Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Extra Credit blog post: The strategy behind test taking

Extra Credit Blog: Why take a test? What is the purpose of a test? How do you study? Can you learn something during a test?

I feel as though taking a test is extremely beneficial. After four weeks of lectures, discussions and assignments regarding various topics, being tested on the material learned is the most efficient way of discovering how well one truely knows the material. Tests hold the soul purpose of testing both the student and the teacher on how well the lessons were taught and how efficiently the students were able to grasp the concepts.

My study habits depend on the subject. For my foreign language, which is French, I make flash cards for vocabulary words and gramatical rules. The note card method works very well for nearly all of my subjects, for they et the facts down and allow me to study independently by quizing myself. However for math and chemistry, I have to use the method of repetition. By printing out blank copies of tests, quizes, and homework, and re-doing all of them, it really helps me fully grasp all concepts taught and allows me to pick out exactly what I misunderstand or are not feeling as solid about.

During a test, I try to stay calm and just focus. It is a tendency for me to get freaked out once viewing the the material, whether it is an in class essay or 4 pages back to back filled with math equations. I try to get through everything that I know first, and then return back to problems or questions that I am having more trouble with. This way, if I don't finish in time, I will have mostly solid answers completed as opposed to one answer finished and 10 minutes worth of work put into an incompleted problem.

As finals are approaching, I feel as though I have managed my time much more efficiently this year than last year. The thought of taking two hours test surely does not put a smile on my face, however it does not fill me with the nausous feeling I received last year.

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