Chapter Activities – Preparing for and Taking Tests

Chapter Review I

  1. What is test anxiety? What are the three causes of test anxiety you would like to work on controlling?
  2. When should you start studying for an exam?
  3. Can you multitask while studying? Why or why not?
  4. What are some of the most common distractions to your studying?
  5. Describe the characteristics of a successful study group.
  6. What are the two types of assessment? Which of these forms might be called the “student’s assessment”? Why?
  7. Why would an instructor assign an open-book exam? What types of things should you pay attention to if you are taking an open-book exam?
  8. How might you predict the kinds of questions that will be on an exam?
  9. What should you do right after the instructor hands out the exam?
  10. List five words to watch for in multiple-choice and true-or-false questions.
  11. List five words to watch for in essay questions.
  12. What forms of academic dishonesty are most prevalent on your campus? What can you do to avoid them in your own academic career?
  13. List the five most common types of errors made on exams.
  14. What should you do with your exam after is has been graded and returned to you?

Chapter Review II

The following test will allow you to practice the strategies for each question type outlined in Chapter Review I:

I. Multiple-choice section (10 points)

  1. All actions on this list are examples of academic dishonesty except
    1. copying from a classmate
    2. using another author’s words without appropriate credit
    3. chewing gum in class
    4. creating fictitious data to support a point
  2. To avoid running out of time on a test, you should
    1. write quickly, even if it’s not so neat
    2. stick with a difficult question until you get a right answer so that you don’t have to come back to it later
    3. spend time reviewing the entire test before you start to budget your time
    4. frequently ask your instructor to tell you how much time is left

II. True-or-false section (10 points)

  1. ____ You should never use examples when an essay question asks you to illustrate.
  2. ____ Beds are a good place to study because they are comfortable and quiet.
  3. ____ It’s smart to schedule a specific and consistent time for studying for each course.
  4. ____ In true-or-false questions, it is safer to mark true than false if you don’t know the answer.
  5. ____ One advantage of studying in a group is that students will encourage each other to do their best work.

III. Matching column section (10 points)

____ 1. Define A. A type of formative assessment
____ 2. Study group B. To describe pros and cons and compare them
____ 3. Weekly quiz C. To describe the meaning of a word, phrase, or concept
____ 4. Discuss D. Your own personalized study guide
____ 5. Class and assignment notes E. Three or four students from a class who meet regularly to review class material and encourage each other

IV. Short answer section (15 points)

  1. List three things you should do before a test to prepare your body to perform effectively.
  2. Name at least three of the characteristics of successful study groups.
  3. List at least four steps you should take before you start writing the answer to an essay question.

V. Essay section (Choose one; 55 points)

  1. Compare and contrast effective studying and cramming.
  2. Discuss academic dishonesty and its consequences.

Make an Action List

Two things I will do to… Actions By when I expect to take each action How I will know I accomplished each action
Reduce my testing anxiety 1.
2.
Improve my study effectiveness 1.
2.
Improve my performance on exams 1.
2.