Five Ways to Start Preparing for End-of-Semester Exams

by Matilda Gerrans, Insider Guides: https://insiderguides.com.au/start-preparing-end-semester-exams/

Orientation might seem like yesterday, but you’d better believe it: semester one exams are just around the corner. And there’s no time like the present to start studying for them. Getting onto your study now means there will be a lot less pressure later on - and much less cramming the night before. If you want to kick off studying early, here are a few ways you can get started.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR EXAMS

The best way to prepare for an exam is to find out exactly what you’re expected to know. Ask your lecturer or tutor about the exam, and they can hopefully point you in the right direction.

Getting familiar with the type of exam you’ll be sitting, or what kind of questions are going to be in it, can help you prepare more efficiently and effectively. By knowing what you’ll likely be tested on, you can focus solely on that topic or skill-set. After all, there’s no point preparing for a question or topic that isn’t going to be in the final test!

MAKE A STUDY PLAN

Once you’ve got an idea of what you need to prepare for, it’s time to make a study plan. Study plans are great frameworks for shaping your study over the next few weeks, as they can help you visualise what you need to study. You’ll also be able to organise the content into manageable sections. We recommend creating a calendar that outlines the days between now and your exams, which you can fill in according to your priorities.

When creating your study plan, make sure you space your study out over the coming weeks. It’s a good idea to study a little every day, so you don’t end up having to study everything in the days before the exam. And make sure to be specific with your plan; writing down that you’re going to study history for two hours can lead to mindless reading and procrastination. Instead, focus on a specific chapter or topic. That way, you’ll know exactly what you’ll be spending your time on.

It’s worth keeping in mind that your study plan isn’t just for organising revision. Make sure to schedule regular breaks, as studying for long periods of time isn’t healthy for your mind or body. Taking some time off during the day and allowing yourself to relax will help maintain balance and make your study sessions more effective. It’s also wise to put aside a day each week for catching up on any study you’ve missed, or to spend a day completely away from the books.

REVIEW YOUR NOTES

Your lecture or tutorial notes are a great place to start studying, and how you review them depends on how you like to study. If you’re a visual learner, highlighting your notes, writing summaries, or turning them into flashcards might help you remember better. If you learn better by listening, you can play lectures through your headphones, or record notes on your phone to listen to later. If you’re more likely to recall information through movement and hands-on activity, or if your course lends itself to this type of learning, you could explain or demonstrate key concepts to family and friends.

PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE

Doing past tests and practice essays is the closest you’ll get to real exam conditions. Past exam papers can indicate the types of questions the exam might contain, as well as how the exam could be structured. Practice essays not only improve your writing and ability to answer a prompt, but they can also help you to better manage your time. Ask your lecturer or tutor if they can give you access to any past exam papers, or check the library. If none are available, why not try writing your own based on your notes?

When it comes to practice tests and essays, it’s important to place yourself under exam conditions. Make sure you stick to the correct time limit, take away any distractions, and avoid looking at your notes. After you’ve completed the practice test, see if your tutor can mark it for you or offer any feedback.

ASK FOR HELP

Ask your lecturers or tutors for help with any gaps in your knowledge, or if you’re feeling a bit unsure about your upcoming exam. They may be able to direct you to past tests, extra exercises, or other materials that can help with your revision. Your university library might also run study sessions, or offer study help online.

Reaching out to family and friends is also a good idea during exam time, as they can help you with your revision or act as a comforting presence during a particularly stressful period. Although only you can sit the exam, you don’t have to prepare alone; there will be plenty of people willing to help you if you need to reach out.

I Have an Exam Tomorrow But Don't Feel Prepared: What Should I Do?

by Claire Brown, Victoria University, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/i-have-an-exam-tomorrow-but-dont-feel-prepared-what-should-i-do-105849

If you’re really stressed you might not retain the information you’re cramming anyway, so an early night might be better for you. from www.shutterstock.com

You have an exam tomorrow and you’re not feeling prepared. With only a few waking hours to go, how is it best you spend your time?

To pass tomorrow’s exam, cramming might help you write more on the paper than you would have without doing any form of study, depending on how stressed out you are. But it certainly won’t help you learn the information deeply. You will have forgotten most of what you crammed within a week.

Cramming doesn’t work for retaining information

Research shows we overestimate our ability to remember information and underestimate the importance of actively learning information. Students will often say they don’t need to take notes because they have great memories. But this research suggests we assume we’ll remember things forever as well as we do now (we won’t). We underestimate our need to learn and relearn information to be able to recall it when we need it.

As an article in The New York Times put it, cramming is like jam-packing your brain:

But hurriedly jam-packing a brain is akin to speed-packing a cheap suitcase, as most students quickly learn — it holds its new load for a while, then most everything falls out.

So if your exam is tomorrow then cramming might help, but research shows when students see the same material again at a later date, it’s like they have never seen it before.

Cramming and stress

If you’re feeling anxious, it might be better to put the books down and not attempt to cram. Cramming can clog working memory and that can result in cognitive overload, making you feel overwhelmed.

Going to bed late because of a cramming session, overstimulated from too many energy drinks, then tossing and turning with an overloaded brain, could be worse for you than just giving up now and going to bed.

Information is more likely to be retained by your brain if you put it in there slowly over time. from www.shutterstock.com

Four study strategies that are better than cramming

It’s never too late to adopt good study habits that will improve your exam success and relieve your exam anxiety.

1. Get organised

A major reason for cramming is poor organisation of time. Time-poor students should use a planner to identify the times available for study and block out those times in the planner. Then actually be disciplined and use that time to study.

Get a study binder – electronic or hard copy – and keep it organised. Use it regularly to store and review your study notes and materials.

Being organised with your study materials helps you to be organised in your thinking, too, as you can easily access the materials you need to help you study in the time you have prioritised to study.

2. Take, make, interact with and reflect on notes

Taking notes is important. An active note-taking process is important to help you transfer new information from short-term memory and then recall it more easily after it is stored in the long-term memory.

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Read more: What's the best, most effective way to take notes?

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Read more: What's the best way to take notes on your laptop or tablet?

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3. Keep interacting with the content

Research has found the rate you forget information is minimised if you interact with (reread/discuss/write) new information within 24 hours of first receiving it. A second, shorter repetition within 24 hours brings recall back up to 100%. A third repetition within a week for an even shorter time brings recall back to 100%.

Going back to the suitcase analogy:

When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it holds its contents for far, far longer. An hour of study tonight, an hour on the weekend, another session a week from now: such so-called spacing improves later recall, without requiring students to put in more overall study effort or pay more attention, dozens of studies have found.

When cramming, students often concentrate on one thing intensively for a long period of time. That doesn’t work either. Research shows learning is more effective if the type of material being studied is mixed and study periods are spaced out over time.

That’s why athletes, musicians and students should mix up their training/ rehearsal/ study sessions by practising different skills over different time periods, rather than focusing on just one thing for an extended time.

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Read more: Why block subjects might not be best for university student learning

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4. Self-testing

So once you have a good set of notes, what is the best way to interact with them? Self-testing is a powerful way to study and learn.

Other tools you can use to help you self-test are to use mnemonics and flash cards. Mnemonics are memory devices that help you to recall information. An example of a well-known mnemonic is “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”.

Flash cards are a great way to self-test. Good organisation of where you store your flash cards and effective use of them are essential to maximise their study potential. It’s good to mix up sets of flash cards and study them in short bursts.

For tomorrow …

If all you want to do is retain the information until after your exam tomorrow, a bit of cramming now might help. But if you’re feeling highly anxious your brain might not retain new information anyway. It might be a better idea to eat a nutritious dinner, go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep.

When you wake up, take a few deep breaths and remind yourself you can only do as well as you can do, and it will all be over in a few hours anyway.

But next time save yourself the stress and take the time to engage with the content frequently. Only this will ensure it’s locked up tight in your brain for a long time. And, finally, good luck!

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Read more: HSC exam guide: maximising study and minimising stress

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Claire Brown, Associate Director, The Victoria Institute; National Director, AVID Australia, Victoria University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Does Academic Resilience Affect GCSE Exam Anxiety

An anxious student (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by British Psychological Society: http://www.bps.org.uk/news/does-academic-resilience-affect-gcse-exam-anxiety

Edge Hill University’s Professor Dave Putwain has had a new research paper published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology.

Professor Putwain’s latest study, Academically buoyant students are less anxious about and perform better in high-stakes examinations, follows his previous research which found that pupils who worry about their exam performance are more likely to do badly than those who are less anxious.

Professor Dave Putwain said: “The next step in my research was to ascertain whether test anxiety is an antecedent or outcome of academic buoyancy (students' capacity to successfully overcome setback and challenge that is typical of the ordinary course of everyday academic life) and to discover whether academic buoyancy is related to examination performance.

705 students in their final year of secondary education (Year 11) participated in the study, which required them to self-report data for test anxiety and academic buoyancy.”

Examination performance was taken from the mean English, mathematics and science scores from the high-stakes GCSE exams taken at the end of Year 11.

The study results showed that academic buoyancy protects pupils against viewing exams as threatening by influencing self-regulative processes, and so enables better examination performance.
In turn, worry has a negative effect on academic buoyancy. Tension felt by pupils was also measured, however this did not appear to affect academic buoyancy.

GAMSAT Essay Preparation

110711-O-ZZ999-024 (Photo credit: Royal Australian Navy)

by Michael Joseph Johnson

For those who are interested in working in one of the medical schools in the area, you need to start your GAMSAT preparation because this is an exam that determines if you will be able to study to become a doctor or not.

The exam has three major sections and one of the areas that most students have problems with is writing essays. This is part of the Written Communication section of the exam. The section includes two essays and each of them is supposed to be written in half an hour.

The one hour that is provided for this section can appear to be very limited for some people but it is possible to write two great essays within this period.

During your GAMSAT preparation, you need to practice on how to come up with two coherent essays in the allotted hour. A lot of practice is required to come up with an essay that stands out.

To write an essay that stands out, you need to start working on the structure. This means that your ideas need to be broken down. The structure should include an introduction, body and then conclusion. Once you have outlined your structure, it is easy for you to know where each idea will be placed.

In the exam, students are provided with quotes to respond to. This means that you should read the quotes carefully to determine what you will base your argument on.

During your GAMSAT preparation, you need to know how to come up with strong arguments when you are writing your essay. Weak arguments will not earn you the kind of marks that are required to get into medical school.

In academic essays, strong one-way argumentation is usually discouraged but when it comes to this type of exam, you need to support your views with a very strong argument.

Make sure you have a well laid out plan before you begin to write the essay. This will make it more coherent.

At the beginning of the essay, you should state your position very clearly in response to the statement. The introduction is very important because this is what determines if someone will continue to read it or not. It may also be effective to include some news about an event that has taken place recently when you are writing your essay introduction.

GAMSAT prep includes practicing various essay writing styles. Just use the provided link to learn more about how to write a great essay during your GAMSAT prep.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Joseph_Johnson
http://EzineArticles.com/?GAMSAT-Prep---Writing-Effective-Essays-for-the-Exam&id=6098870

If you are after a GAMSAT essay writing tutor, look no further than Dr Robert Muller at: http://tutoringtoexcellence.blogspot.com Robert works with people all over the globe in preparation for the Australian and UK GAMSAT exams via Skype and email.

Disarming the College Degree Arms Race

Decoration of two cranes on the chest are a "rank badge" that indicate that he was a civil official of the first rank (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by Christopher Glazek, UTNE Reader: http://www.utne.com/politics/college-degree-arms-race-zm0z13sozlin.aspx

 

In 605 CE, a year after murdering his father and seizing the throne, the Chinese emperor Yang Guang established the world’s first meritocracy. 

 

Weary of making bureaucratic appointments solely on the basis of letters of recommendation, Yang set aside a number of posts for applicants who performed well on a new system of imperial examinations. 

 

In theory, any peasant who took the trouble to memorize 400,000 characters  -  which is to say, anyone who conducted six years of study with an expensive tutor  -  could join the country’s political elite.

 

Over the centuries, as China’s scholar-bureaucrats grew more powerful, their metrics of assessment became increasingly intricate. Those who passed were stratified into nine grades, and each grade was further divided into two degrees. 

 

Exam performance corresponded exactly to salary, denominated in piculs of rice; the top brass received more than 17 times as much rice as the lowest tier. 

 

But the true rewards of exam success were considerably higher: besides the steady salary, bribe collection made it very good to be a bureaucrat.

 

As time went on, more and more people took  -  and passed -  the exam’s first round.

Test prep academies proliferated. Imperial officials started to worry: there were now more degree-holders than there were positions, which threatened to create an underclass of young men with thwarted ambitions.

When the Ming dynasty fell in 1644, their successors, the Qing, resolved to make the test more difficult. By the middle of the 19th century, 2 million people sat the exam, but just over 1 percent passed its first round; only 300 candidates - .016 percent - passed all three.

Failure could be discouraging. In 1837, after botching the exam’s second round for a second time, Hong Xiuquan, an ambitious 23-year-old from a village near Guangzhou, suffered a nervous breakdown.

The precocious Hong had come in first on the county-level test, but after he turned 15 his family could no longer afford the customary tutor. Nor could Hong afford to bribe the examiners, as many test-takers did.

The notional possibility that anyone could pass the test concealed a bitter truth: for a poor countryman like Hong, making it past the second round was all but impossible.

Sick and delirious, Hong began to see visions. While in the provincial capital, he had encountered missionaries from the U.S. who gave him a tract on Christianity.

It made a big impression: soon Hong had a dream in which he saw the Christian God remonstrating with Confucius about his faithlessness. In another, angels carried Hong to heaven, where a man with a long golden beard presented him with a sword and instructed him to rid China of its demons.

Read more: http://www.utne.com/politics/college-degree-arms-race-zm0z13sozlin.aspx#ixzz2eSFeKdsE

Assessing Students Who Become Sick During Exams

Taking an Exam

by Richard D Boyce

There will always be conscientious students who are sick but will come to school to do an examination.

Teachers should discourage this practice both to the student and their parents as most, if not all schools, have protocols to overcome initial absences from examinations.

Encourage your students to tell you if they have been or are feeling sick prior to an examination. Then, with them, you can make a decision as to whether they will attempt it or not.

If the worst does occur and the student does get sick doing the exam, here is a process you might follow.

• Note the time this occurs on the student's exam paper at the point where the illness occurs as the student may like to continue at a later time.


• Treat the ill student in accordance with school protocol.


• When the exam paper is returned to you for marking, mark the parts of the exam that have been done prior to the illness occurring and any other work separately. Compare the two sections to see if they seem to be typical of the student's results and then discuss the results with your supervisor to decide on a mark or adopt normal school policy on how to give appropriate credit.


• Check also if the child was sick before the exam. This too could be factored into your decision about a final rating/mark for the exam. It may be that the results you already have from previous assessment items, give you enough data to give a valid level of achievement for the subject. That means you can ignore this exam result. School policy may suggest how you treat this situation.


• Always encourage a student to do the exam at a later date rather than do it when they are ill. The exam can be marked and used as a guide to their achievement as well as giving the student a real idea of how he/she understood the learning tested in that exam. This would allow him/her to do remedial work if necessary before continuing the subject or starting the next unit in the subject or the next year. These marks could be recorded with an explanation and may be used later to give extra data to help decide on the final subject rating on exit from the year or from school.


• Check for serial 'sick' offenders,.i.e. students who always seem to be sick on exam days. Some may have chronic illnesses and the school may have a policy for this situation. Those who have no history of chronic illness need to be 'forced' to do the exam ASAP under exam conditions with the same time or even less.

Perhaps they might be given a different test and the tests could be in their time, not class time. Again, this is a school policy issue.

It is worthwhile checking the history of these students with past teachers and referring the issue to higher authorities for further intervention, e.g. parent interviews with school administration.

It is important that no student be disadvantaged through genuine illness at exam time. Additionally, they must be seen to be treated fairly in the allocation of their final grading.

Here, a teacher must use their professional judgment based on the evidence of learning in class as well as the available assessment data. Here 'like' students can be a guide to where the student lies in the class order of merit in that subject.

The website http://www.realteachingsolutions.com provides an eBook that looks at all aspects of examinations and other types of assessment. The eBook is "The Exam Book".

Our author, during the last 16 years of his teaching career was the Head of a Mathematics Department where he was responsible for the assessment program.

He offers practical advice that works on aspects as diverse as running a class exam up to how best to mark alternative assessment tasks.

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Getting Better Test Scores On Your Math Test

Mathematics (Photo credit: Terriko)

by Andrew Almeida

Do you or your children get bad math test scores? This article will teach you three techniques to do with how to get better math test scores.

The three techniques we will explore focus on the problem, testing the problem, and pacing yourself to finish.

Let's face it, math tests are not just a, b, c, and d bubble answer questions.

Math tests are usually a problem and then you have to "write out your work". So this article will not tell you to pick the best answer or choose the longest answer when in doubt.

Focusing on the problem is a major technique that will get you through the problem and also help pace yourself throughout the test.

The word "focus" says it all. Tune out the noises around you, the thoughts of our boyfriend or girlfriend, the "being cool by not knowing math" posture, and the anxiety of taking the test. I used to have anxiety during my physics test, but after learning the art of "focus" the anxiety went away.

The key to focusing on the problem is to read the problem a few times. Think of your solution and how you are going to get there and then carefully write out your work. If you need scratch paper, 99% of teachers encourage using scratch paper for thoughts.

If you absolutely cannot get to the answer, write down as much as you know to get the most credit possible for that question. Teachers do not just grade the answer. They also give points for the work you write down.

Testing the problem comes after focusing on the problem. In order to test the problem you must have focused on the problem and written down your work and have a rough answer. The answer might be "certain" in your eyes, but one tiny number or issue can make that problem wrong.

Yes, teachers give points for work, but they grade the heaviest on the right answer. Therefore testing the answer is a key technique in getting a better test score. So how do you test your answer?

Well, in mathematics both sides of the equal sign must be equal. So if A+B = C, then you know that C = A+B. Or A = C-B and B = C-A. They are equal because, well, they have to be. The equal sign is powerful and makes that true.

Therefore to test your work, plug in the numbers that you got and see if both sides of the equal sign are equal to each other.

For example: If the problem was 42/x + 7 = 28 and you did the problem to get X = 2, then in order for you to test it out, you would plug in 2 and get 42/2 + 7 = 28, and if you work through it, you will get that 28 = 28. Done.

The test is usually timed for the entire class period, and whether it is fifty minutes or an hour you must pace yourself.

The teacher isn't evil and will not make a test they feel cannot be finished within the time limit. They usually do the test themselves when they write it to see whether or not the test is good for time. So pacing yourself to finish is a key ingredient to a better test score.

If you do not know the answer to a question you would write down what you know, whether it is the formula, a strategy, or the start of the problem, and then move on. You should get a few points for your knowledge.

After you get through all of the problems on the test, you would go back and tackle the harder questions that stumped you before. Sometimes, by moving on and coming back, you will exercise your brain enough to recall the part that made you skip it to begin with.

Pacing yourself to finish the test is extremely important. Pacing comes with the experience of taking tests. To practice pacing, have your parent or use a text book and write out a test. Then take the test to practice pacing.

In conclusion, you will get a better math score (and pass) by following the three techniques in this article. Focus on the problem, test the problem, and pace yourself throughout the test, and you will surely get a better score!

Not everyone is perfect at math, so do not let that be a barrier or burden while you take the test. You may get some questions wrong, but remember the three techniques and you will do better.

Ask a math question and learn more about math tests at http://www.helpinmathplease.com.

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Learning From The Past: How Did I Teach Exam Procedure In The 1960s?

by Richard D Boyce

I've been retired from full time teaching for a dozen years now. Therefore, over that time, I have gradually given away or trashed much of my teaching resources.

Recently, I have found some material I put together for my classes during the late 1960s on how best to attack a formal examination.

Back then in high school, all assessment was in the form of two to three hour examinations at the end of each term. Then, at the end of the second and fourth (final) years, formal externally run examinations were taken by students.

Exam 'nerves' were a big thing then so teachers spent time teaching an exam procedure and giving lots of practice examinations.

During this period, I taught several different subjects including English, Science, Maths and Geography. In my youthful enthusiasm, I produced my own generic version of exam procedure to give to my students.

In re-reading it initially, it reminded me of ideas that, in my later years in the classroom, I did not stress as much as perhaps I ought to have.

Below is that document. Does it add any new ideas or emphasis to what you do with your classes?

Exam Procedure

1. In the last ten minutes before you begin writing, read through the exam carefully and quickly. Mark off each question you know you can answer easily.


2. Plan how much time you can spend on each question. Try to leave ten minutes at the end for checking your answers. If you have two hours to work on the exam, with ten questions of equal value, spend ten minutes on each question.


3. As you do each question, read it carefully, at least, twice. Where necessary, underline exactly what you must answer.


4. Answer all the easy questions first. These are marks you can get, so make sure you do by doing the easy ones first.


5. Don't waste time on difficult questions. Do all the questions you can do before spending extra time on the harder ones.


6. Do the questions in any order - easy ones first, then the more difficult. As you complete each question, cross it off on your exam paper. Make sure you number each question correctly.


7. Attempt to answer all questions. Try and keep trying right up until the end of your time. Write down all the facts you know about the question; even include diagrams.


8. Checking is very important. Check to see you have tried every question. Check to see you have the answer required. Keep checking until your time is up.


9. Write neatly; print and draw diagrams, maps and so on, carefully. Make them large. Use coloured pencils, where necessary, and rule all lines.


10. Have a good night's rest before the exam and eat a good breakfast. Stop your pre-exam study ten to fifteen minutes before the exam starts to settle your mind.

Obviously, with my experience now, I would modify parts of these instructions. However, what I wrote back then is still great generic advice teachers could give their students in a wide range of subjects. What do you think?

Our author grew up in the era of external examination and began his teaching career in high schools preparing his classes for external examinations. He has, throughout his career, spent time preparing students for a variety of assessment tasks.

You'll find more information about how he worked with his classes on all aspects of examinations and other forms of assessment in his eBook, "The Examination and Assessment Book". You can find it on the website http://www.realteachingsolutions.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_D_Boyce
http://EzineArticles.com/?Learning-From-The-Past---How-Did-I-Teach-Exam-Procedure-In-The-1960s?&id=7601434

Should Foreign Language Learners Be Allowed to Use Cheat Sheets During an Exam?

Exam tactics (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

by Larry M. Lynch

Should Teachers Allow "Cheating" on Exams?

"What!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Are you serious?"

Yeah, I can just hear you now. Yes, I'm serious. Should learners be allowed to use cheat sheets, "cribs", "chancucos" or whatever else you want to call them, during quizzes or exams?

"For goodness sakes, no."
"Absolutely not"
"No way, Jose!"
"Are you out of your mind?"

Hey, I'll just bet there will even be a couple of "No way in H----!" responses. But hold there, Hoss. Just a minute. Hear me out before you form a posse to come and get me.

The Foreign Language Evaluation Experience

Most schools, institutes, and foreign language programs schedule formal evaluations or tests several times per semester, level or whatever their term divisions might be. For the most part, these are neither pleasant, nor positive experiences for teachers or foreign language learners either.

Teachers especially, can have a better exam day experience if they have eyes in the back of their head and can be in three places at the same time (yeah, right). If not, then you'll likely want to consider some alternatives or adjustments to smooth out the test-taking process.

Often, the teacher must receive and check a wheel barrow load of assignments, texts, essays or compositions or assignment workbooks before an exam. Sometimes right before a scheduled exam on the very same day. If the poor soul has more than one class group scheduled for an exam on the same day, break out the Bacardi, boys.

Foreign Language Learners and Exams

It's certainly no bed of roses for your foreign language learners either. After a period of cramming verb conjugations, vocabulary lists, idioms and expressions and pronunciation into their heads and down their throats, the stress an exam brings doesn't usually bode well for them.

This is, of course, not even mentioning the reams of grammar rules and exceptions they continually had to swallow and somehow internalize during the past few weeks.

"What do you think the night before the exam was like for the majority of your foreign language learners?"

Yeah, me too.

Foreign Language Learning Evaluations

If we consider for a moment, the true purposes of foreign language learning evaluations in both formal and informal aspects, we find that evaluations are used to:

- Validate the learners level of knowledge
- Provide feedback on teaching methodology
- Highlight areas of weakness in learner foreign language knowledge
- Establish current level of foreign language communicative skills
- Demonstrate to learners what they truly know or don't know

At what frequency and in how much detail these are determined will depend on the school, institute or program. To ultimately aid in this process, standards such as the Common European Framework have been established to provide internationally accepted rubrics for both institutions and teachers in preparation of evaluations.

Open Book Evaluations

While not typical in many school districts, the "open book" style of learner evaluation is a valid one. Learners may use their notes, their textbook or even an especially prepared set of pages as reference material while taking an exam.

The responsibility of the teacher or exam preparer then, is to create an evaluation which is challenging in the mode and type of responses required to elicit a "correct" response to evaluation questions.

If the aim is more critical thinking or conceptual comparison of major themes taught, then allowing learners to access texts or notes, will not provide the learner with any distinct advantage.

There is no real "cheat" for critical thinking or comparative analytical skills. These types of evaluations help to define the learner's ability to apply the knowledge they've received to practical (or theoretical) situations, providing a far more valuable insight into the educational process for both the teacher and the learner.

So whether or not learners can have access to reference materials during an evaluation, most certainly would depend on the type of evaluation they are taking.

In the following articles of this series, we'll explore the concept further. See you then.

Did you like this article?

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an experienced, professional, media-rich web content copywriter who can solve your business advertising and promotion problems via research and preparation of web content media packages containing traffic pulling SEO text articles, short attention getting videos, thought-provoking automated presentations, MP3 audio podcasts that engage listeners and custom photographed digital images with visual impact that get your business, products and services noticed online by potential customers.

Contact me today for your first media posting FR*EE at: lmlynchcreativecopy@gmail.com Email me today.

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Guidelines For Mastering The SAT

New Arrivals October 2012: The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd Edition (Photo credit: theunquietlibrary)

by Liza Moye

Most teenagers must eventually buckle down and study for their college board exams.

The SAT, as it is widely known in the field, is designed to measure the verbal and math skills of all young men and women who would like to go to college and secure a formal degree.

Though studying will surely be needed, most youngsters can do well with the proper preparations.

Students who are verbally challenged will likely need to develop a sophisticated vocabulary base as quickly as possible. Making flashcards will probably help them remember things better. They should also practice general reading comprehension skills so that they can fit their new vocabulary words into the appropriate grammatical contexts.

While some people might have trouble with the verbal section, others may be struggling with math. In fact, the mathematical principles that are tested on the SAT are rather basic, and most men and women should be able to master them with a little study time.

Algebra and geometry will both be emphasized, so students should ensure that they understand both how to solve equations and how to manipulate triangles to come up with the proper angle measurements.

Of course, taking formal courses will be incredibly useful. Teachers who are skilled in the area will be able to provide a range of tips and guidelines that should help individuals succeed further down the road. Students may even meet some friends who they can study with on a regular basis.

Practice tests can also help. When individuals understand the format that they will likely see on the day of the exam, they will be less nervous and more likely to zip confidently through the questions. Practice tests also allow them to check their answers to see which concepts need a bit more work.

On the evening before examination day, people should get a good night's rest if at all possible. This will allow them to be fully alert and ready to attack the test when the morning arrives. Establishing a sense of confidence will also help. Those test takers who know they are ready for anything will generally perform better.

Ultimately, when looking for an SAT prep course Bayside students should look around until they find a class that caters to their whims. With an experienced teacher leading the discussion, the young adults in the course should make significant progress that will translate into high scores later on.

When there is a need to know more on SAT prep course Bayside students can view the related website for more info. Check out this homepage about prep courses by clicking on http://www.satprepcourseny.com now.

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6 Tips on Preparing for a Crucial Exam

Exam preparation (Wikipedia)

by Jessie Teh

Exams can be extremely stressful, particularly when they're crucial to your college career.

Fortunately, steps can be taken to prepare yourself in advance, so you can don't have to stress so much during your exams. The following tips are designed to help you prepare for a crucial exam.

• Prepare ahead of time. Look over your notes frequently, so you don't have to cram a whole semester's worth of information into your head at the last minute. This will help familiarize you with the terms and boost your confidence by being prepared for the exam ahead of time.

• Take notes. Everybody has their own way of taking notes, so it's advisable that you do this on your own, rather than borrow somebody else's notes. Writing down your own notes helps you memorize the material being studied.

• Use tools to review for your test. Highlighters were invented for the purpose of being study aids; going through your notes or textbook and highlighting all the material relevant to the exam can not only help ingrain the material into your brain, but also makes it easier to find later when you go back to study. For things like numbers or mathematical equations, mnemonics may be used.

• Join a study group. This is an excellent way to exchange ideas with fellow students. Joining a study group can help improve your memory, as well as lighten your burden since you have other people there to help.

• Relax. A few days before your crucial exam, try to relax. Take a break from all the studying and go out with your friends, or play a video game in order to relieve some of your stress. This will clear your mind, so it's not a jumbled mess when the morning of your exams arrive.

• Eat and Sleep Properly. A responsible student never goes out and parties all night right before a big exam. Eating well helps nourish your brain, allowing you to really focus on your studies. Sleep helps your body relax, as well as clear your mind. Although it may seem tempting to pull an all-nighter the night before a big exam, you will be doing yourself a favor by getting a good night's sleep. If you're exhausted during the exam, you will have a harder time focusing on the questions, never mind composing accurate, legitimate answers.

When preparing for an exam, it's important that you make an effort to do well. Don't slack off or be lazy. Success requires a good amount of hard work, discipline and determination. If you really apply yourself and do your absolute best, then there is no need to worry about failure.

Nobody enjoys taking exams, but they are designed for a purpose- to test your skill level. As long as your try your hardest, study, and take care of yourself so you're in good physical and mental health, then you should have no trouble passing even the most difficult exam in your field of study.

Jessie Teh is a student at Brickfields Asia College and writes advice for fellow students pursuing a Bachelor of Law at law colleges.

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Movement to End High-Stakes Testing Steps Up in Seattle

When my son takes standardized tests (Photo credit: bionicteaching)

by Dean Paton, Yes! Magazine: http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/movement-end-high-stakes-testing-takes-stand-seatle?utm_source=wkly20130118&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=titlePaton

Dean Paton is a correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, where this article was originally published.

Teachers at two Seattle high schools violated district policy and their union contracts by refusing to administer a mandatory test. And signs abound that teachers around the nation are ready to stand up, too.

Forty-five minutes after school let out Thursday afternoon, 19 teachers at Seattle's Garfield High School worked their way to the front of an already-crowded classroom, then turned, leaned their backs against the wall of whiteboards, and fired the first salvo of open defiance against high-stakes standardized testing in America's public schools.

To a room full of TV cameras, reporters, students, and colleagues, the teachers announced their refusal to administer a standardized test that ninth-graders across the district are mandated to take in the first part of January.

Known as the MAP test - for Measures of Academic Progress - it is intended to evaluate student progress and skill in reading and math.

First one teacher, then another, and then more stepped forward to charge that the test wastes time, money, and dwindling school resources. It is also used to evaluate teacher quality.

“Our teachers have come together and agreed that the MAP test is not good for our students, nor is it an appropriate or useful tool in measuring progress,” said Kris McBride, academic dean and testing coordinator at Garfield High.

“Additionally, students don’t take it seriously. It produces specious results and wreaks havoc on limited school resources during the weeks and weeks the test is administered.”

Garfield’s civil yet disobedient faculty appears to be the first group of teachers nationally to defy district edicts concerning a standardized test, but the backlash against high-stakes testing has been percolating in other parts of the country.

• The New York State Principals association recently issued a scathing letter, nearly four pages of “unintended negative consequences” it claims such tests foment.

• In Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr has called for a three-year moratorium on standardized testing.

• In north Texas last year, superintendents of several high-performing school districts signed a letter to state officials and lawmakers saying high-stakes standardized testing is “strangling our public schools.” As of Jan. 8, 880 districts that educate more than 4.4 million Texas students have adopted a resolution opposing these tests.

“This high-stakes testing - there needs to be a moratorium on it because it’s out of control,” says Carol Burris, principal of South Side High School in Rockville Center, Long Island, N.Y. “None of these tests really have anything to do with curriculum. Maybe they have a little bit to do with math. But that’s it.”

Dr. Burris co-authored the letter for the New York State principals. On Dec. 31, she started a petition in New York opposing high-stakes testing. In 10 days, she says, 5,500 administrators, teachers, and parents have signed it.

To read the rest of this article, please visit the Christian Science Monitor.

Study Tips - How to Study for High School Finals

Students need sleep to study (Wikipedia)

by Skylar D Anderson

Some of the most common questions involving studying concern finals, and rightfully so. For many high school students, their finals determine their success or failure in a class.

That one test can be 50% of a student's grade for an entire semester of work. Here are four steps that will help you make sure that you are getting the most out of your study sessions for high school finals.

1. Make sure you have all of your materials

Few things are more annoying than having to continually re-gather your school materials. Make sure you have all the books and other materials you need for that class. Frankly, though, your books should simply be a reference by this time. You have been taking good notes and studying all along, so your most important materials aren't in your books. It's in your own words on your own paper.

You also want to make sure you have enough materials to stay put for at least 50 minutes. A writing utensil, paper on which to make new review materials, and a focused mind should be enough. If you would rather make a digital resource than a hand-written one, that will work. But before committing to a computer, consider these three benefits of hand-writing your review materials.

First, you have the added memory aid of kinesthetic learning. This is a primary way people take in information, and, believe it or not, simply writing something down can be tremendously helpful for memorization.

Second, there are visual helps that come from hand-writing a new review sheet that are missed on a computer screen. For example, many people have had the experience of remembering where an answer was on a particular page.

If you've ever thought, "I remember that It was under the picture of the alligator on the top right hand corner of the page... ," you know what I'm talking about. That benefit is mostly lost on a scrolling computer screen.

Third, successful students know the benefits of arrows, diagrams, scribbles, doodles, and every other weird hand-written elements for studying. You miss that on Microsoft Word. There is no way around it with the current state of technology.

If you have all of your materials, you are now ready for step 2, setting the environment for a successful final exam study session.

2. Set up a great environment for studying

Many college students miss this element entirely. Consider this: how many students have you seen at Starbucks with a laptop open, Facebook in the background, Gmail chat in the foreground, Twitter feeds buzzing their phones, text messages coming in every three minutes, and a chemistry book in their lap?

That type of studying - if it can even be called "studying" - is not particularly helpful for studying for finals. High school students need to understand this element of studying for finals before graduating. Your environment matters. It can make or break your study session.

The problem with a bad environment is that time moves at the same speed whether you are learning or not. Many a disappointed student has spent hours at the coffee shop cramming for exams but failed a test because of a poor environment. Great environments enhance studying exponentially.

Great environments, while being different for each individual, will have certain things in common. Social media will be held at bay. As difficult as that sounds, it must be done. Tell Facebook, "Goodbye," for an hour. Twitter, texting, Voxer, and HeyTell have no place in a finals study session.

More traditional media like television also needs to be shut down for a while. Set an environment where you can concentrate without the constant pull of media all around you.

Music can help some students stay focused, but try to make sure it is instrumental and playing quietly in the background if at all. The quieter and more focused your environment is, the more productive your study session will be.

3. Focus your studies on the most important ideas and details

When studying for finals, you should not be re-reading the chapters. Reading is an important part of the learning process, but it is too comprehensive to be helpful on a final exam. You want just the biggest, most important details.

Birthdays, maiden names, pets names, favorite colors, and state flowers are usually not on the final exams. Essays about major thought-movements and the key thinkers involved are on final exams.

Acing your finals is dependent on whether or not you can focus your learning on the most important ideas. If you can, you are sure to score higher in less time studying. If you cannot, you are sure to know a lot of information, have spent a lot of hours in the library, and not understand why so much of what you studied wasn't on the exam. Learning what to learn is as important as learning how to learn.

4. Study

Get to work on what you know. Go over the notes you've made, make a study guide for yourself, and do the work. I recommend 50 minutes of studying at a time. Break those sections up with a ten-minute break to get the most out of your session.

5. Stop studying, sleep and dominate the final test

There comes a point in every study session where every student has to sleep. Sometimes students forget about this. They stay up late, drinking a lot of coffee, feeling miserable, and working for a long time. Then when the test comes, they are groggy and end up writing weird things.

Don't write weird essays. Just go to sleep. It is one of the most important things you can do during the studying process.

One high school friend of mine drew a sailboat on an essay exam because he couldn't gather his thoughts enough to write a great essay. In case you are curious, sailboats don't score well on essay tests. And yes, that is a true story. You can't make that up.

If you've done your work, you should be set up for a great performance on your final exams. Relax, know that you've done your best, and dominate the test.

If you found this article helpful, or are interested about learning more simple study skills to help you succeed in high school, no matter your level of academic success in the past, check out http://www.studyright.net. You can find other articles like this one, but even more succinct.

Our website offers great content in our 3-Minute Article section, as well as professional advice from seasoned students just like you. If high school seems hard, we promise you aren't alone, and it can be a lot easier.

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4 Sure Ways to Beat Exam Blues and Actually Better Your Performance

Students taking a test (Wikipedia)

by Alice Julia

When someone is just about to sit his/her papers, anxiety is one of the common feelings that is experienced.

Anxiety is a human emotion compromising of fear and excitement that often manifests when a person perceives a particular event or scenario as being a major threat to their ego and self-esteem as well.

Although this emotional reaction is seemingly beneficial in evading dangerous situations, when it escalates to extreme levels it produces unwarranted results. This major factor contributes to a wide cue of negative outcomes such as academic under achievement, insecurity, psychological distress, academic failure and psychological distress.

Many people have the potential to exceed in the SY0-301 exam but anxiety is what limits them from reaching their academic goals. So how do you know whether you are suffering from exam phobia?

From an effective point of view test anxiety, causes most people to have an increased heart rate, perspiration, muscle spasms, frequent urination, cold hands and a dry mouth. If you continuously suffer from test blues, here are a few power tips to help you beat them.

Take your time

When you are taking the exam, focus fully on the exam questions and take your time to tackle each question. After tackling, each question to the best of your ability review all your answers and make the necessary corrections when you feel your answers is not correct.

Stay calm

Stress greatly impairs your memory. This forces the need to stay calm as you take your tests. For instance, do not embark on your test immediately it is assigned to you. Spend a few minutes taking heavy breathes. Close your eyes and picture yourself relaxed and happy after the test. Immediately you open, your eyes you will feel much more relaxed.

Study smarter

Organizing your studies is a sure way of eliminating any possibilities of blowing your exams, simply because you were exhausted. Do you study smart enough? Come up with a list indicating all aspects of your work that you need to cover before the exams starts. Get an estimate of the time you need to complete each portion of your work.

Visualize success

A key way of building your confidence prior to taking exam is to visualize yourself doing the test and passing. Detailed visualizations make you feel as if you are really experiencing something and actually attaining formidable results. Visualizations boost your ability to remember facts. You can master the skill of visualizing detailed information and actually cementing them in your memory.

Alice Julia is an expert writer; she is into IT and has acquired numerous awards in the field of Information Technology. She has been working with students who are about to sit for their SY0-301 security+ exam. For more information on the same, please follow the provided link.

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Use EFT to Maintain An A-Student Mindset

Cover of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

by Elana Peled, Ed.D.

Many people struggle to earn top grades in school, but their struggles have nothing to do with their intelligence or academic ability. Instead, what they lack is an A-student mindset.

If you have trouble cultivating an A-student mindset, you may need to do a little bit of soul searching. You may find it useful to ask yourself why you are going to school and what you hope to achieve by doing so.

But perhaps you fully understand why you are in school. Perhaps, on most days, you do have an A-student mindset. Perhaps what you find yourself struggling with are frequently recurrent moments when your A-student mindset seems to have slipped away.

Cultivating Your A-Student Mindset

If you are someone who struggles to maintain an A-student mindset, then you'll want to spend some time paying attention to the social or environmental cues that cause you to lose this mindset.
When you identify these cues, you can use EFT to alleviate any negative feelings that these cues trigger in you.

Cues that trigger a negative response, that cause you to feel disconnected from your goals, intentions, and positive mindset, can come from any number of places. Your particular cues will be unique to you. They will depend on your life experiences.

So you may have to spend some time paying attention to your moods and emotions throughout the day in order to identify the particular cue that sets you off. Writing about your feelings, in the morning and at night, can help. So can pausing throughout the day, taking a few deep breaths, and paying attention to how you are feeling in the moment.

When you discover a cue (most of us have many of these), you can use EFT to eliminate the connection in your brain between the cue and the negative response you are having.

EFT in a Nutshell

EFT is a form of energy psychology that helps to stop the production of stress hormones in the brain. These hormones are responsible for the vast majority of negative feelings we experience in our lives.
EFT is simple to learn and safe and easy to use.

It involves using the fingers of one hand to gently tap on a series of meridian points on your face and body (these points were first defined by the ancient practice of acupuncture). Once you have identified the problem, you repeat a phrase while tapping on these points.

How to Use EFT

Here's an example of how EFT can help you regain your A-student mindset. Let's say you are enrolled in a class that you are required to complete in order to earn your degree. The class isn't in your major area of study, and you aren't really thrilled about taking it. You begin to notice that on the days this class meets, you wake up in a bad mood.

So one thing you can do is use EFT to stop this cycle of feeling bad every time you realize you have to attend this class.

But suppose, after doing EFT, you still can't bring your A-student mindset to this class. So you investigate a bit deeper. You write about your experience of the course in your journal-exploring your feelings about the professor, the course requirements, the course location, the students enrolled-in order to understand why you are so opposed to taking it.

In the midst of this internal exploration, you come to understand that it's not the class content you dislike. What you are dreading is the final project. You recognize that this assignment sounds a lot like an assignment you had to complete in third grade, one that caused you a lot of anxiety and frustration.

In this instance, you can use EFT to ease your dread of the final project. Doing so is sure to make it easier for you to successfully complete the project and earn a great grade. But it may do nothing to help you avoid this cycle of negativity the next time you are assigned a project like this one.

A more effective way to use EFT in this instance would be to address the feelings of anxiety and frustration that the third grade project created.

When you use EFT in this way, you'll disrupt the project-anxiety-dread-negativity cycle for good, and you'll create the possibility of forming a new neural pathway, one that associates these kinds of projects with the rewards you are seeking.

Maintaining Your A-Student Mindset

I'll leave you today with a tapping exercise that you can use on a daily basis to invigorate your A-student mindset. Try using this whenever you find yourself feeling uncertain of your purpose and intention for going to school.

The EFT set-up phrases:

Even though I don't have an A-student mindset, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I don't really know why I'm going to this class, I accept who I am and how I feel.
Even though I haven't fully articulated my reasons for pursuing this line of study, I honor and accept who I am and how I feel.

Now tap through the points, repeating the following phrases:

Eyebrow: I don't know why I'm taking this class.
Side of Eye: I don't see how this class is going to help me to fulfill my purpose.
Under Eye: I don't even want to learn the material in this class.
Under Nose: I'm not sure I can learn this material.
Chin: I'm not sure I want to know this material.
Collarbone: I don't see how I can benefit from the material in this class.
Under Arm: I don't have any way to relate to the material in this class.
Top of Head: I don't even know what questions to ask when I'm in this class.
Eyebrow: And I don't want any help trying to figure out what this class can do for me.
Side of Eye: Thinking about this class makes me tired. I want to go back to bed.
Under Eye: I feel like such a failure.
Under Nose: I'll never get a good grade in this class.
Chin: No matter how hard I try. It's hopeless.
Collarbone: I might as well just quit now.
Under arm: I'm so miserable.
Top of Head: There's NO WAY I can have an A-student mindset in this class.
Eyebrow: I wonder what it would feel like to have an A-student mindset in this class?
Side of Eye: I wonder if it's possible for me to have an A-student mindset in this class?
Under Eye: I'm sure I would feel better if I could bring an A-student mindset to this class.
Under Nose: I wonder if I would learn more if I had an A-student mindset in this class?
Chin: I wonder if I would understand the benefits of this course for my life if I brought an A-student mindset to this class?
Collarbone: I'm ready to have an A-student mindset in this class.
Under Arm: I choose to be inspired to bring an A-student mindset with me to this class.
Top of Head: I choose to have an A-student mindset, for this class, and for every challenge I choose to undertake.

Notice how you feel in the moments after you complete this tapping. Pay attention for any negative thoughts or feelings that arise, and use EFT to clear those away.

Success Coach and Certified EFT Practitioner Elana Peled, Ed.D. is the author of Academic Success For All: Three Secrets to Academic Success and the creator of The College Success Toolkit, an online resource for students wishing to enhance their academic skills. Get your FREE copy of her book and register for the toolkit by visiting http://AcademicSuccessForAll.com or learn more about working with Elana directly at http://ElanaPeled.com

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