ABMP Student Success Curriculum Topic 10: Test Taking and Exams

2. Goals of This Lecture Teach students how to better prepare for exams. Learn how to answer questions strategically. Decrease the occurrence of test anxiety.

3. Test Preparation Find out about the test. School’s testing philosophy? Sources of questions? How many questions? What form(s)? What chapters does the material cover? What are the core topics that are covered?

4. Break Material into Chunks Quizzes: 3 hours of dedicated study Longer Exams: 8–10 hours Plan one-hour study sessions for adequate repetition. Work on the oldest chapter first. Study related material together.

5. Study Actively Write a quiz and take it. Make flash cards; recite the answers out loud. Explain concepts to yourself out loud. Rewrite and reorganize your text and lecture notes. Color in and label diagrams. Make mind maps. Record the material and listen to it while you drive.

6. Use a Variety of Methods Use a variety of methods to learn information. Day one: use flash cards. Day two: make a mock quiz. Day three: make mind maps. Day four: rewrite and organize notes.

7. Plan Ahead Review the Exam Preparation Form (worksheet 10-1) on page 110.

8. Study Sheet Defined One topic per study sheet A one-page condensed version of the most important information on a single topic. One topic per study sheet Review the sample Single Topic Study Sheet (worksheet 10-2) on page 112.

9. Flash Cards Question Cards, page 113 Word Cards, page 113 Visual Cue Cards, page 114

10. Preparation for Exams and Skill Checks on Muscles How does the school test on muscles? Review pages 115-116 and discuss the types of information you will need to know about muscles Muscle Graphic Organizer, pages 89–90

11. Strategies for Test Taking Arrive early. Read the directions carefully. Finish high-point questions first if test is timed. Answer what you know first. Work through unknown questions strategically. Answer everything, even if you guess.

12. Strategic Guessing Answer everything you know first. Know the instructor’s patterns. Look over the pattern of answers. Understand commonalities about certain types of questions (see next slide).

13. Multiple-Choice Questions Stem A question or unfinished sentence Distracters Multiple answers Must pick the best answer Read all the answers. Look for wrong answers and cross them out. Underline keywords. Read the stem and use the answers to finish the stem Understand “all of the above” and “none of the above.”

14. According to studies on the growth of massage, More young people than ever before are getting massage. Massage has grown at an annual rate of 4% over the last 4 years. Elderly people get more massage than they used to. Housewives are ignoring massage to get pedicures instead. Distracters tend to have less specific information than the correct answer Which answer is most specific?

15. Effleurage is best described as: A kneading stroke. Short muscle tissue. A gliding stroke used to apply lubricants and warm the tissue. Lengthened muscle tissue. The correct answer will often have more words in it than the incorrect answer

16. A stroke commonly used in Swedish massage is: Another red flag is an answer that contains a completely unfamiliar term, like “myoation” in answer C. Effleurage. Deep Tissue. Myoation. All of the above.

17. Understanding True/False Questions Absolutes are a red flag: Always None Never Only Every All 50/50 chance For a statement to be true, the entire statement must be true. No part of the statement can be untrue. Instructors tend to include more true than false; if you can’t decide, mark it true.

18. Understanding Matching Questions Two columns of information An item on the question side matches an item on the answer side Cross off completed items on the answer side

19. Graded Exams Identify where each question came from: Text Lecture Compare your notes to the questions on the test Any areas missing? Why? Review incorrect questions and determine why you missed them Look for instructor’s test writing patterns. This analysis prepares you for future tests

20. Strategies to Reduce Test Anxiety Defined When a student experiences physical, emotional and mental symptoms directly before a test. Usually due to poor preparation for the test. Sometimes caused by bad past educational experiences.

21. Support for Test Anxiety School policy on testing & anxiety School resources for help with material School resources for help with anxiety

22. Dealing with Test Anxiety Symptoms Nausea Increased heart rate Light-headedness Diarrhea Vomiting Shaking Tearfulness Headache Solutions Over-prepare Prepare every day Use positive affirmations Breathe Warm up Take the power back Get help early

23. Review & Process Plan ahead. Repetition is key. Use a variety of study methods. Arrive early. Guess strategically when needed. How has your attitude to testing changed since this lecture? What will you do to improve your test scores and reduce anxiety?

ABMP Student Success Curriculum Find additional resources at ABMP.com.