standardized testing and student attitudes

Social Psychologist Claude Steele of Stanford has done a lot of research along these lines. Not everyone agrees with his findings, methods, or conclusions, either. Click on this link for a recent interview.

I'm retired now and no longer take tests. I've had a lot of academic success. See my profile for an overview. I positively LOVED taking tests.

Typically, I was the first in the test groups to finish. Once finished a standardized test in a quarter of the allotted time. On the first pass, I'd fall in all of the questions where the correct answer was absolutely obvious, about 50% of the questions usually. On the second pass, I'd eliminate the obvious wrong answers, and the correct answer was either then obvious, or could be figured out in a moment. Generally the second pass took a bit longer, and accounted for perhaps 50% of the questions unanswered in the first pass ... thats 75% of the total, and enough to "pass" most tests. In pass three, I would concentrate on the questions where the answer was tougher, but usually still was one of two choices. During this path, some thinking and a bit of calculation might be needed, and the time spent was probably equal to that in pass two. The remaining questions, usually less than 5% of the total, were handled in the fifth pass. There were often questions that I either didn't know the answer to, or had real trouble in understanding what the test-makers wanted. I reread each question very carefully, and sometimes that provided the answer to one or two additional questions. For the remainder, I would look for patterns (seldom finding anything useful), and then went with my intuition guessing the right answers.

This technique never let me down. I don't think I ever failed to be in the top scoring percentages. In primary and high school I was repeatedly fed IQ tests. In the service I took the military standardized tests and a GED to make up for being a high school dropout. My SAT score, if memory serves, was 1550. My GRE and LSATs scores were very high, but I forget what they were exactly. Likewise, I've forgotten my MENSA score which was qualifying, but I decided I didn't really want to join the group.

Tests that require composition and writing have to be handled differently. For those preparation is even more important. The least lack of stamina and attention can be disastrous. Time management is also critical. I failed the bar, by 41 points. I aced the multiple choice questions, and had the second or third highest score on ethics in California. However, the test is weighted to a serious of essay questions (one on Criminal Law, one on Tort Law, and two on Contracts). I spent far too much time on Crime and Tort Law (did well), but ran short of time on Contracts (one essay "passed"). My fingers were so cramped that I could no longer hold my pen properly, and got only about one paragraph written in the final bluebook, and that killed me. Time management, stamina, and attention!

During the course of my classes I found it better not to take extensive notes, but to pay strict attention to lectures. I did my homework promptly, even though often the temptation was great to go out and "have some fun" with other students. I tried to read all of the supplemental readings "suggested" in the course, and often found other relevant materials so fascinating that I ended up reading even more. As testing grew close, I tried to review those readings that seemed most important to my mind. I spent maybe one or two days going over my little mind-hook notes. For most standardized tests, these preparations are next to useless, you have to rely upon what you've managed to learn over years not just a semester or two. The day before tests I didn't do anything "mental", but tried to spend time alone. A walk in a natural setting is good. Fresh air and a little exercise gets the blood flowing and clears away cobwebs. The natural rhythms of nature reawaken our senses to reality apart from setting at a desk performing like a trained monkey. The evening before a test, has to be alcohol and drug free. Have really good dinner and take in a lightweight movie or read a bit of trash, but go to bed early. Arrive early with more supplies that you will need. Don't mix with the other test takers, their nervousness will just rub off on you. Listen to the instructions carefully. Ready, set, go. Piece of cake really.

I wasn't a particularly good writer, and had to work very hard at it during all of my undergraduate years. My writing finally began to get better during Graduate School. In law school we had to read, digest and write briefs on a multitude of cases for every class, and it was that experience where my writing skills began to get much better and more concise. Also during law school I joined a good study group, but I'm not sure that was all that helpful. Since leaving academia I've taken courses in writing, and continue to work on my meager skills.

I hope this will be of some use to the students who will be drawn to the thread.