Tips on Test Taking:

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• Tips on Test Taking
• National Board Type Questions

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James E Van Arsdall EdD

• [phone]
• jvanarsdall_at_mccneb.edu
• Consultant ,Family Practice Testing
• Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
• University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Educator, ATLS,
• American College of Surgeons
• Faculty
• Metropolitan Community College
• Omaha, Nebraska

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• Current research has clearly documented that test
  coaching and preparation can significantly
  increase test performance. The basis of this
  presentation is that any examination tests your
  skill in two basic areas

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• 1. Knowledge and application of the technical
  material.
• 2.Skill and familiarity with test taking and
  basic question and test types.

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• Review as completely as possible thetechnical
  material over which you arescheduled to be
  tested.

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• S4R/Q
• S Survey
• R Read
• R Recite
• R (W)rite
• R Review
• ------------------------------
• Q Question

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• Retention

Reading - 10 Hearing - 20 Seeing -
30 Seeing/Hearing - 50 Saying -
70 Saying/Doing - 90
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• Characteristics of Poor Listeners

1. Avoiding experience2. Lacking
interest 3. Criticizing delivery
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• Characteristics of Poor Listeners

4. Getting too worked up5. Listening for facts
only 6. Outlining everything 7. Faking attention
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• Characteristics of Poor Listeners

8. Tolerating distractions 9. Wasting
thought power 10. Lacking preparation
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• Read the directions

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• Check the scoring procedure

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• Discrimination (Discr)

-1.00 to 1.00 Difficulty (Diff) .00 to
1.00 Z-Score -1.00 or less Lower 1/3
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Individual Result Sheet

• ID Code
• Number Correct.
• 1. A. (B)
• A. Your Answer
• B Correct Answer

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• Find the verbal clues

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• "Always" and "Never"
• are rarely the correct answer.
• Guess among the remaining alternatives

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• An alternative that says something
• "may" be the case
• is nearly always correct,
• if for no other reason than
• that anything is possible

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• Is the phraseology in the stem repeated in some
  ofthe alternatives? If so, the keyed answer is
  probably among that group.

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• Check the grammatical connection between the
  stem and the alternatives

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• If two alternatives are logical opposites, or
  are mutually exclusive, one of them is likely
  to be the correct answer

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• Recognize ranking and ordering

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• Find the modus operandi

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• Look for mechanical clues

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• When dealing with lists of numbers if one of
  thenumbers is displaced from an otherwise
  normalprogression, it is probably the keyed
  answer

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• Look for clear differences in the amountof
  qualification or effort at precession
• of wording

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• Sometimes all the information needed to
• answer the question is given in the
  stem,particularly if it contains two or more
  sentences

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• Often the stem of one question gives away the
  answer to another question

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• Watch your time

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• Play the odds

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• Know the question types

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• Simple Multiple-Choice Questions

DIRECTIONS Each of the questions or incomplete
statements below are followed by five suggested
answers or completion. Select the one that is
BEST in each case and fill in the circle
containing the corresponding letter on the
answer sheet.
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• 1. The most common language spoken in the
  United States is
• A. French B. Russian C. English D. Dutch E
  . German

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• -- Situation Type --

DIRECTIONS This section consists of a situation
followed by a series of questions. Study the
situation, select the BEST answer to each
question following it, and fill in the circle
containing the corresponding letter on the answer
sheet.
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• Example

A 32 year old man was getting gasoline at a
roadside service station when a car traveling at
a high rate of speed hurtled from the road and
crashed into the automobile which the patient
vacated moments earlier. The wreck burst into
flame, and while anticipating a serious
explosion, the patient assisted in pulling the
driver from the flaming wreckage. An elderly man
who was helping the patient suffered a heart
attack and died in the process, and the
extricated driver died moments later.
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• After the patient left the scene of the disaster,
  he was unable to stop trembling, and maintained a
  marked, visible tremor for 2 months, during which
  time he had repetitive dreams of fighting his way
  out of a raging fire which occurred in various
  settings.

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• 1. The most likely diagnosis is
• A. Hypoehondriasis B. Anxiety
  Hysteria C. Traumatic Neurosis D. Phobic
  Reaction E. Psychophysiological
  Muscle Reaction

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• 2. The patient's repetitive dreams of fighting
  his way out of a fire represents
• A. His attempt to master anxiety B. His
  pleasure is being a hero C. His recollection of
  childhood incidents of playing with
  fire D. His wish to punish himself E. Psychoti
  c perseveration

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• Matching Type
• Five-Choice Classification

DIRECTIONS Each of the questions below consists
of five lettered headings followed by a list of
numbered words or phrases. For each numbered
word or phrase, select the one heading which is
more closely related to it and blacken the
corresponding space on the answer sheet.
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• Example

1. Gremlin A. Ford 2. Rabbit B. Buick
3. Pinto C. Mercury 4. Skylark D. A
merican Motor 5. Cougar E. Volkswagon
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• Modified Matching Type

DIRECTIONS Each set of lettered headings below
is followed by a list of numbered words or
phrases. For each numbered word or phrase, fill
in the circle on the answer sheet containing the
letter. A. If the item is associated with A
only. B. If the item is associated with B
only. C. If the item is associated with both A
and B. D. If the item is associated with neither
A nor B.
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• Example

1. Oranges A. Fruit 2. Strawberries B.
Tree 3. Apples C. Both 4. Asparagus D.
Neither 5. Oak
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• Multiple True-False Questions

DIRECTIONS Type K For each of the questions
or incomplete statements below, ONE or MORE of
the answers or completions given below is
correct. On the answer sheet fill in the circle
containing the letter. A. If only 1,2, and 3 are
correct B. If only 1 and 3 are correct C. If
only 2 and 4 are correct D. If only 4 is
correct E. If all are correct
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• Example - Type K

• 1. Accessories on a new car might include
• 1. Air conditioning
• 2. Power steering
• 3. Power brakes
• 4. A jet engine

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• If (4) is known to be correct, only (C), (D) or
  (E) are possible.

Which of the following are days of the
week? 1. Monday 2. Tuesday 3. Wednesday 4. Thu
rsday A B C D E 1,2,3 1,3 2,4 4
All only only only only
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• If (1) is known to be incorrect only C D are
  possible.

Which of the following are seasons of the
year? 1. Sunday 2. Fall 3. Tuesday 4. Spring
A B C D E 1,2,3 1,3 2,4 4 All o
nly only only only
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• Situational True-False

DIRECTIONS The problems within this section are
preceded by special directions. Each of the
situations is followed by one or more true-false
questions. For each of the numbered options,
fill in on the answer sheet the corresponding
circle containing "T" if the option is true or
"F" if the option is false.
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• Example - Situational True-False

A two year old boy for whom you have provided
medical care since his birth is brought to your
office by his mother for a previously scheduled
routine visit. The boy was last examined at the
age of 15 months, at which time he appeared to be
in his usual good health. His mother reports no
interim complaints or difficulties. The boy had
the following immunizations.
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• In your efforts to provide this child with
  preventive health care, appropriate actions
  include which of the following?
• 1. Give killed measles vaccine intramuscularly
  T. F.
• 2. Perform a tuberculin skin test
  (PPD) T. F.
• 3. Give variola (small pox) vaccine
  T. F.
• 4. Give diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus
  booster T. F.
• 5. Prescribe syrup of ipecac for home
  emergencies T. F.

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• DIRECTIONS Multiple True-False-Type X Each of
  the items below is a multiple true-false item
  which consists of a stem and four or five
  lettered options. The circle bearing either "T"
  or "F" is filled in for EACH lettered option.

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• Example - Multiple True-False-Type X

1. Organs of the gastrointestinal system
include the A. Stomach B. Spleen C. Gal
lbladder D. Esophagus E. Colon
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• Special Requirement for Type X Questions

Type X questions require a special answer sheet
which allows individuals to receive partial
credit by answering T or F for each lettered
option. This answer sheet looks like the example
below1. A. T. F. B. T. F. C. T.
F. D. T. F. E. T. F.
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• Listen to others who have taken or designed the
  actual examination.

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• Visit the American Board of Family Practice Web
  Site at
• https//www.abfp.org/index.aspx
• http//www.familypractice.com/

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• Visit the National Commission on Certification of
  Physician Assistants Web Site at
• http//www.nccpa.net

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• Reduce Test Anxiety!

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• Nutrition and Memory

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• Nutrition and Memory

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• Super Learning Methods
• Georgi Lozanov (Bulgarian Physician)

1. Relaxation 2. Visualization 3. Joy of
Learning - Positive Thinking 4. Breathing with
Baroque Largo Music (60 beats per
minute) 5. Review
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Two Principles of Perfect Memory

• Imagination
• Association

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Left Brain

• Words
• Order
• Sequence
• Number

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Right Brain

• Color
• Rhythm
• Dimension
• Daydreaming

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• Summary and Conclusion
• Tips

Try Mindtools Web Site to Improve Your
memory. http//www.mindtools.com
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How to Improve Your Memory Time, June 12,
2000 http//www.time.com
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Guiding Principles of Education - Definition of
LearningYou are the Instructor

• Learning is a product of what learners already
  know, the information they encounter, and what
  they do as they learn.

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Guiding Principles of EducationYou Are the
Instructor

• Learning is created out of the learners'
  points of view, their knowledge, their approaches
  to learning, and the information they experience.

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Guiding Principles of EducationYou are the
Instructor

• It is not so much knowledge and skill
  acquisition as it is the learners' ability to
  construct meaning. Knowledge is created, not
  simply acquired, and the search for meaning is
  the engine that drives the learning process

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Guiding PrinciplesYou are the Instructor

• Students should be active participants in the
  learning process. They should be given
  opportunities to question, probe, and interact
  with their instructors and other students. The
  ultimate goal is to have the student gain a
  personal understanding of the subject and how the
  knowledge and skills learned apply to practical
  situations.

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Guiding PrinciplesYou are the Instructor

• Courses should provide a "real-life" context
  for the presentation of course content. This
  means that presentations, discussions, and
  stations should all reflect reality, using case
  scenarios, role modeling and simulation, and
  problem based learning. Students should interact
  not only with one another and their instructors,
  but with the material they are learning in a
  course.

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Guiding PrinciplesYou Are the Instructor

• Students know much about content and skills
  prior to their taking the course. This basic
  knowledge should be the framework for the course.
  Instructors should build on this framework of
  knowledge during the student course, enabling
  students to take what they already know and
  enhance it through the experiences of the course.

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Guiding PrinciplesYou Are the Instructor

• Some detailed information about content must
  be given to students in a "lecture" format
  however, this should be done in an interactive
  way. This involves questioning students to
  elicit information about their past practices and
  knowledge, sharing information about cases they
  have managed that relate to the topic of the
  presentation, and engaging students in
  conversation and discussion, while accomplishing
  the objectives of each presentation.

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Guiding PrinciplesYou Are the Instructor

• Teaching must be "case-based." Psychomotor
  skills should be taught in the context of whole
  person. Students should be given ample
  opportunity to interact among themselves and with
  the instructor at each skills station, to
  discuss, and "role play" through scenarios. The
  primary goal should be to show the relationship
  between the skills learned and the ultimate
  successful management of a real life situation.

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Guiding PrinciplesYou are the Instructor

• Instructors should evaluate student
  participation, knowledge and skill throughout the
  course and provide opportunities for remediation
  throughout the course.

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Guiding PrinciplesYou are the instructor

• Instructors should be good role models, not
  only in adherence to content and methodology, but
  also in their demonstration of effective teaching
  that encompasses these "guiding principles."

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• Summary and Conclusion
• Tips

1. Review as completely as possible the
technical material over which you will be
tested. 2. Read directions. 3. Check the scoring
procedure. 4. Find the verbal clues. 5.
Recognize ranking and ordering.
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• Summary and Conclusion
• Tips

6. Find the modus operandi. 7. Look for
mechanical clues. 8. Watch your time. 9. Play
the odds. 10. Know the question types.
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• Summary and Conclusion
• Tips

11. Take as many practice tests as
possible. 12. Listen to others who have taken
or designed the examination. 13. Reduce test
anxiety.