DOZER PANNELL

MY GUIDE TO TEST TAKING


I, Dozer Pannell, have developed some test taking strategies.  Please note that the most sophisticated and complete list of testing strategies will not substitute for an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter found on a test.  Therefore, the most important step to successfully taking tests is to know the material on the test.  However, once you are actually taking the test, it's too late to learn the material.  So, this document will provide some strategies to improve your test scores given the level of subject-specific knowledge you possess.  If you want to see Dozer's Guide to Learning, click HERE.

STRATEGIES FOR MATCHING ITEMS
With a matching item, your job is to "match" two items (sometimes two synonyms or a word with its definition).  First, pick an item from one list and then review the other list to find the "match".  Once you find the match, continue to review the second list to identify any other possible matches.  Sometimes, the first "match" is not the best one.  By reviewing the entire second list, you will be able to find any other possible match, plus you will familiarize yourself with the second list, thus aiding in the location of other matches.  Once you are certain that you have found a match, cross off the item from the second list.  If you cannot find a match, don't guess.  Instead, go to the next item on the first list and find its match.  Once you have identified all known matches, the second list will be reduced in size suficiently to allow for more effective guessing on the remaining items.

STRATEGIES FOR ESSAY ITEMS
With an essay test, first read all of the essay items, making notes in the margins of what comes to your mind.  Answer the easy items first, but before you answer any item, make an outline of what you want to say and the order in which you want to say it.  Then proceed with a concise, yet complete essay.  To impress your teacher, use as many technical terms as possible in your answer and underline the main points to focus your teacher's attention on them.  Remember, your teacher may have to read over one hundred answers to this question when grading all the tests.  You need to ensure that she does not have to expend much time and energy searching for your answer.  When done with your essays, reread them to see if they make sense, are grammatically correct, and contain the entire answer to the question.  And, most importantly, never, every leave an essay item unanswered.  Even if you don't have the faintest clue as to how to answer it, write something down.  A teacher cannot give any points for an empty answer; she can give partial credit for a partial answer.  Even if you merely restate the question, or answer a completely different question, you may earn some points.  So, never leave the item unanswered.  Never!

STRATEGIES FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS
A multiple-choice item has a stem (sentence) along with the correct answer hidden within several distracters (incorrect answers).  When you read a stem, try to recall the answer before reading the choices.  Then, if your answer is there, read the other choices, eliminating any obviously incorrect ones.  If you narrow it down to one correct choice, pick it.  However, if you find another correct answer, you must then pick the "best" correct answer.  For instance, if the question is "How many bits are in a byte?" with one choice of "more than six" and another of "eight", while both answers are correct, "eight" is the more specific answer and should be chosen.  When you don't know the answer, you will need to guess.  Before you guess, first eliminate any of the choices that you know are false.  Think of each multiple-choice item as being several true-false questions.  Putting the stem together with each choice creates a statement that is either true or false.  Eliminate any choice producing a false statement.  Eliminating two of four choices increases your odds from 25% to 50%.  If an item has an "all of the above" choice, and you know that at least two of the choices are correct, pick "all of the above".  However, if you can identify just one option as false, then eliminate "all of the above" and the false option and pick from the remaining ones.  If none of the options can be eliminated, pick the longest, most descriptive choice.  Or, if the choices are numbers, pick a middle number (e.g., How many bits are in a byte?  If the choices are 6, 7, 8, and 9, don't pick the lowest or the highest number).  Furthermore, since folks who make tests like to write false options that look similar to the correct option, if two options are similar, one of them is likely to be the correct one.  Finally, if you have no other clue to go by, eliminate any option with words such as "always", "never", "everyone", or "only".  The world is much to complex for many things to "always" or "never" be true.

STRATEGIES FOR FILL-IN-THE-BLANK ITEMS
A fill-in-the-blank item needs a word or phrase that completes the statement.  Even if you don't know the answer, you can improve your score by looking for clues within the statement.  For instance, if the word "an" precedes the blank, you should think of words that start with a vowel.  Also, the amount of space provided for the answer may be a good indication of the length of the answer.  For example, if the statement is "Eight bits equal one ___" the answer is not likely to be very long.  If you can't think of the exact word, fill in the blank with a short description.  Some teachers will give partial credit if you show that you know what is being asked, even if you don't provide the exact word.  Whatever you do, never leave a blank empty.  Always put something in it.

STRATEGIES FOR TRUE-FALSE ITEMS
With true-false items, look for any part of each statement that is false.  If any part is false, the entire statement is false.  Also, if two ideas are connected with the word "and", then each idea must be true for the statement to be true.  For example, for the statement "Dozer and Garfield are dogs" to be true, both Dozer and Garfield must be dogs.  Since Garfield is a cat, the entire statement is false.  Likewise, if two ideas are connected with the word "or", only one of the ideas must be true for the entire statement to be true.  For example, the statement "Dozer or Garfield is a dog" is a true statement, since Dozer is a dog, even though Garfield is not a dog.  Furthermore, if you have no other clue to go by, mark any statement containing words such as "always", "never", "everyone", or "only" as false.  The world is much to complex for many things to "always" or "never" be true.  One the other hand, mark any statement containing words like "sometimes", "some", or "may" as true.  Also, the more specific the statement, the more likely it is to be true.  Finally, when all else fails, if you must guess, guess True.  Since true statements are easier to create than false ones, it is likely that a test will contain more true statements than false ones.