Test-Taking Strategies 2009 Workshop

Overview• Essentials

– Questions about test

• Objective Tests

– Types

– Distracters

• Subjective Tests

– Types

• Strategies:

Sound Advice…Strategies alone will not help you

Success areas all add up:

Positive thinking:

“Skill” and “Will”

•Instructors

•Study skills: note-taking, text-book reading, concentration

•Time management

•Motivation

•NOT punishment or negative reinforcement

•See it as: a tool for feedback , and how well your learning strategies are working!

•A chance to show off

Essentials Skim over entire test first before answering

Write your name on every test page

Check essays for spelling and grammar

Answer the questions you know for sure first

Anticipate and watch your time

Ignore your classmates’ pace

Answer all questions

Write clearly

Ask professor about the test beforehand

Questions to Ask about the TestWhat type of questions will be on the test?

What does the test cover?

Is there a study sheet?

Will there be a review session?

Will there be any special instructions?

• How long is the test?

Test Types

• Objective Types:

– Multiple choice

– True/False

– Matching

– Complete the sentence/fill-in-the-blank

• Only one possible answer

• Only one best answer

• All test your ability to recall information

• Subjective Tests:

– Short Answers

– Essays

• No “wrong” answers, but “better” answers.

• Test your ability for recognition

Three (3) Parts of a Test Question

The Background statement

• Brief scenario providing necessary info for answering the question

• May provide framework for stem

The Stem

• Contains the specific problem or intent of the item

List of options

• Possible answers

• Correct answers are the keyed responses and the others are distracters

The Stem (examples) • Five forms of a stem in questions

– Background statement

• A young woman arrived to the hospital in early labor.

– Question Form

• Which of the following signs is the best indicator of early labor?

– Incomplete sentence (fill-in-blank)

• The best indicator that labor is early and progressing is _______.

The Stem (examples) cont.

– Multiple multiples

• Which of the following is the best indicator that labor is early and progressing….?

– Negatives or Exceptions

• All of the following behaviors are typical of a woman in early labor except:

– The word except directs you to behaviors not typical

• Which of the following is NOT true about diffusion? – The word not directs you to a process not affiliated with

diffusion

MULTIPLE CHOICETest-Taking Strategies 2009

Multiple Choice: Distracters Greater the similarity between the correct answer..

• What is the capital of Michigan? – A. Grand Rapids

– B. Detroit

– C. Lansing

– D. Ann Arbor

…and the distracters (incorrect answers), the greater the difficulty

• What is the capital of Michigan? – A. California

– B. Iowa

– C. Lansing

– D. Montana

Multiple Choice – Distracters:

• Example 1:

Don’t choose "All of the above" if any distracter is false

Multiple Choice – Distracters:

• Example 2

Don’t choose "None of the above" if any distracter is true

Multiple Choice – Distracters:

• The Following items are part of culture:

– A) an automobile

– B) norms

– C) language

– D) all of the above

Two or more distracters correct choose “All of the above”

Multiple Choice – Distracters:

• Example 4

A positive choice more likely to be true than a negative one

Multiple Choice – Distracters:

• Example 5

•Correct answer / choice with the most information

Multiple Choice: Grammar

• Pay close attention to the word immediately preceding the blank; if the word is an you know the answer starts with a vowel.

– Ex: (BIOL) Energy is transferred from ATP to other molecules by transferring a(n) _________• A) phosphate group

• B) heat

• C) photon

• D) spring

• E) adenosine

Sequential Multiple Choice

• The following people were the founders of sociology; the author of Society in America ignored due to her genders; the person who coined the term “ survival of the fittest” and thought helping the poor was wrong; the sociologist who studied social integration and suicide, and the sociologist who studied the relationship between religion and capitalism.

– A) Comte, Martineau, Durkheim, Marx, Martineau

– B) Weber, Marx, Durkheim, Dubois, Weber

– C) Comte, Martineau, Spencer, Durkheim, Weber

– D) Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, Weber

– E) Comte, Addams, Durkheim, Weber, Martineau

• Answers are presented within the sentence and separated by semicolons (;)

• Tip: Number the sequenced sentences in the question, and match them with the answers.

Let’s Take a Break?

If you leave, please return promptly, and quietly, thank you!

Distracters vs. Limiters

• Change the choices and context found in mostanswers

• Change the choice and context found in most questions

Multiple Choice & True/False Limiters

• Absolute limiters can usually be eliminated as an answer choice

• Absolute limiters are rarely correct, especially in soft sciences.

• Absolute limiters are NOT about if you are absolutely confident it’s true…

• True of False? – Time can always be controlled

– Everyone has the same amount of time

– Prioritizing is a technique that identifies what is most important

Negations:

“NOT”

“NEVER”

Absolutes:

“ONLY”

“ALL”

“EVERY”

“ALWAYS”

Choices/Degrees:

“BEST”

“WORST”

“EITHER/OR”

True/False Question Limiters: Likelihood

• Special words that may increase the likelihood that the statement is true

• Asks for a degree of possibility

• Pale, cool, and clammy skin suggests which of the following?

– A) a stable patient

– B) airway obstruction

– C) liver disease

– D) Shock

• If any part of the statement is false, then the entire statement is considered false:

– T/F: The sky is never blue

– T/F: The sky is blue everyday

– T/F: The sky is blue at _____ o’ clock

– T/F: The sky is blue probably due to oxygen

“MOST LIKELY”

“BEST”

“MOST COMMON”

“…OF CHOICE”

“LEAST/MOST RELIABLE”

“SUGGESTS, SUGGESTING, SUGGESTIVE”

“MIGHT EXPLAIN”

“COULD HAPPEN”

“PROBABLY DUE TO: ”

(T/F likelihood cont.)

• T / F: You have checked your patient’s skin temperature and have determined that his/her forehead feels very cool. You should now check the skin temperature in a more central location such as the torso.

• When in doubt, choose “True”!

MATCHINGTest-Taking Strategies 2009

Matching•Essentially are lots of multiple choice questions rolled together

•Correct answer for one concept serves as a distracter for all the others

•Strategies: •Mixed flash cards with similar definitions

•Diagramming old and new information together

•Discuss similarities and differences of concepts

Matching Question Steps

• First, read through each column

• Match the easiest items first

• Lightly cross out or check off an item as it is matched

• Determine multiple possible answers

• Use the process of elimination to match difficult or unknown information

• Leave no questions blank if there is no penalty for guessing

• A

• 1.Listening

• 2. Objective

• 3. Obstacle

• B

• a) Open minded

• b) Prejudging

• c) Automatic

PROCESS-ORIENTATED QUESTIONSTest-Taking Strategies 2009

Process-Orientated Questions

• What is the protocol for receiving an HBV vaccination?

– It’s a 3 step process…

• Name 2 extra steps used in blood culture specimen collection that are not part of regular venipuncture procedures?

– Two extra steps directly following would be…

• Anticipate questions, and study past the answer.

Process-Orientated Questions (cont.)

• (Nursing)

• Look for key words

– First, primarily, initial, early, most important, except, next,

• The very next sentence answer should describe the very next step in the process, -period.

– Place a period at the end of the test question

– Think of the very next step if you were to conduct the process in real life

SHORT/LONG ANSWER (ESSAY)Test-Taking Strategies 2009

Short Answer Strategies

If you cannot answer, move on to the next one. Another question might trigger the answer

If you don't know--come back & make educated guess if you must

No blanks--go for partial credit

• Read the question and try to answer it before reading the choices

• Read all the options before selecting your answer

• Look for similar answers, it will usually be the right answer

• Cross off answers that you know are wrong

• Answer every question unless there is a penalty for guessing

Short Answer Essentials

• Never assume that the length of the blank has anything to do with the length of the answer

• Look for key words in the sentence that may trigger a response

– “According to…(scientist/practitioner/book author)”

– “(Company/individual/researcher/etc.) has decided to….”

Long Answer (Essay) Strategies

• Plan your time

• Read through the entire question

• Pay attention to key words: – Describe; differentiate; explain, give an example; compare

and contrast

• Develop an outline so you know what to include in the answer:– Write down keywords in the margins as you think of them

– Your opening statement summarizes your essay

– Summarize and conclude your thoughts again in your final paragraph

– Take time at the end to reread your answer!!

Strategies

“Guestimating” & Guessing: Don't change your answer

– You more often remember the times when changing your answer cost you points, and less often remember the times when changing it gained you points

– Geiger’s (1991)* study showed…

– Go with what you believe is correct – first choice or if you go back

Strategies for Test-preparation Study prefixes, suffixes, and root words: Ex: A way to remember the difference between

catabolism and anabolism is…CATAstrophe is when everything starts to break apart, and a body-builder on ANAbolic steriods builds up more muscle.

Compare difficult or confusing terms to one another Ex: Circle the correct term: When drawing a blood culture with the Winged

Infusion set (butterfly) always draw the aerobic/anaerobic bottle first. When drawing a blood culture with a syringe

always draw the aerobic/anaerobic bottle first.

Strategies for Test-preparation: R.E.A.D.Y.

Read

Examine

Alternative

Delete

Yield

R

E

A

D

Y

Learning Style Strategies

• Linguistic/Verbal/Intrapersonal Learners:

– Turn the chapter/lecture objectives into questions

– Make a sample question for each bold faced term in the textbook

– Make a sample question for each key word written or described in the lecture

– TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS!

Learning Style Strategies

• Visual Learners:

– Utilize Youtube, CD-Roms with textbook, DVDs, labs, & your textbook’s websites

– Draw or use pictures and diagrams

Learning Style Strategies

• Interpersonal/Kinetic/Visual Learners:

– Walk and talk to yourself while reading the book

– Find a serious study partner to discuss Q & A.

– Use a study room with a dry erase board

– Try to teach yourself and your study partner using the dry erase board

Nursing Test-Taking Strategies

• Outline your notes to each disease

– With info from lecture and book

• Pathophysiology of disease/system

• Signs and symptoms (including tabs)

– Highlight special S & S

• Such as RLQ pain for appy

• Nursing Diagnosis

• Goals

• Specific Implementation Plans

• Patient Teaching

Nursing Test-taking Strategies cont.

• If you must guess, think physiological needs first…

– Airway

– Breathing

– Circulation

– Disability

• Safety second

• Communication

• Nursing process

Multiple Multiples

Each person participating in the testing program….

• Nursing Practice test websites

– http://www.testprepreview.com/

– http://caring4you.net/tests.html

• Biology

• EMS/EMT

References