Transcript Review tools for tests Be prepared

The United Architects of the Philippines –
Graduate Auxiliary
UAPGA Architecture Licensure Examination (ALE)
Assistance Conference
Survive Board: Ready, Set, BOARD!,
TIPS IN TAKING THE BOARD EXAM
Arch. Annie Corpuz – Pugeda, uap
December 13, 2009
United Architects of the Philippines Headquarters
53 Scout Rallos St., Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
► 2nd
day
► Non-drafting examination
► 150 questions
► Standardized testing – Multiple choice
► computer-adaptive testing - requires no
scoring by people
► Optical Mark Reader (OPM)
Advantages of standardized testing
► Considerations
of validity and reliability typically
viewed as essential elements for determining the
quality of any standardized test - results can be
empirically documented; test scores can be shown
to have a relative degree of validity and reliability,
as well as results which are generalizable and
replicable
► Another advantage is aggregation. A well
designed standardized test provides an
assessment of an individual's mastery of a
domain of knowledge or skill which at some
level of aggregation will provide useful
information.
Disadvantages and criticisms
► "Standardized
tests can't measure initiative,
creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking,
curiosity, effort, irony, judgment,
commitment, nuance, good will, ethical
reflection, or a host of other valuable
dispositions and attributes. What they can
measure and count are isolated skills,
specific facts and function, content
knowledge, the least interesting and least
significant aspects of learning."— Bill Ayers
► General
test preparation
► Anticipating test content
► Review tools for tests
► Overcoming test anxiety
► Cramming
► Ten tips for test taking
General test preparation
He who opens a school door,
closes a prison - Victor Hugo, French
►
To do well on tests you must first learn the
material, and then review it before the test.
These are techniques to better understand your material:
► Learning
Take good notes in your lectures and textbooks
Review your notes soon after lecture/review
Review notes briefly before the next session
Schedule some time at the end of the week for a
longer review
General test preparation
He who opens a school door,
closes a prison - Victor Hugo, French
►
Reviewing
Take good notes
about as your reviewer/teacher tells you what will be on
the test
Organize your notes, texts, and assignments
according to what will be on the test
Estimate the hours you'll need to review materials
Draw up a schedule that blocks units of time and
material
Test yourself on the material
Finish your studying the day before the exam
Anticipating test content
There is occasions and causes why and
wherefore in all things - Wm Shakespeare,
English 1564-1616
►
►
►
►
Pay particular attention to any study guides
that the instructor hands out in before the exam, or even
at the beginning of the review course! Ex. key points,
particular chapters or parts of chapters, handouts, etc.
Ask the instructor what to anticipate on the test
if he/she does not volunteer the information
Pay particular attention--just prior to the exam-to points the instructor brings up during review sessions
Generate a list of possible questions you would ask if
you were making the exam, then see if you can answer the
questions
Anticipating test content
There is occasions and causes why and
wherefore in all things - Wm Shakespeare,
English 1564-1616
► Review
previous tests/pre-board exams
graded by the instructor
► Confer with other board-takers
to predict what will be on the test
► Pay particular attention to clues
that indicate an instructor might test for a
particular idea, as when an instructor:





says something more than once
writes material on the board
pauses to review notes
asks questions of the class
says, "This will be on the test!"
Review tools for tests
Be prepared - Boy Scout motto, Lord Robert
Baden-Powell, British 1857-1941
► Create
study checklists
Identify all of the material that you will be tested
on-- list notes, formulas, ideas, and text
assignments you are accountable for ( this will
enable you to break your studying into organized,
manageable chunks, which allow for a
comprehensive review plan with minimal anxiety
► Create summary notes and "maps"
Briefly map out the important ideas of the course
and the relationships of these ideas. Summary
notes should display lists and hierarchies of ideas.
► Creativity and a visual framework will help you
recall these ideas.
Review tools for tests
Be prepared - Boy Scout motto, Lord Robert
Baden-Powell, British 1857-1941
► Record
your notes and significant portions of
text on audio tapes so you can review material
with an audio gadget. (having a tape of important
information will enable you to study while walking
or relaxing in a nonacademic environment)
► Create flashcards
for definitions, formulas, or lists that you need to
have memorized--put topics on one side of the
card, answers on the other (this will enable you to
test your ability to not only recognize important
information, but also your ability to retrieve
information from scratch)
Overcoming test anxiety
A hundred cartloads of anxiety will not pay an
ounce of debt - Italian proverb
Most examinees experience some level of anxiety
during an exam (when anxiety affects exam performance
it has become a problem)
► General preparation/building confidence: Review
your personal situation and skills
► Managing time (dealing with procrastination, distractions,
laziness)
► Organizing material to be studied and learned
Take a step by step approach to build a strategy and not
get overwhelmed
► Outside pressures: success/failure consequences, peer
pressure, competitiveness, etc.
► Reviewing your past performance on tests
to improve and learn from experience
►
Overcoming test anxiety
A hundred cartloads of anxiety will not pay an
ounce of debt - Italian proverb
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
► Approach the exam with confidence: Use whatever
strategies you can to personalize success: visualization,
logic, talking to your self, practice, team work, journaling,
etc.
View the exam as an opportunity to show how much
you've studied and to receive a reward for the studying
you've done
► Be prepared! Learn your material thoroughly and
organize what materials you will need for the test. Use a
checklist
► Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good
lighting and minimal distractions
► Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you
need to do before the test and still get there a little early
Overcoming test anxiety
A hundred cartloads of anxiety will not pay an
ounce of debt - Italian proverb
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
► Avoid thinking you need to cram just before
► Strive for a relaxed state of concentration. Avoid speaking
with any fellow examinees who have not prepared, who
express negativity, who will distract your preparation
► A program of exercise is said to sharpen the mind
Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam
Don't go to the exam with an empty stomach
Fresh fruits and vegetables are often recommended to
reduce stress.
Stressful foods: processed foods, artificial sweeteners,
carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk
foods, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices
► Take a small snack, or some other nourishment to help
take your mind off of your anxiety (Avoid high sugar
content [candy] which may aggravate your condition)
Overcoming test anxiety
A hundred cartloads of anxiety will not pay an
ounce of debt - Italian proverb
►
During the test:
Read the directions carefully
Budget your test taking time
Change positions to help you relax
If you go blank, skip the question and go on
Don't panic when others start handing in their papers.
There's no reward for being the first done
Overcoming test anxiety
A hundred cartloads of anxiety will not pay an
ounce of debt - Italian proverb
►
If you find yourself tensing and getting anxious
during the test
Relax; you are in control. Take slow, deep breaths
Don't think about the fear. Pause: think about the next
step and keep on task, step by step
Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that
you have done, and are doing, your best
Expect some anxiety. It's a reminder that you want to do
your best and can provide energy. Just keep it manageable
Realize that anxiety can be a "habit" and that it takes
practice to use it as a tool to succeed
Cramming
Only the educated are free - Epictetus, Greek
► Cramming
is useful in emergencies;
it is not good for long term learning.
► Strategies
for cramming include:
Preview material to be covered
Be selective: skim chapters for main points
Concentrate on reviewing and learning main points
Don't read information you won't have time to
review
Multiple choice tests
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►
We want a society in which we are free to make
choices, to make mistakes, and be generous and
compassionate - Margaret Thatcher English 1925
Multiple choice questions include a phrase or stem
followed by three to five options
Test strategies:
Read the directions carefully. Know if each question
has one or more correct option. Know if you are penalized
for guessing. Know how much time is allowed (this governs
your strategy)
Preview the test. Read through the test quickly and
answer the easiest questions first. Mark those you think
you know in some way that is appropriate
Read through the test a second time and answer
more difficult questions. You may pick up cues for
answers from the first reading, or become more
comfortable in the testing situation
If time allows, review both questions and answers.
It is possible you mis-read questions the first time
Multiple choice tests
We want a society in which we are free to make
choices, to make mistakes, and be generous and
compassionate - Margaret Thatcher English 1925
► Answering
options
Improve your odds, think critically:
► Cover the options, read the stem, and try to
answer
Select the option that most closely matches your
answer
► Read the stem with each option
Treat each option as a true-false question, and
choose the "most true"
Multiple choice tests
We want a society in which we are free to make
choices, to make mistakes, and be generous and
compassionate - Margaret Thatcher English 1925
Strategies to answer difficult questions: Eliminate
options you know to be incorrect. If allowed, mark
words or alternatives in questions that eliminate the option
► Give each option of a question the "true-false test:“
This may reduce your selection to the best answer
► Question options that grammatically don't fit with the
stem
► Question options that are totally unfamiliar to you
► Question options that contain negative/absolute words.
Try substituting a qualified term for the absolute one, like
frequently for always; or typical for every to see if you can
eliminate it
► "All of the above:"
If you know two of three options seem correct, "all of the
above" is a strong possibility
►
Multiple choice tests
We want a society in which we are free to make
choices, to make mistakes, and be generous and
compassionate - Margaret Thatcher English 1925
►
Strategies to answer difficult questions:
Number answers: toss out the high and low and
consider the middle range numbers
"Look alike options“ probably one is correct; choose the
best but eliminate choices that mean basically the same
thing, and thus cancel each other out
Double negatives: Create the equivalent positive
statement and consider
Echo options: If two options are opposite each other,
chances are one of them is correct
Favor options that contain qualifiers. The result is
longer, more inclusive items that better fill the role of the
answer
If two alternatives seem correct, compare them for
differences, then refer to the stem to find your best answer
Multiple choice tests
We want a society in which we are free to make
choices, to make mistakes, and be generous and
compassionate - Margaret Thatcher English 1925
►
Guessing:
Always guess when there is no penalty
for guessing or you can eliminate options
Don't guess if you are penalized for guessing
and if you have no basis for your choice
Use hints from questions you know
to answer questions you do not.
Change your first answers
when you are sure of the correction, or other cues in the
test cue you to change.
Remember that you are looking for the best answer,
not only a correct one, and not one which must be true all
of the time, in all cases, and without exception.
Open book exams
That is a good book which is opened
with expectation and closed in profit.
Amos Bronson Alcot American 1799 - 1888
► In
an open book exam
you are evaluated on understanding rather than
recall and memorization
► You
will be expected to
apply material to new situations
analyze elements and relationships
synthesize, or structure
evaluate using your material as evidence
Open book exams
That is a good book which is opened
with expectation and closed in profit.
Amos Bronson Alcot American 1799 - 1888
► Do
not underestimate the preparation
needed for an open book exam: your time
will be limited, so the key is proper
organization in order to quickly find data,
quotes, examples, and/or arguments you
use in your answers.
Open book exams
That is a good book which is opened
with expectation and closed in profit.
Amos Bronson Alcot American 1799 - 1888
►
Preparation:
Keep current on readings and assignments
Prepare brief, concise notes on ideas/concepts being tested
Carefully select what you intend to bring with you to the
exam, and note anything significant about what you do not
Include your own commentary on the information
that will provide fuel for your arguments, and demonstrate
that you have thought this through
Anticipate with model questions, but not model answers.
Challenge yourself instead with how you would answer
questions, and what options and resources you may need
to consider.
Open book exams
That is a good book which is opened
with expectation and closed in profit.
Amos Bronson Alcot American 1799 - 1888
►
Organize your reference materials, your "open
book:"
Make your reference materials as user-friendly as
possible so that you don't lose time locating what
you need
Familiarize yourself with the format, layout and structure of
your text books and source materials
Organize these with your notes for speedy retrieval, and
index ideas and concepts with pointers and/or page
numbers in the source material (Develop a system of
tabs/sticky notes, color coding, concept maps, etc. to mark
important summaries, headings, sections)
Write short, manageable summaries of content for each
grouping
List out data and formulas separately for easy access
Tips for Better Test Taking
A child should be approached with reverence
Bronson Alcott, American
...as well as the child in each of us
► When
you take a test,
you are demonstrating your ability to
understand course material or perform
certain tasks. Successful test taking avoids
carelessness.
Tips for Better Test Taking
A child should be approached with reverence
Bronson Alcott, American
...as well as the child in each of us
►
►
These suggestions may help you avoid careless
errors!
Prepare:
Analyze how you did on a similar test in the past
Review your previous tests, and sample tests, especially
when studying for the final exam.
Each test prepares you for the next: the more tests you
take, the better you will develop your test taking
strategies.
Arrive early for tests. Before a test, list everything you
will need for it that is allowed (pencils/pens, calculator,
dictionary, watch, etc.)
Good preparation helps you focus on the task at hand
Tips for Better Test Taking
A child should be approached with reverence
Bronson Alcott, American
...as well as the child in each of us
►
►
These suggestions may help you avoid careless
errors!
Prepare:
Be comfortable but alert. Choose a good spot in the
room and make sure you have enough space to work,
maintain comfortable posture in your seat, but don't
"slouch"
Stay relaxed and confident. Keep a good attitude.
Remind yourself that you are well-prepared and are going
to do well.
If you find yourself anxious, take several slow, deep
breaths to relax
Don't talk about the test to other examinees just
before entering the room: their anxiety can be contagious
Tips for Better Test Taking
A child should be approached with reverence
Bronson Alcott, American
...as well as the child in each of us
► Test
Taking:
Read the directions carefully. This may be obvious,
but it will help you avoid careless errors
If there is time, quickly look through the test for
an overview. Note key terms, jot down brief notes.
If you can, mark the test or answer sheet with
comments that come to mind. Ask if that is
permitted!
Tips for Better Test Taking
A child should be approached with reverence
Bronson Alcott, American
...as well as the child in each of us
► Test
Taking:
Answer questions in a strategic order:
 Answer easy questions first to build confidence,
score points, and mentally orient yourself to
vocabulary, concepts, and your studies. It may
also help you make associations with more
difficult questions.
 Then difficult questions or those with the most
point value. With objective tests, first eliminate
those answers you know to be wrong, or are
likely to be wrong, don't seem to fit, or where
two options are so similar as to be both
incorrect.
Tips for Better Test Taking
A child should be approached with reverence
Bronson Alcott, American
...as well as the child in each of us
►
►
Test Taking:
Review:
Resist the urge to leave as soon as you have
completed all the items
Review your test to make sure that you
 have answered all questions
 did not mis-mark answers
 did not make simple mistakes
GOOD LUCK!
WELCOME!
January 2010
ARCHITECTS!
THANK YOU
and
SEE YOU in your Oath Taking Ceremony!