Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success : A Self-management Approach

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274  CHAPTER 11

Key Points

1. Test-taking strategies cannot substitute for poor exam preparation.


2. Carefully read the directions before beginning an exam.


3. Plan how you will use your time before beginning an exam.


4. Look for key terms to determine how you will answer the
   question.


5. Be aware that some essay questions may include more than one
   question.


6. Carefully organize responses to essay exam questions.


7. Conduct an error analysis after each exam to determine how you
   can improve your performance on future exams.

Follow–up Activities

1. Use the Self-management Process to Improve Test-Taking Strategies

Complete the following self-study during a period of 2 to 3 weeks.

Your report should include each of the following processes and

should be approximately five to eight typed pages in length. See

Appendix A for detailed information on how to conduct a self-man-

agement study.

Self-evaluation and monitoring. How effective are my cur-

rent test-taking strategies? Do I need to change the way I

take tests? If yes, what problem do I encounter? What are

the symptoms of my problem (i.e., when, where and how

often does my problem occur)? How much of an impact

does this problem have on my academic performance?

What factors (e.g., beliefs, perceptions, feelings, physio-

logical responses, or behaviors) contribute to this prob-

lem? What do I need to change to reduce or eliminate my

problem(s)?

Goal setting and strategic planning. What are my goals?

What strategies will I implement to improve my test-taking

strategies? When will I use these strategies? How will I

record my progress?

Strategy implementation and monitoring. What strategies

did I use to improve my test taking? When did I use these

strategies? What method(s) did I use to record my progress

(e.g., documents, charts, logs, tally sheets, checklists, or