Test Prep 101 - Five things you should do before a test:
1. Be technically prepared. You should download the exam objectives list from the exam provider and ensure you adequately learn the relevant subject material. NO EXCUSES!
2. Get adequate rest. You have to be at your best both physically and mentally.
3. Do some deep breathing to relax your body. There are many online sites that will teach you basic meditation techniques. They are easy and cost nothing, and you need the mental focus, so just do it.
4. Figure out what time of day works best for you when scheduling the exam. Some folks are at their best in the mornings while others need time to get their engines started and do better in the afternoon or evening. Figure it out and schedule your exam to match your most productive time of the day.
5. Review the following analytical approaches to answering test questions. Instill these items in the back of your mind and practice the techniques BEFORE you take the real test.
A test question is staring you in the face...what do you do?
First things first - always read the question carefully and think of an answer
before you read the choices. You either are going to understand the question or not. If you understand right away, then use Approach A, and if you don't have a clue what is being asked of you, then use Approach B. Keep in mind these approaches are for multiple choice type questions.
Analytical Approach A:
o
If you understand the question clearly, then
scan the choices for the one that most closely resembles the answer you have
pre-formulated. If you don’t understand the question, go to Analytical Approach
B.
o
If your answer is not one of the choices, then
read all the choices carefully and start to eliminate choices. This process of
elimination allows you to arrive at the correct answer by eliminating from
contention those which cannot be correct. Use the dry erase board provided to
write down the question number and cross out the choices that are obviously wrong.
Example: Q1. A, B, C, D
·
When you narrow your choices to two, try each choice
against the question to see which makes the most sense.
·
Don’t second-guess yourself. If you make an
educated guess the first time around, don’t go back and start changing your
answers haphazardly.
·
The only time you should ever change an answer
from your original is because you are ABSOLUTELY sure you answered it
incorrectly the first time.
Analytical Approach B:If you are having difficulty even understanding the question, dissect it first using the following methodology:
Break down the question into its
core components. A multiple choice question is typically composed of three
parts:
Part 1: Body
§
Choose the simplest interpretation. Do not
overthink the question and make it more complex than necessary. Do not think
“real world”.
§
Be careful with Acronyms. You may already know
the feature by a different name.
§
Unfamiliar phrases may describe a familiar
concept or feature but using nontraditional words. Example: AD Domain Services Installation
Wizard instead of DCPROMO.
§
Some questions have incomplete information so be
careful not to make assumptions unless absolutely necessary due to lack of
detail or ambiguity.
§
Be careful with distracters. A distracter is
something which compellingly and confusingly attracts in the wrong direction.
Don’t be seduced into focusing on distractive or extraneous information.
Part 2: Emphasis
There is typically a key phrase or
requirement that the answer choice hinges on. You need to discover the emphasis
of the question in order to select the correct answer choices.
A.
Get on your bicycle and ride to the hospital.
B.
Call an ambulance and wait
C.
Wait for the UPS driver who makes deliveries at
12:30 to arrive and take you to the hospital
D.
Hook up some jumper cables to your car battery
and self-defibrillate
In this question, the emphasis is
on “You need to leave your home and begin travelling to the hospital as soon as
possible” and therefore the correct answer to the question is answer choice A.
Nowhere in the question did it mention that there was a requirement that you
arrive alive at the hospital.
Part 3: Answer Choices
·
Be careful with a partial choice. This is a
choice that is missing information but may still be the correct choice once all
other choices are eliminated.
Example Question: “Which of the following will guarantee you financial
freedom?”
A.
Investing in the Facebook IPO
B.
Robbing a local bank
C.
Cashing in your winning jackpot lottery ticket
D.
Panning for gold in the Colorado outback
The best answer here would be C,
because you have in hand a winning lottery ticket even though nowhere in the
question did it say you purchased a ticket. Don’t argue with the question –
just go with it.
·
Many of the choices are given a look of
superficial plausibility so you must read carefully. A well designed test
question will have distracter information in the body that if you are seduced
into focusing on, will have corresponding answer choices to complete the
seduction.
Example Question: “The American presidential election is held every four
years. Democrats and Republicans typically increase their political attacks
against each other in an election year. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected as
President, defeating John McCain. It is rumored that in 2012, Obama will
declare war on Canada and annex Mexico in an attempt to combat the growing
federal deficit. Which primary issue will voters probably focus on during the
2012 election?”
A.
The state of the economy
B.
The war against terror in Canada and Mexico
C.
The abuses of presidential power
D.
The difficult logistical challenges of adding
two more stars to the American flag
E.
How the United States is going to fight three
wars at the same time
F.
The morality of dirty politics
·
Panickers who inhibit their memory from
operating by failing to read carefully, getting overwhelmed with the breadth of
knowledge and also those who have a hard time visualizing.
·
People operating by real world instinct instead
of relying on test analysis skills as their instinct will cause them to
overlook stated facts and let emotion override reasoning.
·
People who are technically unprepared because of
lack of knowledge or experience or both.
Other Test Taking
Tips:
·
Guess intelligently when analyzing a question
doesn’t seem to help:
o
Don't guess until you've eliminated all the
definitely wrong responses.
o
Factors that should influence your guess: Look at the facts and ask yourself, so what?
The issue that jumps out is likely to be the issue that the correct response
addresses.
o
Beware of distracters.
o
Beware of certainties: always, never, cannot,
must.
o
If two answers are opposites - one is probably
true. Look for answer pairing if the question asks for you to choose multiple
answers.
Example Question:
Which of the following statements are true? Choose 2.
A: Lawn grass grows .5 inches a day.
B: Lawn grass grows 1.5 inches a day.
C: Lawn ornaments are typically seen in Florida.
D: Lawn ornaments are typically seen in Saudi
Arabia.
Even if you didn’t know the growth
rate of grass, you can see that you need to make a choice between A and B answer
choices which are paired, and between C and D which are also paired answer
choices.
o
Don't get bogged down by things you don't know.
o
Don’t choose an answer because it looks exotic
and new.
o
Be prepared physically, be well rested, and eat
well.
·
Pay attention to timing. Figure how much time
you have per question and keep an eye on the clock to give yourself time to
re-visit the questions you left blank or incomplete. Remember that some exams may have multiple separately
timed sections.
·
Maintain your focus and concentration. If you
need to get up and stretch, splash cold water, drink more caffeine, do so.
·
If all else fails, choose B or C! A few studies
show that those answers are correct at a slightly higher rate than A or D.
·
For lengthy scenario based testlets, read the questions
first before reading the scenario. That way when you do read the scenario, you
will already have an idea of what areas to pay more attention to as you search
for clues that will help you answer the questions.
A final word of advice - keep your cool. If you get to the test center after reading this blog post numerous times and you still find yourself frozen when staring at a test question, it means you are in panic mode and you need to refocus and take control. Have you ever witnessed a martial arts student get into a brawl and forget all their defensive blocks and techniques and instead descend into a blur of flailing arms and legs? That is the equivalent of what you are going through when you can't maintain focus and follow the analytical approaches outlined here. It takes much practice and mental control, but the more you practice, the easier it gets - like anything else in life.
I wish you much luck on your certification exams.
Note: Portions of this document are derived from Michael Josepheson, Evaluation and Grading in Law School, AALS Section on Teaching (1984).
