The powerpoint describes various methods to help students develop study skills and test taking practices.

1. Dr. Antwuan Stinson, Curriculum & Instruction
October 30, 2014

2.  Are you suffering from test anxiety? Test
anxiety can be experienced before and/or
during an exam, which can lead to
performance being impaired. Exams are
stressors for some students, and they can
easily cause anxiety. This workshop will
provide participants with tips for taking
different kinds of test, tactics for identifying
anxiety-producing triggers and next steps for
managing test anxiety.

3.  Anxiety in your head
◦ Mental blank out
◦ Racing thoughts
◦ Negative thoughts about
 Past performance
 Consequences of failure
 How everyone else is doing
◦ Knowing the answers after the test, not during the
test
◦ Nausea, dry mouth
◦ Sweating, fast heartbeat

5.  Students from families earning more than
$200,000 a year average a combined score of
1,714, while students from families earning
under $20,000 a year average a combined
score of 1,326.
 A student with a parent with a graduate
degree, for example, on average scores 300
points higher on their SATs compared to a
student with a parent with only a high school
degree.

6.  This almost certainly reflects the fact that
schools in wealthier communities do a better
job of preparing students for standardized
testing by offering tests (ex. PSAT).

7. Distance along the way
Just a little more

8.  There are a number of test-prep
books out there that
advertise “short-cuts” for
studying, such as methods for
finding answers to multiple
choice questions or secrets for
fooling essay test scorers. But
you cannot trick your way to a
high score. The best use of your
study time is to make sure you
know what is covered on the
test and to review topic you
don’t know very well.

11.  Your emotional state affects your ability to
test well.
 It takes a calm and controlled emotional state
for your memory and judgment to work most
effectively.

12.  Education majors must successfully pass
benchmark exams
Biology
Collaborative
Early Childhood
Elementary Education
English Language Arts
History
Mathematics
Social Science
Principles of Learning
and Teaching
Reading

13.  Principles of Learning and
Teaching  Determine the
content
categories and
number of items
for each

14.  Where possible, simulate test conditions. Create test
questions for yourself or use materials in the book, old
tests, or quizzes you find on-line (my guess is that you
can find quizzes about almost anything on-line).
 Time yourself so you can practice being under test
conditions.
 Try to analyze your struggles. Are you getting answers
wrong because you lack information? Or, are you
getting answers wrong because you are having trouble
warping your brain along the lines of the test? If you
lack information, then you need to study more. If you
know the information but are still getting things wrong,
you need to analyze how the test questions are
constructed and work on test-taking strategies.
Go to http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/checklis.html for a way of figuring out where some of the
difficulties might be.

15.  Break the materials down and study one part
each day. This means you have to PLAN some
time in advance and you need to be disciplined
about working every day.
 Each day test yourself on previous days’
studying.
 If you do this, you will approach the test with
much greater confidence.
 Confidence will help you to make good
decisions.
 Anxiety produces poor decisions. Do what you
can to avoid anxiety by preparing for the test
beforehand.

16.  Do NOT study passively—passing your eyes over a
bunch of text, hoping some of it sticks in your
brain. It won’t. That’s like sleeping with your
book under your pillow, hoping to learn by
osmosis. It doesn’t work (I was so desperate once
that I tried it).
 Remember that people learn best when they have
access to the same information visually, aurally,
and kinesthetically.
 Therefore: read (visual), write (visual AND
kinesthetic), draw pictures and diagrams (visual),
read out loud (aural), talk (aural), make a podcast
of information to play on your mp3 player (aural),
use sign language—official or your own made up
version (kinesthetic).
 P.S. Help your students learn to do this also.

17.  One of the common test-taking
strategies is to underline key
words. The question becomes,
what is a key word?
 You need to practice this,
especially if you have struggled
with test-taking in the past. Find
a sample test in the area,
underline key words, and then go
talk to someone (a student who is
good at test taking or a
professor) about this to see if you
were right.

18.  Now that you know your key words, you need
to practice understanding what they mean,
particularly in the context of a test.
 Try defining them. Then check your
definitions with an expert (student who does
well with tests or professor). Ask yourself,
“why did the author of the test use this word
here? What is this word asking me to do?”

19.  Be prepared! Study, study, study…..
 Get plenty of rest the night before
 Eat properly the day of the exam
 Do not arrive early or late to the exam
 Avoid last minute studying
 Avoid listening or discussing the test while
you are waiting to take the test.
 Don’t forget to breathe!

20. If you begin to feel overly anxious,
do the ANXIETY CONTROL
PROCEDURE. This whole procedure
should take only about a minute to
do. It’s well worth the time.

21.  Turn the test paper over and close your eyes.
 Breathe in slowly to the count of seven and exhale
to the count of seven.
 Continue this slow breathing until you begin to feel
more relaxed.
 Open your eyes, turn the test paper right side up,
and give yourself a positive self-talk (e.g., “You’re
sure to do well. You studied hard and remember,
you’ve done well on other tests.”)

23.  College students face different challenges
compared to high school students when it
comes to testing. Colleges focus more on
testing within the classroom rather than
standardized testing.

24. Set aside a place for study and study only!
A. Find a specific place (or places) that you can use for studying (for
example, the campus libraries, vacant classrooms, quiet areas in
the student center, bedroom at home, etc.)
B. Make a place specific to studying. You are trying to build a habit of
studying when you are in this place. So, don't use your study space
for social conversations, writing letters, daydreaming, etc.
C. Insure that your study area has the following:
◦ good lighting
◦ ventilation
◦ a comfortable chair, but not too comfortable
◦ a desk large enough to spread out your materials
D. Insure that your study area does not have the following:
◦ a distracting view of other activities that you want to be involved in
◦ a telephone
◦ a loud stereo
◦ a 27-inch color TV
◦ a roommate or friend who wants to talk a lot
◦ a refrigerator stocked with scrumptious goodies

25. 2. Divide your work into small, short-range goals.
A. Don't set a goal as vague and large as ... "I am going to spend all
day Saturday studying!" You will only set yourself up for failure
and discouragement.
B. Take the time block that you have scheduled for study and set a
reachable study goal. (for example: finish reading 3 sections of
chapter seven in my Psych. text, or complete one math problem,
or write the rough draft of the introduction to my English paper,
etc.)
C. Set your goal when you sit down to study but before you begin to
work.
Set a goal that you can reach. You may, in fact, do more than
your goal but set a reasonable goal even if it seems too easy.

26.  Planning for a test requires you to manage
your time.
 Each evening, you need to plan the next
day, thinking about what you want to
accomplish in relation to long- and short-term
goals and how much time you have.
 Planning time is a lot like budgeting money:
you often find that you have more things
you want to buy than money to buy them
with. In that case, you have to prioritize.

27. Familiarity with test taking formats and the
development of good test taking strategies
are essential to your academic success!

28.  Use different forms of abbreviations to
increase your efficiency
 Identify what content is most important to
your professor
 Take effective and meaningful notes
 Stay engaged during lecture-based courses

29.  Actively review your notes
 Create questions to engage with your notes
 Use notes to guide your study sessions

30. Taking the Short Answer Test
 Step 1: Read the question carefully to understand
what it asks. Underlining key words often will focus
your attention.
 Step 2: Start your answer by making a PROMISE that
includes key words from question and your general
answer.
 Step 3: Keep the promise with a REASON, EXAMPLE,
or EXPLANATION.
 Step 4: REINFORCE the logical train of thought that
the first two steps establish with a MORE SPECIFIC
EXAMPLE, REASON, OR EXPLANATION.
As you prepare for a short answer test, come up with
your own practice questions so you can rehearse
for the final.

31.  Read the questions carefully.
 Always try to guess what the answer is BEFORE you
look at the choices.
 If you are unsure about an answer, eliminate what
it CAN'T be. Try to remember if any of the answers
left are related to that subject. Do you remember
seeing that word in the chapter?
If you have never heard of a choice it is probably a
distracter. If you can not recognize a choice then it
is probably NOT the answer.

32.  After eliminating all other choices, make a logical
guess. At least you have narrowed down the odds
of getting the answer correct. Remember, the first
guess is usually more reliable unless you obtain a
major revelation along the way.
 If after a few seconds you are still perplexed, mark
the question so you can find it easier later and go
on with the test. Sometimes the answer you're
looking for is given in a different problem. Go back
to that question later.
 NEVER leave a multiple choice question blank. You
have a 20-25% chance of getting it right by
guessing.

33.  ALL-OF-THE-ABOVE QUESTIONS: If 2 or more
of the answers are correct, then the all-of-the-
above option is the correct answer, EVEN
IF you are unsure of the third option.
 LOOK-ALIKE OPTIONS: Sometimes there are 2
options that are alike except for one word.
Such a pair indicates that the question is
focused there. USUALLY, not always, you can
assume the answer is one of that pair.

34.  Don’t rush, force yourself to read each
possible choice carefully before selecting an
answer.

35. Perform a “brain dump”. At
the start of the test, write
down on a sheet of scrap
paper any facts or key
information that you are
afraid that might forget.
This “brain dump” will help
you to feel less anxious
about forgetting important
content.

36.  Remember Maslow: make sure your basic
needs are taken care of. Get plenty of
sleep—don’t cram all night. Eat a meal
prior to the test that doesn’t cause your
blood sugar to spike and fall off sharply (eat
fruits and vegetables rather than Twinkies
and candybars). If it is okay to do so, bring
something to eat during the test.
 Arrive early so being late will not add to
your anxiety. Use multiple alarm clocks and
get your mother to give you a wake-up call.

37.  Wear a watch, particularly for timed tests.
This is critical for Praxis II.
 Keep track of where you are with filling in the
bubbles…every 10 questions…to make sure
you are on the right number

38.  Bring everything you'll need to class with you.
There's nothing worse than being unprepared
and spending your time searching for a pen
or pencil.

39.  READ THE DIRECTIONS
 READ THE DIRECTIONS
 READ THE DIRECTIONS
 OH—AND READ EACH QUESTION CAREFULLY
The only way to get full credit for what you know is to answer questions as
completely as possible. This can only happen if you READ the directions and the
questions.

40.  Answer questions in a strategic order:
 First easy questions
to build confidence, score points, and
mentally orient yourself to vocabulary,
concepts, and your studies (it may help you
make associations with more difficult
questions)
 Then difficult questions or those with the
most point value

41.  Every time you skip a question, be sure to
mark it. How many times have you left an
answer blank by accident? Ouch--what a
waste. Be sure to make a star beside
questions if you skip them. Don't leave any
blanks.

42. Various Subject
areas

43.  PLT:
◦ Review materials
◦ Study instructional
strategies
◦ Study learning theorists
◦ Study assessment
strategies
◦ Study communication
techniques
◦ Form a study group
◦ Go beyond memorization
and think of applications
in teaching situations
 Content:
◦ Take pre-test and identify
your strengths and
weaknesses
◦ Develop a plan of study
around your weaknesses
(if you have any )
◦ Ask colleagues for help
◦ Form a study group
◦ Review, “What Your ___
Grader Needs To Know”
(review one grade a week)
◦ Review teacher or student
textbooks

44.  PLT:
◦ Practice under the
time constraints
◦ Continue to review
strategies
◦ Form / attend a study
group
◦ Practice writing essays
 Identify & Justify
 Content:
◦ Reassess your
individual study plan
◦ Practice under the
time constraints
◦ Continue to review
strategies
◦ Form / attend a study
group

45.  Oftentimes, people who have a strong desire
to do very well have a difficult time getting
started. It’s very hard to start doing
something when you are afraid of doing it
wrong.
 Remember that anything you do towards
studying is better than nothing, even if it is
not perfect.

46.  I knew someone who had to study for the exam that
allows a person to become a veterinary pathologist.
 The exam is three DAYS in length. It involves
examining tissues under a microscope (being able to
tell species of animal, organ from which the tissue was
drawn, as well as the disease), as well as multiple-choice
questions about a huge range of professional
literature.
 People studying for this exam have to read and digest
years’ worth of information printed in professional
journals. They have to practice looking at tissue
samples under the microscope across a huge range of
species, organs, and diseases.
 As you might imagine, most people do not pass all
sections of the exam the first time.

47.  This person elected to study four hours a
day for six months. She elected to make
sure she spent time every day doing some
fun things as well.
 She followed this schedule and passed the
exam the first time.
 Moral of the story: When you have a large
task to do, break it down into manageable
pieces and don’t burn yourself out by
thinking about it 24 hours a day.

49.  http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/aff
ective/motivation.html