Page 213 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

MULTIPLE “GUESS” AND PRACTICE TESTS . . . A FEW TIPS

“When I give multiple-choice tests, I sometimes find that students fail to fully grasp what
the question is asking before they barge ahead, reading the answer options. I advise them
to cover up the answers and to try to recall the information so they can answer the
question on their own first.
“When my students complain that the practice test was waaaaay easier than the real
one, I ask: What are the confounding variables that make the two situations different?
When you took the practice test, were you at home relaxing with tunes on? Taking it with a
fellow student? No time limit? Answer key and class materials at hand? These
circumstances are not exactly like a crowded classroom with a clock ticking away. I
actually encourage those with test anxiety to bring their practice test to another class (big
classes where one can slip right in and sit at the back unnoticed) and try taking it there.”
—Susan Sajna Hebert, Professor of Psychology, Lakehead University

Final Thoughts on Testing

The day before a test (or tests), have a quick look over the materials to brush up
on them. You’ll need both your focused-mode and diffuse mode “muscles” the
next day, so you don’t want to push your brain too hard. (You wouldn’t run a
ten-mile race the day before running a marathon.) Don’t feel guilty if you can’t

seem to get yourself to work too hard the day before a big examination. If
you’ve prepared properly, this is a natural reaction: You are subconsciously
pulling back to conserve mental energy.
While taking a test, you should also remember how your mind can trick you
into thinking what you’ve done is correct, even if it isn’t. This means that,
whenever possible, you should blink, shift your attention, and then double-
check your answers using a big-picture perspective, asking yourself, “Does

this really make sense?” There is often more than one way to solve a problem,
and checking your answers from a different perspective provides a golden
opportunity for verifying what you’ve done.
If there’s no other way to check except to step back through your logic, keep
in mind that simple issues like missed minus signs, incorrectly added numbers,

and “dropped atoms” have tripped up even the most advanced mathematics,
science, and engineering students. Just do your best to catch them. In science
classes, having your units of measurement match on each side of the equation