The workshop that I attended onThursday, December 3rd, was the workshop about test preparation and test taking. It was hosted by two peer mentors. Overall, It was a pretty helpful workshop filled with tips to help students before and during taking tests.
The suggest that to prepare for a test, you should create lists, charts, flashcards, etc., to help you study for the test. You should try and study a little bit ahead of when the test is, just in case you have a question while you are reviewing. It is also good to make a study schedule and stick to it, in order to make sure that you’ve studied enough. For when you study specific things, you should study them for more than 30 seconds in order for it to be embedded into your memory. Another thing to remember is that if the question was a question that many other students got wrong in a test, then it will most likely be on the final to make sure that you have fully learned the concept.
They also told us that the night before the test is when you gather your materials, like test booklets and scantrons, so you won’t be rushing and stressed out in the morning. On the day of the test, you should arrive early, eat something before, and relax. Students shouldn’t be so stressed out when it comes to tests because they are not life and death.
During the test, they recommend to do the multiple choice and all the ones that you already know first, then go back and do the ones that need more time. You need to get as many questions answered before you go back and tackle the harder questions. It is also recommended that you jot down formulas, memory aids, etc. into the margins when you first get the test so that you can remember them and use them. It’s not cheating if it comes from your memory.
If the choice comes to either a take home test or an in class test, the in class test should be chosen, because the take home test is more likely to be harder due to the fact that you have more time to think about the concepts and you are expected to use research and such. When you do a take home test, you are always supposed to speak in third person. You always should proofread your paper in the end of either a in class or take home essay. You don’t want to lose points for bad grammar!
At the end of the workshop they had us fill out a form about our study habits and what we would like to improve, then they had us have a witness sign it.
I believe that this workshop is very helpful, especially right before finals.