Tips for Top Tests

1. Tips for Top Tests FOSL fall September 10, 2007 Adapted from “Tools for Teaching” by Barbara Gross Davis

2. General Strategies • It is important for a test to be balanced: to cover most of the main ideas and important concepts in proportion to the emphasis they received in class. • Use a variety of testing methods. Write questions that test skills other than recall.

3. Construction of EffectiveExams • Prepare new exams each time you teach a course. • Create test items throughout the term. • Ask students to submit test questions. • Consider making your tests cumulative. • Include a few words of advice or encouragement on the exam. • Put some easy items first. • Try out the timing.

4. Allaying Students’ Anxieties About Tests • Give students advice on how to prepare for the exam. • Give a diagnostic test early in the term. • Duplicate extra copies of the exam. • Plan for “what ifs.” • Actively proctor. • Return test papers promptly. • Use class time to discuss the overall results and provide answer key. • Makeup Test Tips

5. Multiple-Choice Tests • Make sure that at least some test items require higher-level learning (examples) • Instruct students to select the “best answer” rather than the “correct answer.” • Give advice on how to take a multiple-choice or matching test. Can students guess? • Put all relevant material in the stem and keep it short and grammatically consistent (examples)

6. More on Multiple-Choice • Limit number of response alternatives and keep distracters appealing and plausible. • Avoid always, never, all of the above, none of the above and negative wording. • Vary the position of the best answer. • Evaluate the test items after you have scored them.

7. Matching Test Items • Keep the two sets of items homogeneous. • Try to order the responses. • If you include distracters, let students know that some of the entries do not apply. • Be conscious of layout and format. Avoid flipping pages to find answers!

8. Short-Answer and Essay Tests • Do not use essay questions to evaluate understanding that could be tested with multiple-choice questions (examples) • Give students advice on how to approach an essay test. • Don’t give students a choice of questions to answer. • Ask students to write more than one essay. • State the question clearly and precisely (examples)

9. More on Short-Answer and Essay Tests • Decide on guidelines for full and partial credit (examples) • Read exams without looking at students’ names or grading on extraneous factors. • Choose examples of exams to serve as anchors or standards. • Write comments on the exams. • Place the grade on the last page of the exam.

10. Preventing Academic Dishonesty • If you suspect students of cheating or plagiarizing material, confront them directly and immediately. • Make certain that you (or proctors) are in the room at all times. Honor system? • Check student photo IDs? • Take action with “wandering eyes.” • Spend some time in the back of the room.

11. More on Preventing Academic Dishonesty • Be aware of “blue book tricks.” • Clearly mark incorrect answers. • Distinguish between fraudulent, legitimate, and unacceptable excuses. • Recognize that the excuse “my grandmother died” is more likely to be valid than fraudulent.