How Effective Educators Develop Exams
Whether you’re just getting started with your career or you’re still working towards your degree, you’ll soon find yourself on the other side of the classroom when it comes to exams. So, it helps to consider those elements of tests and quizzes that worked for you as a student. What engaged you? Were there questions that were frustrating? Or, were there some for which the answer seemed too obvious? Take these experiences into account when you start creating your own exams.
Creating an engaging and effective test for your students can be difficult at times. You want to make sure that the questions make your students think critically about their answers. However, you don’t want the questions to be too confusing and mislead them from the right answers. That’s why you need to follow specific and actionable criteria when developing your exams.
Whether you’re just getting started with your career or you’re still working towards your degree, you’ll soon find yourself on the other side of the classroom when it comes to exams. So, it helps to consider those elements of tests and quizzes that worked for you as a student. What engaged you? Were there questions that were frustrating? Or, were there some for which the answer seemed too obvious? Take these experiences into account when you start creating your own exams.
With that being said, here are some recommendations when creating an exam. Hopefully, after going through this list, you’ll have a better idea of what you need to do to create an effective exam.
Your Test Should be Simple to Read
Firstly, you shouldn’t make the test questions difficult to read. Unless the purpose of the exam is to measure the student’s reading and writing abilities, your test should be simple to follow.
For example, if you’ve created a math exam designed to test a certain equation, make the question about it simple to understand, rather than develop something that is long and confusing. The point of the test is to make sure the student can solve the math equation instead of trying to decipher a highly confusing test question.
Your Test Shouldn’t be Tricky
Following off of our previous point, you should also avoid any ambiguous or trick questions in general. The point of developing a test is not to show how clever you are. You want your students to succeed and not feel cheated. After all, their success is a reflection on you. That’s why you need to make sure your questions are clear and concise.
Your Test Should Have A Certain Flow To It
Another general recommendation for test-makers is to begin the exam with an easier question. If you throw your students a question that is extremely difficult right away, it may lower their confidence and their ability to stay on task throughout the exam. Rather than doing that, give your test-takers something easy right away. For example, ask them a question that addresses the general concepts that are on the test. That way, you can more and more specific as the test progresses.
Multiple Choice Questions
When creating answers for a multiple choice exam, it is recommended that you create one clear answer out of the options provided. By doing so, you provide the students who studied with a clear path towards a great score. You should also include any misconceptions that the students might hold among the incorrect options. By doing so, it further cements the correct concepts in their head.
Essay Exams
Essay exams behave a little differently than fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice questions. For these types of exams, you as the educator should be specific. For example, you should use words that will help alert your students to the kind of thinking you expect to find in their answers. You should use words like “identify,” or “compare.”
You should also be specific in the amount of time a student should focus on a question; providing them with an approximate amount of time they should be focusing on the question. That way, the student will have a better idea of what to prioritize when writing out their answers.
Become a Better Test-Maker!
Hopefully, you’ve developed a better understanding on how to develop effective questions for your exam. Make sure to be clear with your test’s language, and provide an easy route for the students to accomplish the exam. By doing so, the students who took the time to study the concepts will be able to get the grades that they deserve. You’ll be amazed at what they’ll be able to achieve. With these suggestions, you’ll be able to become a better test-maker and educator. Your students and staff will thank you for it!
Author Bio
Kathleen Nubinski is an author and educator from Seattle, Washington. Her experience in test-making and the education system has allowed her to become a notable figure within the industry. She helped develop some of the best online exam software in the business.
