Improving Your Improving Your Performance on Exams and Performance on Exams and

TestsTests

Getting Prepared for Tests and Getting Prepared for Tests and ExamsExams

• Prepare physically• Get enough sleep, eat right, and follow your regular

exercise regime

• Prepare emotionally• Know the material, practice relaxing, and use

positive self-talk

• Prepare for test-taking• Find out about the test, design an exam plan, and

join a study group

• Prepare for math and science exams• Do homework regularly and attend each class

• Create a review guide throughout the term

Your TurnYour Turn

Are there times when you engage in negative predictions about your academic performance? What do you think causes you to be so hard on yourself? Do you think that changing your predictions could change your performance? Why or why not? How can you reverse your thinking and compliment yourself on your work?

Taking Tests and ExamsTaking Tests and Exams• Essay questions• Budget your exam time and create a brief outline

of your answers

• Multiple-choice questions• Take advantage of key words

• Fill-in-the-blank questions

• True/false questions• Every detail must be true for the statement to be

true

• Matching questions• Review all terms and descriptions before

answering any questions

Your TurnYour Turn

Do you think that essay exams are more appropriate in upper-level courses and multiple-choice exams are more appropriate in first-year courses? Why or why not?

Types of TestsTypes of Tests

• Problem-solving tests

• Machine-scored tests

• Computerized tests

• Laboratory tests

• Open-book/open-note tests

• Take-home tests

Overcoming Test AnxietyOvercoming Test Anxiety• Types of test anxiety• Standardized tests vs. classroom tests

• Tests at a computer terminal

• Subject-specific

• Symptoms of test anxiety• Butterflies in the stomach, queasiness or nausea,

headaches, faster heartbeat, hyperventilating, shaking,

sweating, or muscle cramps

• Strategies for combating test anxiety• Take long, deep breaths, stretch your muscles

• Sit with shoulders back and relaxed

• Getting the test back• Review your graded test and evaluate your own

knowledge

Your TurnYour Turn

Do you experience any type of test anxiety? If so, what causes you to be anxious? If not, what strategies do you use to stay calm?

Your TurnYour Turn

What actions do you take when you look at graded tests? Take a look at an exam you got back in one of your classes. What can you learn from it? Would you challenge an instructor if you thought he or she had made a mistake in your grade? Why or why not?

Academic Honesty and Academic Honesty and MisconductMisconduct

• Cheating• Includes looking over a classmate’s shoulder, using a

calculator when it is not authorized, obtaining or

discussing an exam without permission, copying notes

• Plagiarism• Taking another person’s ideas or work and presenting

them as your own

• Consequences of cheating and plagiarism• Suspension or expulsion

• College degrees revoked

• Reducing the likelihood of academic dishonesty

Tech Tip: Fear Not the Tech Tip: Fear Not the Online TestOnline Test

Tips for taking an online test

• Don’t wait until the last minute to study

• Get organized

• Resist the temptation to surf the Web for

answers

• Don’t get distracted

• Budget your time

• Tackle easy questions first

• Beware of losing your Internet connection

mid-test