Have you ever sat down to take a test, read the first question, and immediately thought, “I’m in trouble!”? We’ve all been there, and for most of us, our hatred and avoidance of written tests started in grade school. There are also people, like me, who LOVE tests and for some reason are very good at taking them. We either go on to be test developers or, even more annoying, self-proclaimed “good test-takers.”

As a test developer, I regularly study test-taker tendencies in pilot studies. I observe and watch them for hours, taking note of facial expressions, movements, and any other indicators of confusion and fatigue. As a self-proclaimed ‘good test-taker,’ I have also cringed at some of the the tendencies I’ve seen and practiced self-restraint in not correcting these mistakes as I see them (a problem that many proctors have reported to me as well). Although I may not be able to stop test-takers in their tracks to correct these common mistakes, hopefully this post will make its way to a few self-proclaimed bad test-takers to help improve their strategy.

Listed below are the five most common mistakes made by test-takers, as reported to IPMA-HR by test users.

Mistake 1: The candidate who didn’t use the study guide.

The first major disadvantage candidates create for themselves happens before the test even begins: not taking advantage of available study guides. Most (and all of IPMA-HR’s) study guides contain a full practice test, answer explanations, and test-taker tips.

Study guides with practice tests give candidates exposure to the test’s time limit, format, instructions and question types. If you are a candidate who often runs out of time during exams, misunderstands instructions, or struggles with certain question types, be sure to take full advantage of available study guides.

When taking the practice test, treat it like a real test administration. Try to standardize your environment as much as possible to make it mimic the environment at your testing center (i.e., no electronics or talking, set a timer, turn up the A/C if your testing center runs on the chilly side).

TIP: When you receive a study guide, first attempt the entire timed practice test without any assistance. If possible, take note of how long you spend on each test question, or have someone else do it for you (see Mistake 3). This initial trial run can reveal areas of weakness that should be heavily targeted in your study endeavors. After taking the practice test, read the explanations for any answers you got wrong, and for questions that you may have gotten correct but spent a significant amount of time on. Even if you got a question correct, if you spent a significant amount of time on it, you probably were not using the best strategy to come to the right answer.

After identifying your weaknesses and targeting them for improvement, attempt the practice test again. Repeat this process again and again.

Mistake 2: The candidate who didn’t read the directions.

One of the worst feelings in the world (besides hitting your elbow on a hard surface) is realizing that you missed a test question due to either misunderstanding or failing to read the directions. It is important for candidates to note that employers and proctors are typically not sympathetic to test-takers who clearly did not read the directions. Some candidates who have realized this mistake before leaving the testing center have approached proctors asking to correct/change their answers – and justly so, they’ve been met with a hard NO.

Not only does failing to read the directions hurt your test score, but it can also hurt your reputation and immediately tell your potential employer that you cannot follow instructions (Yikes!).

TIP: Take the time to thoroughly read the instructions that accompany each test question. Do not assume that the instructions will be exactly the same as the study guide, and therefore you do not need to read them. Be sure you understand the instructions before attempting to answer the question, and immediately report any confusion with the instructions to your proctor. Proctors should be careful to not give unauthorized assistance on the exam.

Mistake 3: The candidate who spent too much time on one question.

Before taking an exam, it is important to take note of the time limit and the total number of questions. For example, the majority of IPMA-HR’s 100-question tests have a 2.5-hour time limit, which means that candidates should aim to spend no more than 1.5 minutes per question.

During the exam, candidates could use their own wristwatch or a provided timer to keep track of how long they are spending on a test question. Alternatively, I use the following rule of thumb: If you read the directions twice and still have no idea how to approach the problem, move on and come back to that question later. Additionally, many proctors make announcements, such as “you have 30 minutes left,” during the exam to help test-takers keep track of the time. If you are taking a 100-question test with a 2.5-hour time limit and your proctor announces, “You have 30 minutes left,” you may want to double-check that have completed at least 80 of the test questions to make sure you are good on time.

TIP: The remedy to Mistake #3 mirrors that of Mistake #1. Use the study guide practice test! The practice test is a great way to get used to the exam’s time limit and analyze how long you spend on each test question. After taking the practice exam, target those questions that you either answered incorrectly or spent more than 1.5 minutes trying to solve. Then work on learning some strategies and techniques to approaching those questions that will enable you to answer them faster.

Mistake 4: The candidate who overuses their scratch paper.

Mistake #4 is one of my favorites, because it is one of the most interesting test-taker strategies I’ve noticed to date. I suspect this mistake also has origins in grade school where teachers would heavily caution students on the importance of keeping their Scantrons clean. You may remember instructions such as, “Bubble in your answer completely,” and “Be sure to completely erase your old answers.” The reasoning behind these cautionary warnings was that the Scantron machine could potentially mark your answer as incorrect if the bubble was not filled in properly.

I once reached the end of a 100-question exam and realized that only 99 bubbles were filled in on my answer sheet. I mistakenly missed question #5, which meant that all my other answers were out of order and would have been marked as incorrect by the Scantron machine. I was horrified and didn’t trust my eraser to handle such a task, so I asked for a new answer sheet.

Other test-takers have used a more peculiar strategy to avoid this mistake: They either circle all their answers in the test booklet or write their answers on their scratch paper first, and then go back and fill in all answer bubbles on their Scantron sheet at the end. At first, this seems like a good test strategy, and its even one that I’ve used myself a few times. However, this strategy could create a serious disadvantage for timed tests or even worse, tests with timed sections. You may find that you’ve answered all the questions in the allotted time, but do not have enough time to transfer your answers to your answer sheet. You should also never assume that the proctor will give you extra time to finish filling in your answer sheet.

TIP: Request an extra answer sheet from your proctor and thoroughly check your answers at the end. If you absolutely want to stick with the strategy of transferring answers to your answer sheet at the end, make sure you give yourself at least an additional 5-10 minutes at the end of the exam to do so.

Mistake 5: The candidate who doesn’t address their test anxiety.

Everyone experiences anxiety, stress, and pressure in their lives. Think about how you respond to and cope with stressors in your everyday life. Do you go to therapy? Do you exercise? Do you practice meditation? These are all action-based solutions to coping with general bouts of anxiety and stress.

Test anxiety is a type of anxiety that is specific to testing situations. Under the pressure of achieving a passing score, test-takers can become so anxious and distressed that it inhibits their performance. Those worries, dreads, fears and excessive nervousness can seriously hinder your score.

TIP: First, recognize if you have test anxiety. Educate yourself on the symptoms or indicators of test anxiety and seek professional help if you feel like you need it. If possible, try to identify the cause of your test anxiety. Some strategies you can use include test preparation (study guides!), adequate sleep, and deep breaths (Cherry, 2018). Don’t just accept your test anxiety! Actively try to find ways to help decrease it to improve your strategy.

References

Cherry, K. (n.d.). What Is Test Anxiety? Retrieved January 28, 2019, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-test-anxiety-2795368