Deck 9: Performing Well on Exams

Question 1

The road to successful test taking begins:

A) a week before the test is given.
B) on the first day of class, when you receive your syllabus.
C) the night before the test, when you need to really buckle down and study.
D) when you are handed the test in class.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When an exam is cumulative, it means that it:

A) covers all the material you have learned so far in the course.
B) covers only the material recently learned in the course.
C) consists primarily of essay and short-answer questions.
D) consists primarily of multiple-choice and true/false questions.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Reviewing previous exams as a study aid:

A) is considered cheating and will get you in trouble.
B) is not recommended by most instructors.
C) can help you familiarize yourself with the types of questions you'll see on tests.
D) is usually helpful because every test in a class is the same.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Kaira has an exam first thing Monday morning. What is one thing she should do on Sunday night?

A) Stay up late cramming.
B) Set two alarms before going to bed.
C) Exercise longer than normal to relieve anxiety.
D) Eat some sugary snacks as a treat.

Question 5

Angie is going to meet with her instructor during his office hours because she is worried about the upcoming midterm exam. She hopes that her instructor will be able to provide her with information to better prepare her for the exam. Which question is most important for Angie to ask during her meeting with her instructor?

A) "Will you be handing out a revised syllabus after the exam?"
B) "Should I make an appointment when I want to meet you during office hours?"
C) "How much will my midterm exam score impact my final grade?"
D) "How much time will we have to complete the test?"

Question 6

Thiago is having difficulty with a topic that he knows will be tested on the final exam, so he wants to meet with his instructor outside of class. Unfortunately, Thiago is scheduled to work during his instructor's office hours. What should Thiago do?

A) continue trying to figure out the material on his own
B) ask his instructor to meet with him before or after class
C) skip another class so that he can meet with his instructor at a convenient time
D) call in sick to work so that he can meet with his instructor during their office hours

Question 7

Grant needs to communicate with his online instructor about an upcoming test because he failed the first test and wants suggestions for better ways to prepare. Grant is not able to make it to campus during the instructor's office hours. What should Grant do?

A) ask his friend who has taken the class with a different instructor to help him study for the test
B) study the same way he did for the previous test and hope for better results
C) drop the class since he is not doing well and will probably fail all tests
D) check to see if his instructor holds "virtual" office hours or contact his instructor via e-mail

Question 8

Mild test anxiety can:

A) cause damaging, obsessive thoughts of failure.
B) calm the nerves right before the test.
C) spawn feelings of doom and dread during the test.
D) create a desire to stay attentive and focused.

Question 9

Jorge has had some difficulty with test anxiety in the past. As his final exam in American literature approaches, he is concerned that it could affect his performance on the test. What should Jorge do if he starts to experience symptoms of test anxiety?

A) practice rapid breathing
B) get up and leave the room
C) reframe any positive thoughts
D) tense and relax his muscles

Question 10

What would be the MOST positive way to reframe this negative thought: "I am not smart enough to pass this class."

A) "I should drop this class and take it during a future semester."
B) "The information I am learning in this class is not important."
C) "I am smart enough, and I belong in this class."
D) "Many people are successful even though they did not attend college."

Question 11

One technique that has helped many people manage text anxiety is to schedule daily worry time in which they focus as hard as they can on their worries. How much time should a person plan for this?

A) 5 minutes
B) 20 minutes
C) 45 minutes
D) 60 minutes

Question 12

Research suggests that students who focus on positive thoughts before a quiz tend to:

A) experience increased test anxiety.
B) perform better on the quiz.
C) have greater difficulty with stress management.
D) have higher grade point averages.

Question 13

Leading up to her exams, Devon spaces out her studying over time, uses a study schedule, and creates practice questions. However, every time she walks into a classroom to take an exam or a quiz, her negative thoughts begin to take over. She feels physically ill, and she does poorly on the tests. One of her instructors suggests that she try a brief writing exercise before taking her exams and quizzes. What should Devon write about to combat her test anxiety?

A) all of the information that might be on the test
B) everything she does in a typical morning
C) the steps she takes to study and how to change them
D) a time she overcame a challenge and felt good about herself

Question 14

When taking a multiple-choice test, correct answers tend to include a word such as:

A) always.
B) typically.
C) never.
D) only.

Question 15

When preparing multiple-choice questions, test-question writers tend to:

A) make the correct responses longer than the others.
B) give students a 50 percent chance of being correct.
C) include "all of the above" as an incorrect answer.
D) use unconditional language to indicate correct answers.

Question 16

When answering matching questions, you should:

A) start in the middle of one list.
B) answer the most difficult questions first.
C) alternate columns as you go.
D) draw a line between items.

Question 17

When answering true/false questions, unconditional language often indicates a false statement. Which word listed below is an example of unconditional language?

A) all
B) sometimes
C) seldom
D) generally

Question 18

Before you start writing your answer to an essay question, you should:

A) briefly outline your response.
B) research your response.
C) proofread what you have written.
D) confirm that your response is legible.

Question 19

When taking math and science tests, it is important that you:

A) round up to the nearest whole number in all answers.
B) only answer the questions you know how to solve.
C) tackle the hard problems first.
D) show your work.

Question 20

Jamal is taking his first online course and is concerned about his upcoming exam in the class. Which tip would be helpful to him?

A) Write down as many pages of notes as possible and have them nearby during the test.
B) Plan to check every answer in the textbook.
C) Study as he would for any other type of test and use notes and the textbook sparingly.
D) Disable pop-ups so that they are not a distraction during the test.

Question 21

If an online test is forced completion, it means that you:

A) are not allowed to refer to your notes when answering questions.
B) get to choose whether to answer multiple-choice questions or essay questions.
C) cannot stop the test and return to it later.
D) take the test at the same time as the rest of the students in your online course.

Question 22

When taking an online test, you should:

A) record your answers as you go, if your instructor allows it.
B) answer questions only if you are certain that you know the correct answer.
C) take the time to look up the answer to every question if the test is open book.
D) answer the most difficult questions first and the easiest questions last.

Question 23

When you take a test with integrity, you:

A) complete the test as quickly as possible.
B) make a concerted effort to prevent test anxiety.
C) refrain from cheating.
D) seek assistance to answer difficult questions.

Question 24

Which might make a student appear to be cheating?

A) putting materials in a bag prior to the exam
B) rummaging in a bag for an extra pen
C) keeping a phone in his or her pocket
D) asking the instructor for scratch paper

Question 25

Once you finish taking a test, what should you do?

A) Let it go. The test is over, and thinking about how you answered questions will cause anxiety.
B) Second-guess your answers, and spend time worrying about the grade you will get.
C) Use metacognition strategies to think about how you did on the test and how you can improve in the future.
D) Speak with your instructor as soon as possible to find out your grade and ask for extra credit.

Question 26

Amy studied hard for her test and expected to do well on it. When her grade was posted, she was pleased to see that her efforts paid off and she got a 97 percent. What kind of question might Amy ask herself in order to continue having this kind of result on college exams?

A) Could I have studied less and still done as well?
B) Which specific study strategies helped me the most?
C) Did I just get lucky this time?
D) Was I overconfident as I walked in the classroom to take the test?

Question 27

Ayaan was worried about his algebra exam and felt that he had not studied enough. He had a deep sense of dread as he went to class to take the test, and even more dread when his instructor handed back the tests. He knew he had probably failed it but was thrilled to see a grade of 89 percent. What question might Ayaan ask himself in order to change his feelings about test taking?

A) Was the instructor just being nice to me?
B) Was the exam even harder than I expected?
C) Why were my study strategies ineffective?
D) Am I often too hard on myself or expect too much?

Question 28

Alina procrastinated studying for her geography exam until late the night before the test and then felt overwhelmed by the material. She had a feeling that she would fail the exam as she walked to class and felt even worse once she turned in the test. Her fears were realized when she saw her grade of 53 percent. Is there anything positive Alina can take from this experience?

A) Alina should realize that geography is a really challenging subject and not be too hard on herself.
B) Alina should feel better once she finds out that her friend in the class only got a 46 percent on the test.
C) Alina should realize that since she expected to do poorly on the test, she has some ideas about how she can improve for next time.
D) Alina should look at her syllabus to figure out how much of her grade is based on test grades.

Question 29

Why is it important to have test-taking skills in your career?

A) to "show what you know" at work
B) to answer questions faster than co-workers
C) to pass tests that may be given at work
D) to prove you deserve to be paid more

Question 30

Learning test-taking skills can be important on the job because you may need to:

A) retake some courses if your boss asks.
B) continue your education for your job.
C) write exams for your fellow employees.
D) pass a written exam to stay employed.

Question 31

When you cram for a test the night before, you retain more information.

Question 32

Using an instructor's previous exams to study for an upcoming exam is a helpful study resource.

Question 33

It is a good idea to drink caffeine and consume sugar for a burst of energy before an exam.

Question 34

An instructor's office hours are a time when he or she has planned to complete grading and other tasks. It is not a good idea to disturb your instructors, so catch them before or after class instead.

Question 35

Mild test anxiety will hurt your performance on an exam.

Question 36

Deep breathing and muscle relaxation are examples of two ways you can manage test anxiety.

Question 37

When using a worry journal, you should review the entries you have made on a regular basis.

Question 38

Fill-in-the-blank questions can be more challenging than multiple-choice questions because you do not have several responses from which to choose.

Question 39

Students only cheat because they do not want to put forth the effort to succeed with college coursework.

Question 40

In order to use metacognition effectively after taking a test, you need to ask yourself two questions: "How did I perform on the test?" and "How did I expect to perform on the test?"

Question 41

What are some healthy things you can do in the days leading up to an exam in order to perform as well as possible on the test?

Question 42

What should you do if you are taking an online class and want to discuss a concern with the instructor, but he or she does not have office hours in a nearby location?

Question 43

Discuss some of the emotional and physical effects of intense test anxiety.

Question 44

List three general test-taking strategies.

Question 45

List three strategies for answering fill-in-the-blank questions.

Question 46

Discuss how you demonstrate integrity in your college career. Provide examples.

Question 47

Imagine that you studied hard for an exam and thought you did well, but when you got it back, your grade was much lower than you expected. Describe what you would do and why.

Question 48

After using metacognition to determine how and why you could perform better on future exams, where can you go for help and what can you do to make adjustments?

Question 49

Jessica took a chemistry exam last week. After turning in her test, she felt that she performed well and was excited to receive her grade. During the next class period, Jessica finds out that she did not perform well. How can you encourage Jessica to follow up by thinking metacognitively?

Question 50

Explain why it is important to have test-taking skills in the workplace.