Taking Tests

A few young gifted adults were talking with me recently, and the topic wandered to taking tests.  These young adults compared notes from high school and college and shared how they disliked tests in school because the tests frequently required memorization of information that didn’t seem to relate to the topic or the real world.  Once the test was over, they had little application of the memorized information and quickly forgot it.  However, classes in which they did projects and applied information in the depth and breadth they desired were a different story. They could remember all of the details of those projects even though high school was years ago.

Next, these young adults talked about their college days, both undergraduate and graduate levels.  This group of young adults all pursued STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors and careers and talked about the difficult tests in high-level STEM classes.  They spoke of learning how to take online timed tests because there is a method to it.  They all shared that their universities, all of which were different, gave tests in STEM subjects online, and students had a certain period of time to complete the tests, usually over several days or a certain number of hours.The young adults said they learned how to take these tests to plan their approach, maximize their time, and pass the tests.

They shared some tips that worked for them. First, before they started the test, they were sure to have all the allowed resources in front of them so that they didn’t have to waste time looking for a book, notes, calculator, or a tool; it was right there for them to use.  They also made sure their laptop or other device was working properly.  Next, when they began the test, after reading the instructions, they took a brief amount of time to review the entire test so that they knew if some questions would take longer than others because of the content, or because of the type of question it was.Then they determined which question needed the most time (and usually had the most points), and started with that question so they were sure it was finished with time left to complete the other questions.  If they had time left after answering all questions, they reviewed certain questions to ensure they did not forget to include anything.  

These young adults then told me that learning how to take challenging, online timed tests helped them learn the material, show what they knew, and prepared them for complex projects and deadlines in their careers.  They all shared that the surprising benefit of the challenging online timed tests was that they were able to transfer what they learned from taking the tests, both the process and the content, to the real world of work in highly technical careers.

These shared tips are good tips for students taking tests at any grade level, especially tests that require application and synthesis of knowledge rather than just memorization.  Below are a few of the many test-taking web pages found online that may provide additional tips to help your student take tests.

Test Taking Strategies
https://www.educationcorner.com/test-taking-strategies.html

Test Taking Tips
https://www.usu.edu/academic-support/files/TestTakingTips.pdf

Test Taking Strategies
http://faculty.bucks.edu/specpop/tests.htm

Tips for Taking Online Exams
https://blog.cengage.com/tips-taking-online-exams/

Tips for Taking Online Exams
https://www.brockport.edu/academics/tutoring/online_exam_tips.html

How to Prepare for and Excel On Online Tests
https://www.straighterline.com/blog/successful-online-test-taking/

Dr. Wanda Routier
Past WATG Board Member