Using Tests as Feedback

Many instructors focus on tests to evaluate students' knowledge or understanding of the material. For students, tests may be seen as evaluations of her ability to learn. She may link tets to her self-esteem and relationship with peers. She may even view test as a confirmation that she doesn't belong here at Mount Holyoke. With these needs attached to tests, an examination becomes an overwhelming experience fraught with stress. Many times even average grades of C or B can throw a student into a depression. The tests are thrown away or put at the bottom of a drawer, never to be looked at again. When asked how she will change her studying for the next exam, this student will usually reply, "I'm going to study harder and longer." However it's possible to create a more effective and healthier way of viewing test taking.

As stated before, students who set intrinsic goals around courses and tests begin to view exams more as feedback on their specific learning process for the specific course. They use the test results, not the grade, to analyze their strengths and challenges. By the end of the analysis, the student has a more in-depth understanding of how she can change her study habits to retain and comprehend information and how to take the test. The following handouts provide a structured process to use exams as feedback followed by specific study strategies for each of the areas:

Step One
Take your exam. Whereever you lost points, ask yourself, Why did I lose these points? To help you ask the questions and keep track of how many points you lost for each area, please see Be Strategic - Ask the Right Questions.

Step Two
Now, instead of just studying harder,chose strategies to help you focus on the areas where you lost most of your points. See Strategies to Help Change Your Study Habits (pdf)