Follow Up after Tests
Have you ever taken a test, walked out of the classroom, and then never thought about the experience again? As tempting as that might be — particularly right after the test ends — once you’ve completed a test, you have a valuable opportunity to follow up by thinking critically about your approach and using your insights to make improvements in the future.
Evaluate Your Approach: Did Your Prep Work Pay Off?
Right after you take a test, reflect on the experience and how prepared you felt. It might take some time before you receive your exam results, but immediate self-reflection can help you get a sense of your performance. To prompt that reflection, ask yourself:
Was the test harder or easier than I expected?
Did the test cover the material I studied?
Did I spend enough time studying?
Did I effectively eliminate distractions and stay focused while I was studying?
Which of my study and preparation strategies helped me the most with this test?
Which of my study and preparation strategies helped me the least with this test?
What new types of strategies would I like to try when I prepare for my next test?
ACTIVITY: Ask students to think about the last test they took or a memorable test from their past. Then ask students to answer these bulleted questions. What did they learn from looking at their test this way? What other questions might they want to ask themselves after a test?
FOR DISCUSSION: Ask students who have been or are employed to share times when they’ve evaluated themselves at work. Have they used any concepts discussed in this course to improve their work performance?
You can use your responses to these questions to determine your next steps. If you’re confident you did well on the test, reflect on what led to this success, and resolve to take a similar approach for the next test or for tests in other classes. For instance, if studying in a distraction-free zone was an effective strategy, then plan to continue this practice during future test prep. If you feel you didn’t do as well as you hoped, identify the reasons, and take steps to do better next time — for example, by changing up your study strategies and trying something new.
Get Hard Evidence
In addition to self-reflection, after-test follow-up involves finding out your results on the exam. In most classes, instructors hand back graded exams so you can see how you did on each question. If tests aren’t handed back, visit your instructor during office hours, and ask if you can look at your exam to get insights on how to improve your performance on future tests. And be sure to discuss your performance and test-taking strategies with your instructors. After all, they use exams to determine if you’re learning course material. By talking with them, you show that you’re interested in the material and that you want to understand what your instructor is assessing.
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Learn from Your Mistakes
What if your exam grade is less than you hoped for or expected? First, realize that at some point this happens to everyone. Take a few deep breaths, and acknowledge that it’s perfectly natural to feel disappointed or upset. Next, remind yourself that a test evaluates your performance on one set of questions, on a specific day. One poor test result doesn’t reflect your overall ability to succeed in college. By identifying what led to the disappointing results, you can figure out how to do better next time.
FOR DISCUSSION: Reviewing tests and learning from one’s mistakes are especially important in a class with cumulative tests. Help students get in the habit of using tests to show growth edges for future tests by having them keep records of what questions they missed and which concepts they found challenging. That way they know where to focus when they study for a cumulative test.
If you feel you did everything right and still had a poor outcome, seek out resources on campus. Explain to your instructor how you prepared for the exam, and get his or her feedback on what you might do differently next time. Work with a tutor or a study group to learn other test-preparation strategies. And definitely make use of the Personal Success Plan — for example, you can write a positive goal focused on improving your test results the next time around.
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