So in this lecture, we're going to walk through some of the test taking myths that seem to be perpetuated throughout history. Smart people are good test takers. This may be partially true. But the reality is that tests measure more than just innate intelligence. They measure your ability to take tests, the ability to process information, the ability to decipher and discern the stem of the question what the instructor Professor faculty members actually asking. And so there are plenty of really smart people that perform poorly on tests.

And so there are some keys and strategies that we'll walk through in this course, that will help you become a better test taker. Test measure how much you know, test measure, actually how much you know, at a given point in time, it's not a true measure a true reflection of your entire knowledge base. Many students are discouraged that they may perform perfectly on a test and extrapolate that into I'm just I'm bad at math, I'm bad at chemistry, I don't get this history stuff. Many students that that I work with, often need to overcome that mental hurdle that subpar performance on a test isn't really a true measure of what they actually know or their ability to be successful as a student. This next one, time is key. This is probably the biggest hurdle biggest problem, biggest issue that persists in the students that I've worked with over the last decade.

Many of us are under the assumption that brute force is really the only way to go about successfully preparing for a test or an exam. It's not so much the time you put in, but how that time is, is allocated. Studying efficiently and effectively is different than just studying. We'll talk more in detail about that in a subsequent lecture. But just notice that putting in an excessive or in an order In an amount of time, pales in comparison to efficient and active study in terms of preparation for success. Cramming is effective.

This is perpetuated throughout history, many people just hear it all the time, I'm gonna cram for this test, I'm gonna just stay up all night and cram and memorize and then take the test at eight o'clock in the morning, and I'm sure I'll be fine. And for some people, this might work. Cramming is an effective way to put facts in information into the short term memory. But it really doesn't lay down any of the neural structure, the neural changes that occur that allow long term sustainable memory. This is maybe a effective method for a test that you're going to just spit out a bunch of facts and data. And then never remember, never utilize it again, but a lot of coursework builds on itself throughout the semester.

The year and cramming, although you may be successful in a particular test. At the end of the semester, the end of the year, those long term memories were never formed. And when you go back to study the material, it's almost as if seeing it for the first time. So just take that to heart. Sleep studying always works. You don't hear as much about this as we did in the years past, but I still have a few students that believe that this is a reliable way to study.

And what this means is that many students will record a lecture, play it while they sleep, and hope that some of the information in the material is absorbed into the subconscious mind while they sleep and can be later pulled out during an exam scenario. This may work for some but I think it's a method to be discouraged. I think that listening to a physics lecture while you're trying to sleep is disruptive to you. Your sleep patterns. I think that in terms of a technique and effectiveness, sleep studying is probably very low on the technique list of things that actually improve the outcome and the performance of tests. Not only that it's it's cumbersome, who wants to sleep with headphones on or if you're just playing it in your room, you know, issues in college, roommates, dorm mates, things like that.

So I think that's enough about sleep studying. Studying right before test is best. This This goes back to cramming as well, but some students will wait till the last day or two before a test and then put in the effort to study that can work to some degree, but again, it's the repetition and the exposure to material over time, and active study methods that actually lay down the long term connections that allow your brain to recall the data Have it when you want it when you need it. Pressure works, some people study and perform effectively under pressure. Some students wait till the last minute to write at a, an essay or a paper. But for the majority of people, the extra pressure and stress of trying to fit in a study session at the last minute, doesn't work.

It creates anxiety, it creates a sense of panic, it changes the physiology, and the neural humoral hormonal chemistry, if you will, that for a lot of people, makes effective learning less successful. And so my approach to dealing with students over the last decade plus is just to try and create a low pressure situation which fosters a attitude of success. Study in one location. Many of us are creatures of habit and we like to study In, for example, your dorm room, your bedroom or specific spot in the library or your, your, your school wherever you're at. And that's fine. But there is some pretty interesting data out there about how the brain processes information and forms memories.

The brain, in the memories are derived out of just a specific, single task. But the inputs in general, including sight, smell, sense, taste, etc. Smell is probably one of the strongest triggers of memory and emotion that we have. And so to kind of distill that down into some information that you could process, for example, you're studying a biology concept for a certain species. For example, I'm studying the library you like a certain spot by a window, maybe in the stacks of books, maybe on a couch, wherever but studying that location, your brain will process Not only the information you're you're studying, but also taking the environmental inputs around you. What does the library smell like?

What's the lighting like? What's the mood and atmosphere like, it will lay down a neural framework that includes the memory and the information that you're studying. study that same material, perhaps a week later in your favorite coffee house. The setting in situation is completely different. There's different smells, different lights, different tastes, if you're eating different mood and atmosphere, the material that you're learning is the same, but your brain will form a separate memory in a different location based on the inputs around it, smell, taste, sensation, etc. And so now basically, you have the information connected to each other.

It's the same biology information, but it's in a little different, local In your memory, it gives you sort of a redundant backup system and improves the efficacy of being able to recall information when you want it. And to ingrain it into the long term memory. So it's a pretty effective technique. I've used this technique myself for the last 30 years. And I think it's probably one of the keys to success. Particularly, if you're studying the same location day in and day out, it gets boring.

I mean, you're stuck in the same spot every day seems the same. We know from science and medical perspective that the reason that that time as you get older, seems to drag on is is because the the situation the memories are not new. You can only ride a bike the first time once. And so as a child, so much of what we do and are exposed to is new. New sights, new tastes new trips, new new foods, new new friends, new houses, schools, everything is different. Everything changes on a rapid basis.

And that lays down a lot of memories. Think back to your childhood. And I'm sure you can pull out some incredible memories. If you think back to your, your, your memory within the last year, there's probably a lot of days that just blur together. And that's because the situation and scenario and environment really didn't change. You're in the same classroom, you're in the same spot in the library studying.

And so the the formation of memories is much different in that, that situation. So I think that's enough on that topic, changing answers. This is somewhat controversial, but the data and there's actually several larger studies that have been released on this, that actually shows that there there is some benefit of changing your answers. And I'll explain a little bit more on that in a minute. But if a student is unsure of an answer, oftentimes the previous mantra was just make your first guess in stick with That in, leave it alone, don't come back to it and don't change it. But we now know based on research data that students can actually go back and rethink and iterate and oftentimes change an incorrect answer to a correct answer.

I think that's a pretty interesting piece of data. But I think it must be interpreted with a word of caution. Many of the students that that I work with sometimes can panic, and they're obviously trying to get into a program that requires impeccable grades and they're sort of freaked out about getting a B or a C on an exam and so they go back and rethink and overthink questions and, and oftentimes just in a, in a moment of panic will let that emotion cloud their judgment and change correct answers. That should have been left alone. And so I think unless you have a pretty clear cut idea about why the answer you selected is wrong. probably leave it alone.

We'll get into More that if a specific test, question types and how to look at a set of answers in an easily cross off, you know, at least half of them right off the bat, which will significantly improve your chances. Anxiety predicts failure and lack of preparation. This is really far from the truth. Many students are well prepared and successful, but they're just anxious when it comes to test time. It's just like an athlete before an event. The anxiety is a good thing.

It means that you're excited. You're you're prepared and sometimes Yeah, means you're just fearful of poor performance. But don't let that dissuade you that you'll have success. Take a deep breath. Breathe in for a count of four and exhale for a count of six. do that a few times.

Get yourself focused. If you need to get up and walk around and get a drink, whatever, create a pre test ritual That's one way to deal with the the anxiety of test taking. If it's really a huge issue for you and you tend to panic or freeze or perform perform poorly despite a very solid knowledge base, then it might be time to stop in at your school counselor or career services. There are some specific techniques that can be used to effectively deal and combat with test anxiety. And the last myth is anxiety or sorry, ism, IQ is predictive. Just because a person is smart doesn't mean they're going to take a test.

Well, it comes down to willpower, the desire and drive to succeed is twice as predictive of success in terms of academic performance than IQ alone, in so just take that to heart. You don't have to be the brightest star and student to perform exceptionally well. It just comes down to willpower desire Drive. So in conclusion, don't get swept up in the hyperbole. Everyone has their own method and rationale, taking tests, preparing for tests. Learn yourself, learn your physiology, learn what works for you and stick with it.

Don't try to adapt your study habits or test taking skills based on a friend who maybe does better than you. Everything is individual. square blocks still don't fit into round holes. brute force is not going to work. For the majority of people. We don't have that much time.

Your high school students or college students, you're doing extracurricular activities. You maybe have a job you want to life you have friends. Don't rely on using all your time just to study. You're only human. You're going to make mistakes. You may perform, perform, perform perform really poorly from time to time and that's fine.

We're only human, learn from that and move on. There's a lot to be learned from a poor performance. Was it poor preparation, poor sleep, anxiety. Some other factors such as social stress, break up with a significant other job stress, learn from it and move on. And lastly, stimulation can be detrimental. There is some evidence that the caffeine can boost learning, but it's to a point.

I think the current trend particularly in the US and Western societies, is an over reliance on stimulation. Many of us are stimulated almost 24 hours a day. We're drinking coffee in the morning we're having energy drinks throughout the day or maybe having a diet coke while we study. Our phone's buzzing. A lot of noise. stimulation up to a point is beneficial but beyond that is detrimental.

I suggest that if you You're having headaches, palpitations, you feel jittery or anxious all the time that you may want to take a closer look how much caffeine and excessive stimulation from your diet you're truly exposing yourself to. That wraps up this module. If you have any questions or you want some elaboration on something I'd be happy to do. So I try to keep this brief. But this course is about you. And so by asking questions in the the student forum, the learner format, others learn from you can foster some discussion and controversy.

I like to have your comments and can use that as a feedback to me if there's something that was unclear or that you want more information on, I'd be happy to find that and share that with you. And at times, create some new lectures that are tailored more on what you what you want to learn more about. So that's it for the section and we'll see you in the next next lecture