NTLF Vol. 10 No. 3 2001

NTLF Vol. 10 No. 3 2001 - EVALUATION

Volume 10 Number 3

Less CAN Be More--Student Preparation for Examinations

Sally K. Sommers Smith
Associate Professor
Division of Science and Mathematics
College of General Studies
Boston University

In the September issue of The National Teaching and Learning Forum, the Ad Rem . . . column presented a short but cogent discussion of the perils of fitting too much "content" into a 50-minute lecture, a 14-week semester, or into a major course of study. Linc. Fisch's column concludes with the notion that, in terms of course content, the rule of thumb ought to be "less can be more."

The idea started me thinking that the precept "less can be more" should also be part of the way we teach our students to prepare for examinations. I have recently completed the lengthy process of meeting individually with many of my 120+ sophomore students and discussing their performances on the midterm examination in introductory biology. For many of them, the exam was a sobering experience. Most began our conversations with the query, "What can I do to study more effectively?" I then began to question them about their methods of studying, their preparation for the examination, and how they felt before, during and after the test. Student responses were surprisingly uniform. They are, in all likelihood, responses familiar to many college professors trying to assist their students to learn and test more effectively.

How They Study Now

My students frequently reported that they had spent many hours studying for the midterm examination. They noted that they often began by rereading the text, usually taking whole chapters and reading them through without a break. Their lab books and write-ups were less

I was intrigued by the phrase "going over my notes," since it was the single most frequently-mentioned response to my questioning. What is actually done in the near-universal process of "going over the notes"?

frequently consulted, and these rated only a cursory review. Their major test preparation consisted of "going over their notes," several days before the exam. This process was usually repeated once or twice more prior to the test, usually for the last time on the morning of the exam. I was intrigued by the phrase "going over my notes," since it was the single most frequently-mentioned response to my questioning.

What is actually done in the near-universal process of "going over the notes"? From my students' responses, the phrase indicates an extremely tedious process of trying to fit whatever text happens to appear in their notebooks into their heads--verbatim, if possible. Some students rewrote their notes (the same words, just on a different sheet of paper or on the computer), and some made study cards--again, using the same words, descriptions, and examples. My students, in essence, reported that they had read and reread or written and rewritten the same text for hours on end. The text they studied may or may not have been connected directly to their course textbook and/or their lab books. The text may not even have been checked for accuracy! It's no wonder, really, that these students were not earning the grades they felt their hours of study merited. They were working far too hard, and in all the wrong ways.

"I'm Working Too Hard?"

When I first suggest to students that they are working too hard, they seem to relax--it's news they welcome. They really want to be acknowledged for their efforts and dedication. The strategies I next propose to them, however, puzzle them at first. With some practice, however, they often report that they are spending less time studying science, and are more confident of their material prior to exams. Most of them subsequently achieve higher grades, and more satisfaction with the course and with themselves as learners.

The study strategies I usually suggest to my students, and work on with them, are not radical. They merely involve breaking the material up into manageable parts, making associations between topics, and self-testing. Although I believe these strategies work best in a vocabulary and concept-driven subject such as science, they can easily be applied to other courses of study. While I've developed these approaches over my fifteen years teaching introductory science, I wasn't surprised to find essentially the same advice contained in a widely-available self-help publication, Study Smarter, Not Harder (by Kevin Paul, Self-Counsel Press, 1996).

Begin Early

First, I strongly suggest to my students that they begin preparation for exams shortly after they encounter the course material for the first time. For most of them, this means reviewing their notes on the evening following a lecture or a laboratory. At the very least, I think, such material should be examined thoroughly at least once a week. I tell students to gather their materials--notebook, lab book, course textbook--in a comfortable place. The student should then set a timer. One hour per session, and no more, should be spent reviewing lecture notes, lab notes, and the relevant material in the text. The actual study activity I suggest is to begin by reading the notes as if the student had never before heard of any of the material. Listen to the questions that come to mind, I urge them, and then tell them to "go find the answers." The text will have most of the answers, as well as helpful illustrations--write the reference to the answers and illustrations beside the lecture notes. I then tell my students to ask themselves how the laboratory exercise illustrates the core subject matter for that week. Finding the answer to this question will involve reviewing the lab, their results, and what the results mean. References to the lab book and exercise should also be written in the notebook.

At the end of this review, a student's notebook should be a jumble of questions, answers, and references to study materials. That's okay: this first step is designed to break up the lecture material into a series of questions and answers generated by the student, in the student's own words. Because the student has manipulated the material, later study will consist of a recall of the question-answer process rather than an attempt to memorize the lecture, and the notebook will be a map of that process.

Make Connections

The second step in my suggested strategy is to draw associations between topics that have been presented in lecture or lab. Depending on the student's needs, I might suggest making concept maps, or advise a student to devise multiple-choice questions from the lecture notes. The course midterm and final exams consist of multiple-choice questions, and students frequently report that they have trouble with that format. Once they have begun to write multiple-choice questions for themselves, the format is less of a hurdle. Making concept maps and writing questions force the student to associate one topic with another, and help generate a conceptual framework for understanding and recalling the material. I often ask students who are working on these processes to show me their maps and their questions - it is an easy way to stay in touch with their efforts, and permits me to make other suggestions if a strategy does not seem to be working.

Self-Pretest

Last, I strongly suggest that students test themselves before an exam. Whether their pretests take the form of re-asking and answering all the questions in their notes, or actually stringing together all their multiple-choice questions, a self-test is a necessary preamble to a successful outcome. Some students will, at this stage, want to return to their old study habits and memorize lectures or make flash cards. Make the cards, I reply, but make them so that one side has a question, and the reverse supplies the answer. And study by asking the question first!

The sequence of (1) breaking up the study material into manageable parts, (2) drawing connections between topics, and (3) self-testing permits the student to spend less time studying, and to maximize the effectiveness of the study time. It's a strategy I think can be modified to fit most courses of study, and students seem to welcome the change in their often-tedious study routines. When preparing for examinations, less can certainly be more and we ought to let students in on the secret.

Contact:
Sally K. Sommers Smith
Associate Professor, Division of Science and Mathematics
College of General Studies Boston University
871 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Telephone: (617) 358-0324
Email: ssommers@bu.edu

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