule smacks you right across your face.
So here we are, and we’re going to be telling you how to do good on tests with our tried and tested tips for taking tests. Follow this, spend a few solid hours learning, and you’re golden. Test strategies might sound ominous and meant for people doing their thesis and not for you, but believe us, that test strategy for middle school also exists.
Types of Test
The educational system believes in not just bombarding kids with tests but bombarding them with different tests at different points of time. Like army personnel trained to be combat-ready at any given point of time, a student needs to take up several tests in a year. Starting from weekly pop quizzes, to formative exams and our end-of-the-term exams, there exist different kinds of tests given to children during the course of a term.
Diagnostic Testing
Used to “diagnose” the knowledge and lack thereof of a pupil. Diagnostic testing often occurs at the beginning of a new educational period, such as when pupils begin studying a new course. The exam covers material that will be covered in forthcoming lessons.
Teachers utilize the results of diagnostic tests to determine what and how they teach. For instance, they will prepare to devote additional time to the abilities that students found the most challenging in the diagnostic assessment. On the other hand, if students performed very well on a certain area, they might go over that material more quickly in class. On a diagnostic test, students are not expected to have learned all the material.
Benchmarking Tests
This testing is performed to determine if students have mastered a unit of content. Benchmark testing is conducted before or after a class period that focuses on a particular topic and includes all of the material that has been covered up to that point. The tests are intended to inform teachers of their student’s comprehension of the subject matter.
Formative Tests
Testing of this kind is done to determine how much the students have learned thus far. It is employed during a lecture and intended to provide students with the chance to show that they have understood the subject, like in the case of the aforementioned clock exercise. This informal, low-stakes testing is ongoing, and student performance on formative testing typically improves throughout the course of a class.
Although formative testing is a crucial component of teaching and learning, schools typically do not send home reports on it.
Summative Tests
At the conclusion of the year or course, this testing is utilized as a checkpoint to determine how much content the students learned overall. Unlike benchmark testing, which only evaluates one unit, this sort of assessment evaluates the entire year’s worth of work that students have been doing.
Tips for Students to Take the Test
Get sleep- A major thing you need to do before taking a test is to get enough sleep. If you get adequate sleep, you’ll be lot better at recalling things from memory. People who obtained adequate sleep the night before a math test performed better than those who stayed up all night studying, according to a scientific study. While last-minute cramming might have been your style, try learning a few days earlier and try to get enough rest the previous night and compare the difference.
Read the Entire Test Carefully
Once you have the test paper in front of you, read it from beginning to end, noting its length and all the tasks you must accomplish. This will enable you to ask the teacher any questions and gauge how much time you have for each session. Such a simple tip, yet one, we largely ignore, when the paper is given to you and that five to ten minutes awarded to you before its start is for you to study the question and jolt your memory of what you have learned.
Plan Beforehand
Your test schedule must have reached you quite a while before you are expected to be present there. So, start planning. Draw up a schedule where you can be done with all of the portions before having to write the test. Divide the larger bits into smaller ones and learn them thoroughly. There is no harm in being well-prepared, and letting your heart function normally without spiking it up in anxiety.
Relax
A crucial tip is to unbunch your shoulders and relax. You know a lot more than you think. There is no need to panic or be anxious, its just a test and keep a level head while attending it. Have a balanced meal and arrive early.
Why do students get distracted?
The million-dollar question. This question has no single answer or no right answer. While a book might be the most distracting thing to me, a video game might be yours, or even a bowl of noodles to sate your hunger. Distractions have always been around us, and while its scope has skyrocketed upwards dramatically thanks to the advent of internet, it is our responsibility to know when to stop and start learning. Balancing your academics and your distractions is an art form that needs patience, dedication, determination, and discipline.
Things to Do After the Test
While some people may find comfort in discussing the answers to a test after completing it to know where they went wrong, if that isn’t your cup of tea, it is more than alright for you to skip that particular step. However, we advise you to trace your steps to know the corrections before taking the next step. However, it doesn’t have to be right after the test.
Treat yourself to a little something after completing the test. You deserve it. And it motivates you to learn the next time you have one.
Check with your professors on the concepts you are doubtful and uncertain about.
Good luck!