Test-Taking Strategies Study skills - PowerPoint Presentation

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Test-Taking Strategies

Study skills

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Multiple Choice Tests

Weeding out absolute words;

Recognizing “umbrella” (or “fusion” )

questions;

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Multiple Choice Tests

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“Umbrella” Questions: Also known as “fusion” questions, seem to have four correct answers.

Which of the following is a part of a car?

Oil filter

Engine

Carbeurator

Air filter

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Multiple Choice Tests

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You probably noticed that all of these choices look like “good” answers. This is a clue that you have an umbrella, or “fusion” question. The clue is that three of the answers fit within the category of the fourth. In this case,

carbeurator

,

air filter and oil filter are all parts of the engine, so “engine” is the correct answer. You may also notice that “engine” is a more general term than the others. Let’s try another…

The correct answer is “B”, engine.

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Which of the following is a part of the human leg?

The femur

The thigh

The quadriceps

The hamstrings

Right away, you probably recognized that these are ALL part of a leg, so how do you decide

. This is

an example of another “umbrella” question.

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The Answer Is…

“B”, the thigh, because the others are all part of the thigh, which again is also the most general of the terms.

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…and another

Which of the following is found in the U.S.?

Macon

Canton

Savannah

Georgia

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And the Answer IS…

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You probably got that one right! It’s

“D”, Georgia,

because the others are located in

Georgia.

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Absolute Words

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Another obstacle to taking multiple choice tests is when absolute words appear in the choices. At the right is a list of some absolute words.

These usually make a sentence false.

None

Never

All

Always

Every day

Only

Must

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Here is an example:

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The result of Barney’s study showed that:

All people suffer from SPAK

No people suffer from SPAK

SPAK never occurs in young people

SPAK may be found more in older people

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The answer is “4”

Did you notice that choices 1, 2 and 3 contained the absolute words “all”, “no”, and “never”. In general, absolute words limit too many options to be good choices for an answer.

The correct choice, however, was more general – it contained the word “may”.

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Here is another example:

People

with chronic disease can be described as:

Inevitably in pain

Always grouchy

Never able to walk

Needing more assistance

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The Answer is…

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Can we really say that these

people

are

ALWAYS

grouchy or INEVITABLY

in pain or

NEVER

able to walk? Of course not. The correct answer is

“D”, “needing more assistance.”

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What about unfamiliar words?

Some MP questions are phrased using words you have never heard. They may even be made-up words. Most students “freak out” when they see those words, and decide to guess at the answer. However, this is another test of your deductive reasoning. If you ignore the strange word, does the question still make sense? Can you answer it without knowing what the word means?….

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Let’s take a look….

You are treating a patient with

Kupe’s

disease. When comparing

cotylenol

to

bitylenol

, which of the following would be the most appropriate intervention for this patient?

Cotylenol

is more appropriate

Bitylenol is more appropriate Bitylenol is not as appropriate Both a and b

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This requires more deductive reasoning…Look at the clues in the scenario given

.

You don’t know what

Kupe’s

disease is;

You have never heard of “

cotylenol

” or “

bitylenol

”;

All of the above are made up words, but it doesn’t matter.

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Here are the choices again..

Cotylenol

is more appropriate

b.

Bitylenol

is more appropriate

c.

Bitylenol

is not as appropriate

d. Both a and b

The answer can’t be “d” because you are asked to choose between either cotylenol or bitylenol.

The answer can’t be “a” or “c” because they say the same thing

That only leaves “b” as an answer, even though you have no idea what “

Kupes

” disease is. No need to freak out when you see unfamiliar terms!

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The more complex question asks you to

:

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Prioritize the answers in some order (most important, best, last, first, initial, etc.);

Use deductive reasoning;

Also use your content knowledge;

Compare only the answers that are

given

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True/False

Tests:

Choose TRUE unless you know the statement is

FALSE;

For a statement to be TRUE, everything

about the statement must be TRUE;Be careful when a statement has a negative such as “not”, “do not”,

or “in” (e.g. “infrequent”) and

“un” (e.g., “unfriendly”)

A negative can completely change the meaning of the statement

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True/False

Tests:

If a statement has two negatives, cross out both negatives

This will make it easier for you to understand the

statement

It is

never not

a good idea to serve the people.

Absolute statements are usually FALSE

Absolute statements include words such as

All, every, never,

no (Dogs are

never bald.)Qualified statements are usually TRUEQualified statements include terms such asSome, most, sometimes, rarely (Some dogs are bald.)20

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Answer these T/F questions:

It is never not a bad idea to sleep late.People in the middle ages were always short.Some of the Shawnee Indians were astrologers.

All of the students have a GPA over 2.5.

None of the scientists believe in God.

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Matching

Tests:

Read all the items in both columns before making any matches

Start by making the matches about which you are sure

Cross out items in both columns as you make matchesMake your best guess for remaining items, unless there is a penalty for guessing

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Completion

Tests:

Read the item and think about what is missing

Write an answer that logically completes the item

Be sure your answer fits the item

grammatically Use the length of the line as a clue to the length of the answer

Unless the length of the blank is the same for all answers

After you write the answer, read the entire answer to make sure it makes

sense.

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Examples:

There were too many people coming into the colony, and there was not enough ________,which led to many issues.

Supplies will last far into the _________due to advances in exploration and production.

There were no identified problems that would alter ____________recommendations

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QUOTE strategy for Essay tests

Q – Question

Look for direction (discuss, describe, explain)

U – Underline

Words that help focus on ideas to develop answers

O – Organize/Write

The facts & write your answerT – Time

Decide how much time to spend on answering each item

E – Evaluate

The content & organization of what you wrote & your mechanics

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QUOTE strategy for Essay

Tests:

Writing a One-Paragraph Answer

Begin with an introductory sentence that contains your main point

Follow with sentences that support your point

End your answer with a sentence that states your conclusion

Writing a Multiple-Paragraph AnswerBegin with an introductory paragraph that contains your main point

Follow with additional paragraphs, each with a supporting point

End with a paragraph in which you state your conclusion

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