22nd Quick Step: How to write a test? Part 2 of 2 - Writing the test …
so it shows how much you know and remember.
Fri April 12 Mailbag: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all subscribers for the feedback to the 3-question survey! Observations shared were wonderful 🙂, helpful 🙂, useful 😄, insightful 😁. Merci, gracias,
Onto today’s Quick Step: Part 2 of 2, Writing the test!
Of all of the articles I have written in the last 13 months, this article on Writing a test, has the greatest number of links to other articles. Why? Because writing a test is a culmination of many many steps. A lot. An abundance. One could say, umpteen!
Because writing a test is a culmination of many many steps. A lot. An abundance.
One could say, umpteen!
Now that you know the design of the test (Part 1 of 2), you’ve done the preparation for the test (i.e. throughout the unit with the 5:1 prep AND It’s 3 days before the test …) … you’re ready to write the test. Actually, nix those last 6 words, you’re not ready yet as there are 16 strategies you need to know first on, How to Write the test.
Recommmended articles to review first
1. Its three days before your test ...
2. Part 1 of 2, Design of the test
3. What’s the purpose of a test?
What’s the purpose of a test?
3 reminders:
#1 Show yourself and your teacher how much you remember1
#2 Get 100% on the questions you find Easy and
#3 An opportunity to get feedback on well you prepared for the test2, and what changes you need to make for next unit (Step 5 of the How to learn, Learning 5).
That’s a key reason it’s important to get your last test back from your teacher before you write the next test; Why does it take them over four weeks to return a test? ☹
What to do when writing the test?
First up - Create a plan/Make a Plan/Develop a Plan
1. First scan each question. Put an E (for Easy) next to each question that you feel is easy to do3. If your teacher has marks written beside each question, do not scan the 1-mark questions – I wrote about marks allocation in Ask for design of the test!
2. So, while scanning write the level of difficulty of each question as either Easy, Moderate or Challenging:
E is easy (you’re 100% sure you know how to do it),
M is moderate (sort of have an idea, but not 100%) and
C is Challenging (don’t know where to start or how to do it)
3. A big benefit in scanning the test first is it helps with your confidence! You’ll see that you know how to do a chunk of the questions 😊 - you know the ‘Es’ and have an idea on the ‘Ms’.
Then follow the plan …
Start doing the Es (the eezie-peezies) and 1-mark questions.
4. When you do your ‘Es’, your objective is to get perfect, 100%, no errors made on these questions!! Why? Because those will be the easiest ones for you! The only way you’ll lose a mark is if you make a slip-up error (e.g. rushing, skipping steps, not checking work). Be sure to read It's a slip-up error that's sort of not your fault.
5. Now start doing the ‘Es’ and get 100%.
6. Next up, do the 1-mark questions – read it, do it!
It’s worth 1-mark so the odds are your teacher is expecting you to get it done in 1 minute. If you don’t know how to do it, skip it and put a C (for Challenging) beside it.7. Make your work easy to follow, Teacher marking your test gives you an idea what your teacher is looking for and will do.
8. DO NOT ERASE ANY OF YOUR WORK!!!
If you change your mind,put a line through your work,do not erase it. Remember, the #1 purpose is to show your teacher what you remember, and erased work … erases that 😧.
Keep following the plan …
Next up? Do the ‘Ms’ (the Moderate in difficulty)
9. Next go to M questions: You have an idea how to do these; writing steps will make some easier to get.
10. For the ‘Ms’, if you made a mistake but don’t know where it is, write that note to your teacher! “I made a mistake somewhere as my answer doesn’t make sense - e.g. I got t = -5, but time cannot be negative.”
Why to do this? Objective #1, show your teacher what you remember.11. If it turns out that you do not know how to do one of the ‘Ms’, then skip it (it’s a C) and leave it for later. Do not listen to your old Uncle Unassii advice, “Answer every question ...”
12. You’ve done all the questions that you know how to do and checked them ✔ - you don’t want to lose marks on questions you know how to do … do you?!
Final Part of the Plan?
Do the ‘Cs’ (The Challenging Questions)
13. Finally do the ‘C’ questions – the ones you do not understand, I call them Challenging Questions (CQs), teachers will call them Level 4s or Thinking Questions. Check out the article on How to Get a challenging question?
Did you know? My students that get those CQs on tests get marks in the 90s on tests. Nothing surprising there, but here’s the interesting fact, many of those CQs were not hard for them, they were more ‘Ms’ for them! What? Why? They made it a habit to figure out challenging questions during the unit (on the lesson and while doing the homework), so the test wasn’t that different.
Times up ⌚⌛!
14. If running out of time ... and you remember how to do a question, quickly write the steps you would do in point form to convey that to your teacher. Why? Objective #1 - Show your teacher how much you remember.
15. If time is up, at least you will have gotten the maximum mark possible as you will have attempted the questions you knew how to do.
16. Hand in all rough work with the test. Why?
Objective #1 (show yourself and teacher) and #3 (so you can see how you were thinking and to aid with learning better).
That’s it … you’re ready! It’s time … to write a terrific test.
EH
What’s EH? My initials for Edison Hopkinson, eh!
What’s ‘eh’?
‘eh’ is a part of Canadian culture - “Spring is finally here, eh? Spring, eh!
And some will start with sentences with eh, as in “Eh, eh are you ready to write the test.” Short form for, “Hey, Hey are you ready to write the test?”
Yes, I know the popular objective is to get the highest mark possible on a test, but that’s too vague an objective as it doesn’t tell you anything about ‘how to get that highest mark,’ and technically a 40% could be your highest mark on a test – so not a good way to think about it. #1, #2 and #3 are a lot more specific.
Your, 5:1 test prep ratio - How to study for a test ... done in the unit is what prepares you to write the test. Your written work on the test is where you show that preparation.
Before the test, your test prep (5:1 and 3 days before the test) will tell you what questions you find easy!