Well, well, where to start on this fine, rainy evening? I think this post is going to be about the art of taking tests. Much of formal education today is based on taking tests, and knowing how to take one can be the difference in a grade easily. I know that in one of my classes this semester, over 50% of the grade is based on a cumulative final, and it is not rare at all for finals to count for 30% of the course grade. As you can see, there’s a lot riding on those exams. So...down to business. I’m going to write out a list of a couple really helpful things I’ve known and use in all the exams I take. Interestingly enough, I didn’t take a lot of exams doing home school, but when I got to college I didn’t feel unprepared either.
1. Practice makes perfect – the more exams you take, the better you get at them. This is true of everything, but I think it would have been helpful to have some formal exams that were timed, just to get used to the format.
2. Know the material – this is probably more for the child than the teacher, and it simply makes sense. You have to know the material to do well. Some classes you can get away with rote memorization, but that will kill you for the times that you have to actually think of a solution. I’ve had tests where I have to problem-solve in the midst of it, which means you have to know the material backwards and forwards. Besides, isn’t the entire goal to learn the material? I feel like our education system promotes the passing of tests and classes and forgets about students actually learning material. Anyways...another topic for another day.
3. Pressure – some people work well under pressure, and others cave. Tests are usually high stress and high pressure. You have to somehow teach your children how not to cave under pressure. I’m an odd person that actually thrives on it. I work better under pressure than I do normally. I don’t enjoy it, or seek it out, but I perform well under it. I will actually do worse on a test I feel prepared for and aren’t that worried about than a test that I feel underprepared for and am super worried about. Go figure. Anyways...pressure is very real and something your kids have to work well under in order to succeed.
4. Time management – this is such an important one in tests. You have to watch the clock and pace yourself...really well. I usually work extremely quickly through the entire test, and then check the clock and go back to figure out the problems I couldn’t answer, or rework hard problems. You never want to be caught without having at least looked at all the problems in the time allotted. The reason is simple: you could have missed an easy problem and gotten more points.
5. Don’t let hard problems shake you – always do your best no matter what. Chances are if you write down everything you know about the subject, the teacher will give you at least partial credit. And, here’s a really important truth. You do not have to be brilliant – you only have to be smarter or work harder than everyone else in the room. Also, some teachers write extremely hard exams to challenge you, and they only expect people to get about a 50% on the exam. They then curve it so you still get an A. I just took an exam that was this way, and the median was a 50%.
So, there’s what I have found is helpful and what I usually follow for success on exams. Now, the real question is how do you teach that to your children? The first one is easy – simply give them a few exams. I’m not talking one every week – that’s annoying besides a ton of work. The second one is mostly up to the child, but it also depends on how well the teacher has presented the material and how memorable it is. So, tests are also an assessment of the teacher in a way – they let you know whether or not you are doing a good job of teaching. The third one is a bit harder to simulate in a relaxed home setting. I would suggest putting restraints on the test, such as you only have a certain amount of time, or I need you to come up with something we haven’t actually covered before. I think that is definitely the hardest thing to simulate and one of the harder things to teach. The fourth, time management, is fairly easy. Give them a test, a clock, barely enough time to do the test, and see what happens. The fifth, give them a test with really hard questions...questions you know they can’t answer completely. Is it mean? Probably, but that’s life, and you have to prepare them for it. Tests are hard, but there is a technique to them, and they are extremely important. Anyways, there’s my two cents for the night. It is now past my bed time, and I’ve got more to do tomorrow than I want to think about tonight.
1. Practice makes perfect – the more exams you take, the better you get at them. This is true of everything, but I think it would have been helpful to have some formal exams that were timed, just to get used to the format.
2. Know the material – this is probably more for the child than the teacher, and it simply makes sense. You have to know the material to do well. Some classes you can get away with rote memorization, but that will kill you for the times that you have to actually think of a solution. I’ve had tests where I have to problem-solve in the midst of it, which means you have to know the material backwards and forwards. Besides, isn’t the entire goal to learn the material? I feel like our education system promotes the passing of tests and classes and forgets about students actually learning material. Anyways...another topic for another day.
3. Pressure – some people work well under pressure, and others cave. Tests are usually high stress and high pressure. You have to somehow teach your children how not to cave under pressure. I’m an odd person that actually thrives on it. I work better under pressure than I do normally. I don’t enjoy it, or seek it out, but I perform well under it. I will actually do worse on a test I feel prepared for and aren’t that worried about than a test that I feel underprepared for and am super worried about. Go figure. Anyways...pressure is very real and something your kids have to work well under in order to succeed.
4. Time management – this is such an important one in tests. You have to watch the clock and pace yourself...really well. I usually work extremely quickly through the entire test, and then check the clock and go back to figure out the problems I couldn’t answer, or rework hard problems. You never want to be caught without having at least looked at all the problems in the time allotted. The reason is simple: you could have missed an easy problem and gotten more points.
5. Don’t let hard problems shake you – always do your best no matter what. Chances are if you write down everything you know about the subject, the teacher will give you at least partial credit. And, here’s a really important truth. You do not have to be brilliant – you only have to be smarter or work harder than everyone else in the room. Also, some teachers write extremely hard exams to challenge you, and they only expect people to get about a 50% on the exam. They then curve it so you still get an A. I just took an exam that was this way, and the median was a 50%.
So, there’s what I have found is helpful and what I usually follow for success on exams. Now, the real question is how do you teach that to your children? The first one is easy – simply give them a few exams. I’m not talking one every week – that’s annoying besides a ton of work. The second one is mostly up to the child, but it also depends on how well the teacher has presented the material and how memorable it is. So, tests are also an assessment of the teacher in a way – they let you know whether or not you are doing a good job of teaching. The third one is a bit harder to simulate in a relaxed home setting. I would suggest putting restraints on the test, such as you only have a certain amount of time, or I need you to come up with something we haven’t actually covered before. I think that is definitely the hardest thing to simulate and one of the harder things to teach. The fourth, time management, is fairly easy. Give them a test, a clock, barely enough time to do the test, and see what happens. The fifth, give them a test with really hard questions...questions you know they can’t answer completely. Is it mean? Probably, but that’s life, and you have to prepare them for it. Tests are hard, but there is a technique to them, and they are extremely important. Anyways, there’s my two cents for the night. It is now past my bed time, and I’ve got more to do tomorrow than I want to think about tonight.