“Familiarity fools our minds into
thinking we know more than we do.”

If you have ever been surprised by a poor test result, you are not alone. “Very often, students will think they understand a body of material. Believing that they know it, they stop trying to learn more. But, come test time, it turns out they really don’t know the material.” Dr. Daniel Willingham [pdf] is referring to a common challenge for many students; the ability to distinguish between familiarity and recollection.

The recollection myth

TeamUP! Tutors gets requests for help with all subjects, from algebra and geometry to essay writing and chemistry. Regardless of the subject, we hear frequently laments that the student did the homework, studied the material, but then bombed the test. So what’s going on?

Willingham explains that a student may think he knows more than he actually does because, following a homework assignment or class lecture, he feels confident in his knowledge. What is missing is putting this belief to the test… before the actual test. Does the student really know the material well enough to recollect the content or is he simply familiar with it?

Know the target information

Students who say they know the material, but perform poorly on the test have likely overestimated their true level of understanding or misidentified the target information. By building strong study skills, students can help themselves learn what they need to know:

• Complete all assignments to get the big picture
• Eliminate distractions and avoid multitasking
• Study one section at a time, starting days before the test
• Use flashcards, study guides, notes, quizzes, etc
• Exchange homemade exams with a friend
• Ask a parent or classmate to quiz you on the material
• Revisit difficult concepts until you have them down

Finally, avoid tricking yourself into believing you know more than you really do. Try asking, “Do I understand this material well enough to teach it to someone unfamiliar with the subject?” Then, double check how well you know the critical information by explaining to someone else.

For example, prior to a test on the history of Hinduism, a student may recall that Hindus have four goals in life, “pleasure and success, dharma, moksha, and reincarnation.” This may lead her to believe she is ready for the test even if she has not mastered the target information. In order to teach someone else, she must also be prepared to define the meaning of each goal, explain why Hindus strive to meet these goals, and give examples of how these goals helped to shape Indian society.

So the next time you think, “That test was so unfair” or “I just don’t test well,” consider whether you invested the time necessary to recall specific details or if you, in fact, entered the test with only a cursory understanding of the material. Then decide what you will do differently to ace the next one.

Our 5 Steps to Exam Success article gives students a practical roadmap for how to effectively study for the big test.

Approximately 90.6 percent, or 432,900 students, in the Class of 2009 successfully passed both the English-language arts and mathematics portions of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) by the end of their senior year. The remaining 45,015 students, who did not meet the requirement due to failing one or both parts of the CAHSEE, are eligible to continue to take the test and earn a high school diploma.

O’Connell stated, “It is vitally important that young people know and understand the subject matter tested on the high school exit exam whether they are heading to college or directly into the workforce. The CAHSEE helps us ensure that each student is prepared with the critical basic skills needed for future success.”

An increasing percentage of students are passing the exit exam on their first opportunity in the tenth grade: 79.2 percent of the Class of 2011 has already passed the English-language arts portion, compared to 77.1 percent of tenth graders in the Class of 2008. In mathematics, the passage rate for first-time test taker has increased to 79.8 percent, an increase of 4.3 percent over the Class of 2008.

The achievement gap, however, makes clear that the pubic education system is continuing to fail large numbers of primarily black and Latino students. By the end of their senior year, the cumulative passing rate for African American students was 81.4 percent; Hispanic or Latino students, 86.6 percent; Asian students, 95.3 percent; and white students, 95.9 percent.

For complete results by subgroup, please refer to the tables provided by the California Department of Education.

But did you know that every California public school also receives a test score? The Academic Performance Index (API) measures schools on a 1,000-point scale, establishes targets for future academic improvement, and drives the state’s system of school rewards and sanctions.

The STAR test glossary specifies, “The API measures a school’s change in test achievement and progress toward a target API of 800. The API ranks school performance, sets growth targets, and provides similar-school comparisons. It is the cornerstone of the Public Schools Accountability Act. The STAR and CAHSEE tests constitute the basis of API.”

If you’re interested in how your school performed, or would like to compare your school’s API score against other California schools, we recommend the free performance-data search tool on the Ed-Data website.

There’s someone in every class who easily masters the material along the way, reviews some notes the day before the final, and aces the test. The rest of us not-so-secretly wish it were us. For those in the latter category, here are five tips on how to successfully manage final exams:

1. Start going over the material for each of your classes a few weeks before testing is due to start. Spending 5-10 minutes per class each day gives you a very good idea of what you know and what you need to work on.
2. Not sure how to fill-in your learning gaps? Try going over the class study guide, textbook review tests, class notes and handouts, and tests and quizzes. If you’re still at a loss, you can always ask other students or the teacher for ideas and suggestions.
3. If your understanding is weak in a particular area, re-read that section. You may also find it helpful to take notes or try your hand at a few practice problems. And don’t hesitate to set a time to meet with your teacher, a parent, or a tutor to ask for some extra help.
4. Meet with a classmate and quiz each other. If getting together in-person is difficult, you can also quiz each other over instant messaging or a chat program on your computer.
5. Using your study materials, write down the questions you think are most likely to show up on the final. Then give yourself a practice test to see how well you perform. Consider trading homemade pretests with friends. You can also look for free online tests from the textbook publisher or other online sources.

Getting a head start on studying for finals will help avoid dreaded cram sessions and allow plenty of time for understanding to sink in. By the time the end of the semester rolls around, you should already have a firm grasp of the earlier material presented and have time leftover to concentrate on concepts introduced closer to exam time.

Following are some best practices to help your student get the most out of testing:

Prepare in advance

• Help students continue to build and maintain good homework and study habits.
• Stay on top of school performance and communicate regularly with teachers.
• Discuss good test-taking strategies, including: understand instructions, answer questions you know first, and be sure to review your answers if you finish early.

Know what to expect

• Request information about the test schedule and format, how students are being coached at school, and what is being measured.
• Find out if results could affect future placement.
• Ask about test-taking strategies and how students can prepare or practice at home.

Keep testing in perspective

• Consider that standardized tests are only one measure of academic achievement.
• Try not to transfer your concerns or put too much emphasis on testing; children may become anxious if they are worried about disappointing a parent.
• Be mindful that test results help identify strengths as well as areas in need of improvement.

Get ready the day before

• Encourage students to follow instructions, relax, and do their best.
• Make sure children are well rested, eat a healthy breakfast, and pack nutritious school snacks.
• Pack-up the night before so you can have a relaxed morning and arrive early to school.

Interpret test results and build skills

• If you are not sure how to read test-result data, request help from the school.
• Ask teachers about discrepancies between school performance and test scores.
• Provide additional opportunities for children to enhance learning in low-scoring areas.
• Continue to build good homework and study habits; these skills support successful test taking.

Many schools have a no-homework policy during test weeks. Tutors are eager to help students use these stress-free afternoons to catch-up, revisit missed concepts, and even get ahead!

• The SAT lasts over three hours
• On the SAT, easy and hard questions are scored the same
• No partial credit

“Look, there’s just no way you’re going to do anywhere near your best unless you prepare for the SAT; that just stands to reason.” But practicing isn’t enough. After all, “if you’re practicing the wrong way, all you’re doing is getting really good at doing the wrong things.”

Want to learn more? Check out this list of articles at FamilyEducation.com. And if you want to get serious about preparing for the SAT, contact us at teamuptutors.com.

The College Board, which administers the test, said its surveys and checks of university websites show that 56 percent of the roughly 1,000 four-year colleges do not use the writing section for admissions, although the overwhelming majority of the nation’s 61 most selective colleges use it in some fashion.

Criticism about the essay has been building for more than a year since an MIT professor’s experiment indicated that students could get high scores simply by writing longer and throwing in big words.

A claimed advantage of the writing test is that students who prepare for it see a general improvement in their writing. Not so, says Les Perelman, director of MIT’s writing program.

“They’ve learned to write paragraph essays where they don’t care whether the facts are correct,” Perelman said. “We have to spend a year in freshman composition deprogramming them.”

True test anxiety is really quite rare. For this condition, psychologists generally suggest relaxation techniques, getting enough sleep the night before and not cramming for the test, among other remedies.

Most of the time, however, when parents come to me trying to figure out why their child is not doing well on tests and quizzes, I find that the answer resides in poor study habits. Most kids who seem to freeze up on the tests do so because they simply do not know the material well.

Rarely do I find a child who has “over-learned” the material — knows it “cold” — having difficulty with an examination. If the youngster understands the concepts as well as having memorized dates and names, most likely the test questions will be familiar and she can confidently complete the test; however, if your child has only skimmed the material or has memorized it but not understood it conceptually, the test can look quite different from what she has studied, and that can cause a cycle of fear to begin.

The fear builds on itself and can ultimately lead to failure. Bottom line: help your children really study and know their material. Check other posts here and here too.

Students can learn definitions in context. But really, how does “relinquish control” make for better reading than “let go!”?

• The first reading of the material should be followed by a break of several hours before a second reading of the same material.
• Predict exam questions using as possible questions the textbook headings, class notes, and previous quizzes and exams.
• Keep all previous tests and review them prior to taking the final exam.
• Get a good night’s sleep before your exam.
• Eat a good breakfast.

Students who break into a cold sweat at the thought of a pop quiz might feel better once they learn about a side effect of test-taking: The practice appears to enhance memory, possibly even more than studying. What’s more, according to a new study, testing also helps students remember material that wasn’t on the exam in the first place.

The results are likely small comfort for Steve Lindsay’s students at the University of Victoria where every class now begins with a pop quiz of the previous day’s lecture material.

More on the Testing Effect.

Last year, many students reported being worn out by the length of the newly revised SAT, which is has been expanded to three hours, 45 minutes of official testing time. The ACT lasts just under three hours (plus a half-hour for the optional writing section).

The ACT has gained broader acceptance by colleges, and may allow students to do less testing overall. Some selective colleges require both the SAT and SAT subject tests, but will take the ACT alone. The ACT also gives students more flexibility to submit to colleges only the scores they wish them to see.

There’s an easy way to check out samples of each test; they’re available online: SAT & ACT sample questions.

Here’s some of what they recommend:

• Be rested and comfortable.
• It’s OK to feel some nervousness.
• Read test directions carefully.
• Show your work; you may receive partial credit.
• Answer the easiest questions first.
• Work neatly.
• Review your work.

The article includes blurbs from teachers, parents, and the College Board – the folks who give us AP exams and the SAT. The parent who said, ““the one who is going to get hurt is my daughter,” reminded me of a parent who called the other day. Her child is doing great, straight As, but she wants a tutor to stay ahead and because a lot of the other students have tutors.

I guess we all have to find our own balance.

It turns out there’s a pretty good correlation between knowing your stuff and doing well on a test. Sometimes we’re not sure if we really know our stuff, so we’re nervous. Maybe we feel a lot of pressure to do well, so we’re nervous. But the better we become at really learning the material and feeling confident, the less we’ll feel anxiety, and yes, the better we’ll do on our tests!

My recommendation to the parents of anxious testers depends on their situation, but can be summarized: let’s make sure that your son or daughter learns how to study, really knows the material and learns how to better assess their own knowledge.