Okay,
so the first test is history. The 85% didn’t happen for you.
What
to do to improve your score:
How
to study:
◈ First,
did you really study? Or
was it not your best effort?
◈ Second,
were you particularly anxious? Did you miss
simple questions? Did you read
carelessly? Did you hurry through? If
yes, be determined to take time and be focused on the
next test.
◈ Of
course you should commune with your Mastering APA
style workbook. Before you do that,
spend some time with the exam. Come by
my office and look over the exam with your feedback sheet in hand.
Look at:
1. What
questions did you get wrong?
2. Why
did you answer the way you did? What was it about the answer that made you
think it was correct?
3. Was
the answer even close? If not, THAT is the area you need to study.
4. What
questions did you get right?
5. Was
the answer a guess? Now is not the time
to delude yourself!
6. If
you really knew the answer (no hesitation), then you can probably review that
material less than the other areas.
7. If
you sort of knew the answer, then review the other
answers. What about the other answers could have lead
you to pick them? Why didn’t
you pick them?
8. If
your answer was the result of a guess, then review that material as much as you
review the ones you got wrong.
This
is really about analyzing your test. If
you don’t do this, you may not succeed on the next
test.
Finally,
repeat the above steps for each exam you have to take. Most students, with diligent studying,
improve 7-10% on the next exam. If your
score is below 60%, don’t expect to magically leap to
85%. Just keep plugging away; eventually
it will all become clear. Do NOT take
another test without performing the above steps. Prepare!