Preparing for Tests

(1)Ideally it should be love of learning achievement, and self-improvement that prompts all learning. But the average student is probably motivated by a more tangible, immediate, and pressuring reason-the requirement to take and pass tests. Few high school students are not concerned with the aptitude and achievement tests that they must take to get into college. Even students not planning to attend college will take placement, adaptability and promotion tests if they are to succeed in their field. Promotion in the armed services does not depend on physical prowess (本领) and length of service. It depends, instead, on the ability to study and pass promotional tests. You need to understand the importance of tests, the best methods of preparation, the common sense required for both physical and mental approach to them, how to read instructions and questions correctly, and how to answer the way the test or teacher expects you to answer. This is one of the most valuable psychological benefits that can come from your education.

Attitude toward Tests

(2)Dr. Francis P. Robinson in his book, Effective Study, poses a question: "Did you ever thank a teacher for giving a test?" At first glance you are not likely to find much in your thinking that would help inspire a "yes". The teacher spends a lot of time preparing the test questions. After you have taken the test, the teacher spends many hours carefully evaluating your paper. Mistakes are marked so that when your paper is returned you can go over them and perhaps write in corrections. Then you will not make the same mistakes again.

Test as a Personal Battle

(3)Do you, like many of your fellow students, consider the test or examination as a personal battle which the teacher wages in an attempt to defeat you, or do you see it as a contest in which one tries to outwit the other? If this is your attitude towards tests, you probably do one of two things when the teacher returns your paper to you. One, you throw it away without bothering to do more than glance through it to see where points were taken off. Or two, without checking an incomplete answer against the facts as studied, you approach the teacher and demand to know why points were taken off. This is the most negative of approaches. The difference in attitude can be seen in the difference between two questions: "Why did you take off points on this question? " and “What should I have included that I did not? "

Fear of Taking Tests

(4)Another attitude that you should avoid is that of fear. Fear of taking tests results in tension disturbed thinking. These, in turn, produce blind spots (not being able to remember answers that you knew ten minutes before the test) and careless mistakes. This fear also keeps people from venturing into new areas in life. They may visualize the new method, the better tool, or the strong bridge, but they hesitate until someone else realizes their dreams.

(5)Fear prs success on tests and examinations because fear conditions the mind for failure. Students who are afraid start in a state of confusion and disorder. Thus they throw away the advantage they have gotten by preparation. Students who approach tests with fear are almost always characterized by the following: Their grade is considerably lower than their daily recitation grades, sometimes as much as twenty points lower. They complain about the teacher-insufficient explanation, lack of detailed review, etc. They find fault with the test materials-too long, not the type of questions expected and studied for, the wording of questions hard to understand. Their preparation consists of a frantic last-ditch effort. They suffer from loss of sleep almost to the point of total exhaustion, and often loss of important notes or review material just when they are needed most. Fear drives these students to study for the test with another student. Invariably they choose a study companion who has the same attitude of fear. Often the other student's knowledge of the subject is only equal to , or perhaps less than, their own.

(6)If you recognize two or more of these characteristics as behavior. patterns which you practice at test and examination time, you should change your attitude as quickly as possible. To continue them is to subject yourself to a climate of tension and fear and to condition yourself for defeat.

A Positive Approach to Tests

(7)A third attitude is wholly positive. It is the attitude of challenge, self-confidence, and content-reliability. Students who accept a test as a challenge to show the teacher the extent of their knowledge of the subject and to improve their grades are stimulated. This stimulation produces the energy needed to think clearly and to act with precision over longer period of concentration than the daily recitation requires. The attitude of challenge is reflected by enterprising rather than burdensome preparation. Self-confidence develops from this adequate preparation. There is no room for tension and fear. Even a questionable answer is approached by a calculated reliability. The belief is that a worthwhile answer, although perhaps only partially correct, can be worked out. This attitude requires the relationships between students and teacher, and question and answer, always to be one of cooperative production rather than competitive destruction.

(8)To adopt an attitude of challenge and self-confidence toward tests and examinations, you must first understand the real purposes of test.

Reasons for Tests

Motivation

(9)From the student's point of view, the first reason for tests is motivation. Few of us are self-disciplined and motivated enough to educate ourselves without direction and requirement. Being tested periodically on accumulated knowledge is a strong motivating force.

Chance to Show Knowledge

(10) A second reason for tests is that they provide students with a chance to show how much they have learned. Daily recitation does not provide such an opportunity. A test gives the students a chance to show their ability to organize and unify large volumes of material. This is not possible in preparing for day-to-day assignments.

Prediction of Future Test

(11)A third reason is that students gain insight into what the teacher considers most important. If test questions deal with main topics and essential principles, the student can accurately estimate the nature of future and larger tests.

Discovery of Weaknesses and Progress

(12)A fourth important reason is that students can discover both their shortcomings and the extent of their progress. They can carefully study their errors and the general areas in which they occur. They can see a pattern of their errors. They can take steps to correct their weaknesses. They can measure their progress in that subject. And most important of all, they can measure whether or not their mental growth is keeping up with the demand of the subject.

(13)Now that you understand the reasons for tests and examinations, and how they benefit both student and teacher, you should not groan when a test is announced. Do not approach it as a burden- some chore or with light indifference. Approach it with an honest and determined effort for self-improvement. If you manage this, your grade will manage itself.

Which of the following can best explain the word" prompt" in the first paragraph?