How Students Can Ace Tests - Part 1

Image is "Exam" by Alberto G.

With summer around the bend, it’s the perfect time for students to get a head start on developing important test-taking skills. In Massachusetts, students may take any of a number of assessments - MCAS, the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, GMAT, and final exams. Whether the test taker is your child, grandchild, niece, nephew or yourself, pay attention. These tips can help set you on a path to excel on the different assessments you face.

This article is part 1 of a multi-part feature on test taking. By the end, you will be on your way to learning how to master a test.

Let’s start by saying the single best way to ace any assessment is to understand what the test maker wants from you. You may know the adage, “To outthink your opponent, first you must learn to think like them.”

A lot of people mistakenly think all they need to do is master the subject matter. This is only partly correct. A test measures your ability to demonstrate mastery of a slice of content, in a particular manner, given a proscribed timeframe.

Think about it. Have you ever studied hard for a test only to find that the teacher asks about material other than what you studied? There are many students who know the content of the notorious tests listed above but who struggle to translate that knowledge into high test scores. The first and fundamental step in learning to be a fantastic test taker is to learn to think like a test maker.

It can be hard to learn to think like a test maker, especially for third graders. (Third grade is when MCAS testing starts for Massachusetts students.) The good news is that test taking practice and a skillful guide can make all the difference. It’s up to the test taker to practice. But here’s a guide to start you on your path, in a six-step approach.

1.  Know the goal of the test. Test makers start with the goals of the test. For MCAS, the goal is to measure grade level mastery in English Language Arts (ELA), Math, & Science. For the SAT, it is to provide a common reference point to help determine how prepared you are for college. The driver’s test, at least in our fair Commonwealth, seems to measure how many rules you can intentionally ignore when duly licensed. But seriously, knowing the test maker’s goals is crucial.

2.  Know the test specifications. Once the goals are determined, test makers develop the specifications or the structure of the test. The decisions of whether or not to include essays, multiple choice, analogies, constructed response questions, videos, matching, etc. is an important part of the test specifications. How much each question or section will be worth, how many questions there will be, will there be points deducted for mistakes or awarded for correct answers, and the time allotted for the test are all important points of the “test specs.”

3.  Realize that test specs will guide what questions appear on the test. Usually, only after the specs are developed will test items be developed. I would be a dewy-eyed idealist if I thought that pre-existing questions are never retrofitted into test specs, but in a perfect world, this question creating follows test specifications.

4.  Understand how the test is scored. The next step is to determine scoring. This is more complicated than simply saying the MCAS score will range from 440-560. In the MCAS example, you need to know that a score in the 440-469 range translates into Not Meeting Expectations, 470-499 becomes Partially Meeting Expectations, 500-529 means Meeting Expectations, and 530-560 is considered Exceeding Expectations.

5.  Know how test results are reported. Test designers next determine how the results will be reported. This step can be included with the fourth step, understanding how the test is scored, as they are interrelated. Some test scores will be reported in terms of norm refences like percentiles or stanines. Others will be reported as compared to a set standard such as Exceeding Expectations.

6.  Realize that tests evolve, and if so, your test taking strategies must evolve. Test makers continue developing and refining the test based on performance. Items and even sections get dropped or added. Threats to reliability and validity, like bias within the testing question, are carefully reviewed. As a result of these reviews, tests and their specifications can change. The scores on the SAT are altered from time to time, just as they recently were altered for the new MCAS in spring of 2017. The SAT added a written component, not only to provide a make-over, but also because the test makers continually attempt to improve their product.

Learning to think like a test maker requires reading all the available information you can about the test. You can find a great example from the MCAS linked here.

It is important to note that test design and specifications tend to be written by test makers, and a guide who has already done this work can save you a lot of time. Any of the nationally recognized test preparation companies have thoroughly examined every aspect of the tests they offer preparation courses for. The material is all there. Study it and make sure you profit from it.

In our next thrilling installment, we will learn how to take this knowledge about test makers and begin to outthink the tests you may face.

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