The following video shows the right way to approach testing:
I'm a smarty and I know it!-you will be singing it all day.- Beware commercials. This is YOUTUBE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcgyH3BBqaw&safe=active
Showing posts with label Test-taking Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Test-taking Tips. Show all posts
May 3, 2013
Test taking-music video
The following video shows the right attitude to have when taking any test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdhw1R4xys&safe=active
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdhw1R4xys&safe=active
September 7, 2012
Cramming
Chunking to Remember
I know, you've heard from parents, teachers, and those pesky ever-prepared nerdy kids that cramming is only for losers.
It's true that cramming is not a good idea for the most part. It's especially not a good idea to try to get through high school or college by cramming at the last minute every time you take a test.
But let's be real. No matter how much we try to avoid interruptions, there will be times when unexpected events take over and distract us from our normal routines. A baseball injury, a family visitor, a sick pet--lots of things can pull you away from study time unexpectedly.
One way to cram information and make it stick is the "chunking" method.
Chunking is a concept that first emerged in the 1950s when a Harvard psychologist named George Miller published his study on short term memory. It was called "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two."
Miller suggested that humans can successfully retain 5 to 9 items in short term memory banks. To illustrate this, you can try memorizing this grocery list:
There are nine items in this list, so many people will have difficulty remembering all of them. However, when we find a way to chunk those items into categories, we can find it much easier to remember them.
Think of these items as three different breakfast lists:
Try it now! Chances are, you can remember every item. Why? Our brains are "tricked" into thinking we're only remembering three things instead of nine.
When you think of all the information you have to study when you're cramming, you can easily become overwhelmed. However, you can use the concept of chunking to reduce the information you're "cramming" into your short-term memory.
How does this work? Basically, you will reduce the information into categories. Once you can boil down all the information to five to nine big categories, you should be okay for a test.
It takes some time, but it really works!
1. Gather all your class notes and texts in one place.
2. Identify important terms. Go back through your text and class notes and identify all the important words or phrases. There may be dozens of important terms.
3. Write a short definition for each term.
4. Identify five to nine important concepts. Using note cards (make your own if necessary), write down the chapter headings, lecture themes, or chapter titles. These are the main ideas or concepts you'll need to understand. Use a separate note card for each concept.
5. Write a short paragraph to define or discuss each of your major concepts, including several of your terms for each paragraph (good practice for the short essay question).
6. Go back and forth, reading and testing yourself on the individual terms and the long definitions until you are pretty comfortable.
7. Test yourself with with fresh, blank note cards. Re-write the main ideas and try reproducing your definitions without looking at your previous cards. Each time you include one of the terms, highlight it or underline it. This is a visual that will reinforce information.
8. Repeat step 7 until you can incorporate all your terms into one of your concept paragraphs.
By using this method, you are chunking all of the important terms into major concepts.
Tip: When cramming for an exam, don't drink so much caffeine it keeps you awake all night. It's okay to study late as long as you are certain to get six to eight hours of sleep. If you don't get any sleep at all you won't remember anything.
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/studymethods/a/cramming.htm
I know, you've heard from parents, teachers, and those pesky ever-prepared nerdy kids that cramming is only for losers.
It's true that cramming is not a good idea for the most part. It's especially not a good idea to try to get through high school or college by cramming at the last minute every time you take a test.
But let's be real. No matter how much we try to avoid interruptions, there will be times when unexpected events take over and distract us from our normal routines. A baseball injury, a family visitor, a sick pet--lots of things can pull you away from study time unexpectedly.
One way to cram information and make it stick is the "chunking" method.
Chunking
Chunking is a concept that first emerged in the 1950s when a Harvard psychologist named George Miller published his study on short term memory. It was called "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two."
Miller suggested that humans can successfully retain 5 to 9 items in short term memory banks. To illustrate this, you can try memorizing this grocery list:
- Eggs
- Flour
- Milk
- Bacon
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Syrup
- Cereal
- Blueberries
There are nine items in this list, so many people will have difficulty remembering all of them. However, when we find a way to chunk those items into categories, we can find it much easier to remember them.
Think of these items as three different breakfast lists:
- Eggs and bacon for day one.
- Pancakes for day two, requiring flour, baking powder, and milk. We'll also need syrup and butter!
- Cereal for day three: cereal, milk, blueberries (it doesn't hurt anything to repeat milk).
Try it now! Chances are, you can remember every item. Why? Our brains are "tricked" into thinking we're only remembering three things instead of nine.
Use Chunking to Cram for a Test
When you think of all the information you have to study when you're cramming, you can easily become overwhelmed. However, you can use the concept of chunking to reduce the information you're "cramming" into your short-term memory.
How does this work? Basically, you will reduce the information into categories. Once you can boil down all the information to five to nine big categories, you should be okay for a test.
It takes some time, but it really works!
1. Gather all your class notes and texts in one place.
2. Identify important terms. Go back through your text and class notes and identify all the important words or phrases. There may be dozens of important terms.
3. Write a short definition for each term.
4. Identify five to nine important concepts. Using note cards (make your own if necessary), write down the chapter headings, lecture themes, or chapter titles. These are the main ideas or concepts you'll need to understand. Use a separate note card for each concept.
5. Write a short paragraph to define or discuss each of your major concepts, including several of your terms for each paragraph (good practice for the short essay question).
6. Go back and forth, reading and testing yourself on the individual terms and the long definitions until you are pretty comfortable.
7. Test yourself with with fresh, blank note cards. Re-write the main ideas and try reproducing your definitions without looking at your previous cards. Each time you include one of the terms, highlight it or underline it. This is a visual that will reinforce information.
8. Repeat step 7 until you can incorporate all your terms into one of your concept paragraphs.
By using this method, you are chunking all of the important terms into major concepts.
Tip: When cramming for an exam, don't drink so much caffeine it keeps you awake all night. It's okay to study late as long as you are certain to get six to eight hours of sleep. If you don't get any sleep at all you won't remember anything.
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/studymethods/a/cramming.htm
July 24, 2012
Before the test
- Be sure to find out ahead of time.
- what material the test will cover
- what type of test it will be (multiple choice, true false, short answer, essay)
- how the test will be graded
- how much the test will count toward the final grade
- Study in a place that is free of distractions. Have ready all the things you will need, such as paper, pens, or a calculator.
- Study at a time when you are alert and not hungry or sleepy.
- Don't wait until the last minute to study! Short daily study sessions are better than one long session the night before the test.
- Set a goal for each study period. If you are being tested on three chapters, set up four study sessions, one for each chapter and one for a review of the main ideas in all three chapters.
- Repetition is key! Read and reread your class notes and the relevant chapters in the textbook.
- While you are reviewing your notes, cover them up periodically and summarize them out loud. Pretend that you are explaining the material to someone else.
- Create your own study aids.
- Make an outline from your notes of just the main ideas.
- Make a timeline of important dates or the order of events.
- Make flashcards for studying vocabulary or events and important dates.
- Make up your own quiz or test based on your notes and have a friend, parent or sibling test you.
- Do any practice exams or study sheets provided by the teacher. These will help you focus your study session and give you confidence.
- Get help from the teacher if you do not understand something.
Test Taking Strategies
Ten Tips for Taking Tests
- Read the instructions carefully. Never assume you will know what they will say!
- Read the entire test through before starting. Notice the point value of each section. This will help you to pace yourself.
- Answer the easiest questions first, then the ones with the highest point value. You don't want to spend 20 minutes trying to figure out a two-point problem!
- Keep busy! If you get stuck on a question, come back to it later. The answer might come to you while you are working on another part of the test.
- If you aren't sure how to answer a question fully, try to answer at least part of it. You might get partial credit.
- Need to guess on a multiple-choice test? First, eliminate the answers that you know are wrong. Then take a guess. Because your first guess is most likely to be correct, you shouldn't go back and change an answer later unless you are certain you were wrong.
- On an essay test, take a moment to plan your writing. First, jot down the important points you want to make. Then number these points in the order you will cover them.
- Keep it neat! If your teacher can't read your writing, you might lose points.
- Don't waste time doing things for which you will not receive credit, such as rewriting test questions.
- Leave time at the end to look over your work. Did you answer every question? Did you proofread for errors? It is easy to make careless mistakes while taking a test.
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