Better Testing Through Testing
I Don’t Like Testing Either! Most people, including myself, dread testing. I get it! You get anxious, nervous, and all worked up... most of the time over nothing! If you study for the test and pay attention in class, you should do okay on your exam. But what if I told you that testing is actually a good thing. Crazy, right?! This is known as “Better Testing Through Testing.” A test alters what we remember and changes how we subsequently organize that knowledge in our minds. Testing is essentially studying of a different and powerful kind. In fact, testing yourself on material strengthens the retrieval skills of your mind. You probably don’t like the idea of having a quiz in class every week on new material leading up to the final exam. You might ask yourself, “Why can’t we just take one final exam?” This is because each quiz is essentially a study guide for the final exam that increases the retrieval strength of the content. Benedict Carey, author of How We Lear...
