Test Checklist

By Richard Felder

• Did you make a serious effort to understand the text? Just hunting for relevant worked-out examples doesn't count.
• Did you work with classmates on homework problems or at least check your solutions with others?
• Did you attempt to outline every homework problem solution before working with classmates?
• Did you participate actively in homework group discussions, contributing ideas and asking questions?
• Did you consult with the instructor or teaching assistants when you were having trouble with something?
• Did you understand all your homework problem solutions when they were handed in?
• Did you ask in class for explanations of homework problem solutions that weren't clear to you?
• If you had a study guide, did you carefully go through it before the test and convince yourself you could do everything on it?
• Did you attempt to outline lots of problem solutions quickly without spending time on the algebra and calculations?
• Did you go for the study guide and problems with classmates and quiz one another?
• If there was a review session before the test, did you attended and asked questions about anything you weren't sure about?
• Lastly, did you get a reasonable night's sleep before the test? If your answer is no, your answers to all the preceding questions may not matter.

Taking a test is serious business. Just as fighter pilots and doctors go through checklists before takeoff and surgery, going through your own test preparation checklist can vastly improve your chances of success.