Academic Strategies for the Health Care ProfessionalUnit 4: Test Taking Skills

Dianne B. Rhoades, Ph.D.E-mail: DRhoades@kaplan.edu

AIM: drdirhoadesCS119 Section 40

“Don’t just give up trying what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go

wrong.” -Ella Fitzgerald

Welcome to Unit 4 Test Taking Skills

Unit 4: Test-Taking SkillsIn this unit, you will learn testtaking strategies, identify yourtest anxiety and learn new

waysto reduce test anxiety. After reviewing these concepts, youwill create a test taking plan.

You will then apply the skillsfrom this unit by taking yourfirst exam. (Don’t panic!)

Unit 4 Assignments Discussion Board Question! Reading Assignments! *Announcements on the Course Home page.   *Power Up Text: Review Chapter 10, pages 82-83

Online Learning Activities! *This week's learning activities are designed to help you with test taking.  Check out the presentations for test anxiety, test-taking preparation and play the Jeopardy-style game for review!

Seminar Option 1 or 2!

Unit 4 Mini project!

Types of tests we’ve taken as adults:

• academic (college)academic (college)• performance (driver’s performance (driver’s license) license) • skills (certification tests skills (certification tests for our jobs)for our jobs)

Instructors use tests to…Instructors use tests to…oEnsure you’ve absorbed

the materials for the Unit or course

oMeasure your progress through the Unit or course

oEnsure you’ve met the learning objectives for the course

Our attitudes about Our attitudes about tests…tests…

develop from each of our past testing experiences.

If you enjoyed success taking tests as a youth, you built confidence in your ability to perform in that situation.

If you experienced difficulty or frustration because of testing situations, you will transfer those fears to college test taking.

During Exams do you…During Exams do you…1.1. feel like you "go feel like you "go

blank?”blank?”

2.2. become frustrated?become frustrated?

3.3. feel like the room is feel like the room is closing in on you? closing in on you?

4.4. feel your heart feel your heart racing or find it racing or find it difficult to breathe?difficult to breathe?

5.5. suddenly "know" the suddenly "know" the answers after answers after turning in the test?turning in the test?

6.6. score much lower score much lower than on homework or than on homework or papers? papers?

Test AnxietyAs you may have already experienced in your life,some anxiety is good for you. It can keep youalert, attentive, and keep you motivated. On theother hand, some stress can have adverse affectscausing you to forget important information, andbecome very nervous before taking an exam.

The good type of anxiety is called FACILITATING ANXIETY

and the bad type of anxiety is called DEBILITATINGANXIETY.

Facilitating Anxiety*Keeps you motivated to succeed.*Does not hinder test preparation and test-

taking abilities.*This type of anxiety may ENHANCE your

test-taking performance.

Debilitating Anxiety*Has a negative effect and impact on a student’s test preparation and test taking abilities.*Escalates and becomes more severe.

Examples:

*Waiting until the last minute to study for a test or prepare for a presentation.

*Feeling nervous and unprepared.*Taking the test at the last minute.*Rushing through the questions to answer them on

time.*Missing a deadline or being unprepared for a meeting.

Test anxiety can affect us in four Test anxiety can affect us in four areas….areas….have you guys experienced any of these have you guys experienced any of these things?things?

Anxiety management Anxiety management techniquestechniques

Be healthy… Be healthy… If you are physically and emotionally exhausted, your body and mind are less able to tolerate stress and anxiety. You can improve your resistance to anxiety by getting adequate rest, eating appropriately, and taking care of your physical health. If you find you don’t have time to be healthy, consider seeking assistance with time management.

Be prepared…Be prepared…

Practice... practice... practice... study... study... study. Sounds a bit repetitive, but nothing can help reduce anxiety like confidence. In fact, if you over-prepare a bit, your responses become more automatic, and your performance will be less affected by anxiety. Preparation for an exam may include improving your study and test-taking skills. Be on time and have all the "tools" you may need for an exam (e.g., #2 pencils, calculator, pen).

Regulate your stimulation Regulate your stimulation levels…levels…

In cases of anxiety, the goal is to lower your level of arousal. Some of the most effective ways involve altering your physical responses like breathing and muscle tension.

Practice deep breathing: When anxious, we often take shallow breaths. We feel like we aren’t getting enough air, and get more anxious. If you focus on breathing deeply and slowly, this cycle is interrupted and the body and mind begin to relax. To learn to breathe deeply, place your hand on your stomach and inhale in a way that makes your abdomen expand. As you exhale, your abdomen should move inward. Practice taking 10-15 slow deep breaths in a row, 2-3 times per day-training your body to breathe deeply and relax. Then, during a stressful situation, focus on taking 2-3 deep breaths, and your body will relax.Use progressive muscle relaxation: We also tense our muscles when anxious. Consciously relaxing your muscles will help your body and mind relax. Practice muscle relaxation during deep breathing by focusing on a particular muscle group (e.g., shoulders) and alternatively tensing and relaxing the muscle. Then, focus on releasing all of the tension in the muscle, repeating "relax" in your mind. Add muscle relaxation to deep breathing in a stressful situation. Have rituals: Rituals are repetitive behaviors that give us a sense of familiarity, help us focus, and reduce anxiety. The basketball player who bounces the ball three times before shooting a free-throw has a ritual. You may already have some rituals-getting a drink of water just before an exam or using a particular pencil or pen. Just a note of caution-make sure your rituals are not harmful or distracting to yourself or others (tapping your pencil 10 times before each question may annoy your classmates!). Reduce distractions: Distractions are additional stimuli that increase stimulation. Explore ways to reduce the distractions in your immediate environment, e.g. sit in a back corner of the room, take a sweater so you aren’t distracted by being cold, change seats if you are distracted by the person sitting next to you.

Control the fear…Control the fear…

The underlying source of test or performance anxiety is the fear of failure. Pay attention to what you are thinking and saying to yourself in anxious situations. This self-talk will likely reflect an expectation or fear of failure. You can begin to control this fear or change the expectation by changing your self-talk. It can be out loud or to yourself depending on the situation

Use on-task self-talk: Counter distractions and help yourself focus on the task at hand by telling yourself what to do-talk yourself through the task step-by-step, and tell yourself you’re succeeding! Thinking about past mistakes or future consequences is not helpful. Keep your mind focused on the present-one thing at a time!

Test Taking Formats and StrategiesMultiple Choice:Eliminate answers you know are wrongDon’t look for patternsRead all the answers before making a final choiceWatch for “all of the above” and “none of the above.”

Matching:First match up the ones you know for sureCheck to see if there are the same number of statements as answers, or ifsomething might be left-over.

True-False:Watch the exact wording: if any part of the statement is false, then the

entirestatement is false. The opposite is not necessarily true.Don’t look for patterns and watch out for these keywords: Every, never,

andAlways, usually, sometimes, and generally

Test Taking Formats and Strategies Continued…Fill-in-the-blankRe-read the sentence after filling it in to make sure it makes sense.Watch your spelling.Study vocabulary if you know there will be fill-in-the-blank questions.

Short AnswerCheck for multiple parts, such as “give a list and describe,” so that you

givecomplete answers.Proofread!Be concise and precise.

Essay QuestionsPlan and be observant of the time.Organize with a topic sentence, then give details, and summarize.Give facts, not opinions (unless specifically requested).Proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Stretch!

Let’s Play A Game

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The class________________is your guide to the course. It lists course policies, procedures, and expectations for each component of the course. You should read it carefully, print it, and keep a posted copy next to your computer.

TRUE OR FALSE?

Students are only required to post their own responses to the discussion questions. It is not necessary to post comments to your classmates’ responses. After all, why should it matter what they think as long as you have posted your own response, right?

The key to performing well on tests is to be:

a) Funnyb) Hairyc) Anxiety-riddend) Prepared

TRUE or FALSE?

When you email your instructor and classmates, there is no need to identify yourself. They will automatically know who you are.

A goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timed is considered _________.

M.U.R.D.E.R.: A Study System

Mood:Set a positive mood for yourself to study in.Select the appropriate time, environment, and attitude

Understand:Mark any information you don't understand in a particular unit;Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises

Recall:After studying the unit, stop and put what you have learned into your own words

Digest:Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information;Contact external expert sources (e.g., other books or an instructor) if you still cannot understand it

Expand:In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material: If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism

would I offer? How could I apply this material to what I am interested in? How could I make this information interesting and understandable to other

students?

Review: Go over the material you've coveredReview what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to your current studies

Adapted from Hayes, John R., The Complete Problem Solver, Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Hillsdale, NJ: 1989.  ISBN: 0805803092

Unit 4 Discussion BoardBefore you participate in discussion this week, take the Test AnxietyAssessment accessible via the button located on the Unit 4 Discussionpage. If you score a Debilitating Anxiety score greater than 22 points,then complete the Test Anxiety Workshop using the other buttonlocated on the Unit 4 discussion page.    When you are ready, respond to the discussion questions for Unit 4.Your initial responses should be in the 100-word range (approximately7-10sentences). Of course, you are welcome to elaborate further.  Take time to review the responses of your classmates and reply withcomments to a minimum of two of them.

Unit 4 Mini Project GuidelinesFor this mini-project, you need to list 8-10 ideas that canhelp you be a better test taker. You can include pre test,

during test, andpost test ideas. Make this a checklist for yourself so that you

can use iton all tests.

Use the template located on the Unit 4 Discussion page and on the

following slide to develop your plan.

Mini Project TemplateCreate Test Taking Plan

Think about ideas that can help you better manage your test taking. List 5 ideas that can help you be a better test taker in each area (pre-test, during test, and post-test ideas).

Make this a checklist for yourself so that you can use it on all tests.

Examples:

I will review my notes for ½ hour each day (pre-test)I will write at least 10 test questions to review with my study group (pre-test).During the test, I will turn off my cell phone (during test). After the test, I will go for walk to clear my mind. (post-test).

Pre test 1.2.3.4. 5.During Test1.2.3.4.5.Post Test1.2.3.4.5.

Looking Ahead to Unit 5: Time ManagementDiscussion Board Question

Reading Assignments

*Announcements on the Course Home page. *Power Up Text:  Chapter 4 & "Keeping Time in Mind" on pages

80-81 in Chapter 10

Online Learning Activities *This week, your learning activities will help you increase your time management skills. Be sure to begin working on the Unit 5 Mini

Project and click the buttons under Learning Activities for a helpful article

about Time Management and to hear guest speaker Ann Leach discuss time management.

Seminar Option 1 or 2

Unit 5 Mini project

Unit 5 Mini ProjectCreate a Weekly Study Schedule

For this week's mini-project, you will use the template found in the Unit 5 Project button to create a weekly study schedule for both of your courses, including what is due for each course. You can type directly into the boxes, and you can change the times if necessary. The schedule may run over to a second page. Feel free to print it out as well. At the end of the week, go back and

answer the questions below the schedule.

Questions?