¶ Effective Exam Strategies for Success
Welcome everyone to our Licensure Exams podcast and today's episode of Common Exam Challenges . Maybe let's move on to active learning techniques . What do you say ?
Sure .
Some strategies that might help to improve a test taker's ability to analyze , synthesize and evaluate .
Okay , so this is where active learning techniques come into play . I guess by now you've realized that you've already started to take the exam the minute you sat down and started the study , or right now , the minute that you decided to listen to this podcast .
Keep that in mind you are taking the exam right now , not sometime in the future , You're taking it right now . When you do take the final step , you won't be anxious because you already have the mindset that you have been taking the exam all along the time . So how am I doing so far ? Stace .
Oh , how are you doing so far ? Well , if you're listening , it looks like you've got a passing score so far .
Okay , good to know , I am passing the exam . Not I'm going to pass the exam , but I am passing the exam right now . Keep it in mind every day and every time you sit down to study . Okay , as you're studying for your exam , here are some things that you might want to consider . Highlight or underline important concepts .
Paraphrase what you're reading using your own words . Make predictions . Think about some possible correct answers before you even look at the answer selections . Look for patterns or trends in the information you're setting . Identify similarities and differences between different concepts .
This works particularly well when you're trying to learn about the different theories like CBT or REBT or bipolar 1 versus bipolar 2 disorder . Write down the ways they are similar and how they are different . In fact , not only reading it , but actually writing it using two modalities is going to help reinforce that information for you to remember .
Write brief summaries of each new concept you've learned to ensure your understanding of the main points . To enlist the help of your peers is another great way to do it for you to explain what you've learned and ask for feedback . Explain your answer choices .
Those are great suggestions , linton , really good active learning strategies . And the language used in exam questions can also be dense and clinical , with nuanced phrasing that requires close attention to detail . So if you've listened to any of our podcasts on the mental status exam , you'll know what I mean here about the clinical language .
Really .
Trying to decode words like mood , incongruent , ego , dystonic , parapraxis and somatization can be especially difficult to accomplish under pressurized time constraints . You know , linton , I really don't know how those Jeopardy contestants do it .
When that 30-second Jeopardy timer music starts to play , I start to feel sweat covering my body and the worst part , and perhaps yours the mind , decides to go on strike suddenly and goes completely blank .
Right .
But then again you have an advantage because you've been taking the exam for weeks now and you know that you are passing the exam .
Yeah , but I bet those people on Jeopardy have a lot of practice and know how to handle things under pressure . So you need to try to simulate those conditions while you're studying the extensive final step of the exams often banding several hours may be mentally and physically exhausting , but it's just the icing on the cake . You've been passing the exam all along .
Now it's time to use effective time management and strategy so you don't find yourself overwhelmed by the ticking clock , rushing through the questions at the end and making bad decisions .
You know it's really a delicate balance , isn't it ? On the one hand , you don't want to spend too much time on a single question and risk running out of time for the remaining sections . On the On the other hand , running through questions and you know , just go , go , go , go go can lead to careless mistakes and overlooked details .
Absolutely . Reading , comprehension and time management skills go hand in hand . Sometimes a single key word makes all the difference in whether you select the correct answer or the wrong one .
It's tempting to speed read through the questions in an effort to put the exam experience behind you , so you try to do it as quickly as possible , but doing that will only set you that much further back .
Yeah , sort of paradoxical .
Yeah .
And that's a common pitfall . When you skim through questions or you make assumptions based on familiar words , you might miss critical information that could entirely alter the question's meaning .
That's a good point , stacey . Here are a few time management strategies you can use when you practice . One of the first things , as you're studying , to do in practicing is to slow down when you're reading the question . You also have to pace yourself Instead of speeding through the final step of the exam like a cheetah on a sugar high .
Allocate specific amounts of time for each section on the exam . Count up the total number of questions or case scenarios you've been given on the exam and divide that by the amount of time that you're given to complete the exam . You should probably do this before you're actually sitting down , so you know what . You know what's going to be going on .
Okay , this will give you an average number of minutes you can take to answer each question , and that way you'll be able to finish the exam on time .
And this is where full length timed practice exams can really be helpful . This helps you get accustomed to the pressures of the exam and refining your pacing to ensure that you can complete all sections within the allotted time .
Definitely so . We've talked about reading , comprehension and time management skills . What's next ?
All right . The next test taking skill that trips up students is the ability to eliminate incorrect answer options . With any multiple choice exam , you're likely to come across those pesky questions where there's more than one correct answer . And I don't mean both A and C are correct , I mean both A and C seem correct but there's truly only one correct answer .
So when faced with those challenging questions .
So when faced with those challenging questions , many test takers resort to guessing or selecting an answer based on their gut feeling . However , a more effective approach is to systematically evaluate each answer choice and eliminate those that are clearly incorrect or irrelevant . So some may be partially correct but fail to address the specific requirements of the question .
So make sure that you read that question correctly . Others may be entirely irrelevant or contain information that contradicts the given scenario .
Yeah , and this sort of linear approach you know , systematic approach to answering a question really helps to get you past that like emotional gut reaction which then leads you down to second guessing your
¶ Effective Answer Selection Techniques
answer . Don't just look for the answer that you think is correct . Look at all of the answer options . Look for qualifiers , which are words like always , never only . All these words might indicate an extreme or inaccurate choice that you can immediately cross off the list . Eliminate options that introduce information that's not already mentioned or directly implied .
Eliminate answers that are only partially correct or don't fully address the question . Now what do you do if two answers are very similar , linton ?
One of those answers is likely to be correct . Look for subtle differences , that you can't miss any words and that you selected an answer that directly addresses the question .
Now , while it's always preferable to have a solid understanding of the material , there may be instances where you encounter questions that you're just not sure about , and if you have no clue what the correct answer is , first try to eliminate any answers that , flat out , you know just don't make any sense or that are just obviously wrong .
Then guess and you will not be penalized for guessing . That's true . Another approach is to look for contextual clues within the question or the answer choices themselves . Sometimes the wording of the question or the presence of certain keywords can hint at the correct answer .