Learning Skills
Taking Tests

Harvesting from the Tree of Knowledge

 If an apple grower waited until the night before harvest-time to plant seeds, what kind of harvest could she expect?

Which type of knowledge grower are you? A crammer or a plodder?

  • A Crammer is someone who plants the seeds of knowledge the night before a test and expects to see fruit in the form of learning and a good score.
  • A Plodder is someone who plants the seeds of knowledge early and nurtures their growth by attending class, reading the book, doing assignments.
A test is like a harvest of knowledge, so be a plodder not a crammer. Keep up with assignments and make reviewing course material a regular part of your study...
  • Notice example problems from problem sets and textbook examples.
  • Study in groups with classmates
  • Study
  • Sleep
  • Eat properly
  • Focus your attention on the task
  • Bring exam material to class

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Before You Begin

  1. Center yourself. Breathe deeply and focus your awareness on the task ahead.

  2. Size up the entire exam to get an idea of how it's organized and the types of questions. Be sure your copy of the test has all the questions. Ask the examiner to explain anything you don't understand.

  3. Budget your time. Allot time in proportion to the importance of each section (eg: a question worth 10 percent of the test should get 10 percent of your time).

  4. Prioritize your effort. Do the easy questions first; save the hardest for last.
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    Multiple Choice Exams

    1. Allot a certain amount of time for each question. If there are 100 questions, allot 1/100 of the time for each question. Move through the exam at a steady pace. Mark any questions you are unsure of and return to them later.

    2. Read ALL the response-items in a question before making a response. Try to understand the logic of the question and how its content relates to both the exam and the course.

    3. Eliminate (either mentally or by writing on the exam) the items you know are wrong.

    4. Guess when you're unsure unless there are penalties for wrong responses.

    5. Check all your answers before turning in your exam.

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    Essay Exams

    1. Budget... Break the exam period into two parts, one for writing and one for reviewing. The writing period should be 70 percent of the exam period to write answers to all the questions. If there are 6 questions and the exam period is 60 minutes, the writing period would be 42 minutes total. In the writing time, answer all the questions, allotting an equal amount of time for each. With this time budget, any questions you can easily answer will be, and any questions you have problems with will have partial answers. The 18 minute review period will give you the chance to go back and work on partial answers. Oftentimes, when you're working on a question, your mind will solve a problem from a prior question.

    2. Preview...Read ALL the questions before responding. Try to understand the logic of the questions and how they relate to both the exam and the course. Be sure you have all the questions for the exam. While previewing the test, if ideas come to you, jot them down to retrieve later.

    3. Complete...Respond to EVERY question. This signals the instructor that you've tried, which makes a positive impression. Also, any attempt is likely to receive partial credit.

    4. Understand the Question
      • Read each question at least twice.
      • For every question, understand the task. Look for and underline the question's "do statement," which is the task of the question. Do statements contain words like compare, contrast, list, explain, discuss, define, and summarize.
      • Underline important nouns, such as names and key vocabulary words.
      • Identify any limiters, such as dates (between 1875 and 1900) or values (mass = 10 Kg, v=18m/sec).
      • Respond to the easiest questions first.

    5. Free Your Creativity
      • Close your eyes and breathe quietly for a minute or so.
      • Let your unconscious, creative mind work freely with the data from the question. If your mind wanders to other thoughts, bring your awareness back to your breathing. Don't worry if you aren't aware of thinking about your answer, just relax. There's plenty of time.
      • When you're ready to write, take a deep breath and begin.

    6. Plan Your Response
      • Write, don't churn. Write down thoughts about the question. Don't keep them in your mind. Letting the paper hold an idea frees your mind to focus on a different thought. Writing things down prevents thinking the same thought over and over gain ("churning").
      • Brainstorm. Write down ideas about the question as they arise in your mind. Don't organize or edit them. You'll organize later.
      • Outline. After you've brainstormed, arrange the ideas in a logical order.

    7. Write Your Response
      • Write legibly and leave space in the margins and between lines in case you want to make changes later.
      • Use your own voice. Write as if you are telling the answer to a friend who knows nothing about the subject, not how you think an essay question should be written.
      • Construct the first sentence from the key words and the question's "do statement." For example, in the question "Compare the circumstances leading to the American and French Revolutions," the first sentence could be something like, "Three key circumstances characterize the antecedents of the American and French revolutions. These are...."
      • Use proper grammar and spelling.
      • End your response with a re-statement of your main idea. You can preface with the phrase, "To summarize, the American and French Revolutions had three basic things in common. The first was.. The second was... The third was... These three similarities are the reason..."
      • When you've finished writing, re-read your response. Be sure your answer contains the key words from the question and that you did the question's "do statement."
      • Make any changes in spelling or grammar; even add an idea. It's better to have changes that improve the answer even if they mar its appearance.

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