TEST! TEST! TEST! Did you feel a little nervous? Maybe even started to sweat a little when you read those words? Do you struggle with tests? Are you preparing for a credentialing exam?
During a recent team planning meeting, Evelyn Pesiri (professional test-item writer/wizard) exclaimed that she would be sharing the "good stuff" during an upcoming training event. While saying this, she was holding her arm up as if holding a pitcher of the "good stuff" and demonstrated by pouring the contents of the invisible pitcher into an invisible container.
If only it were that easy...or can it be?
What we have realized is most programs prepare their students to face the content contained in a credentialing exam but aren't equipped to teach how to approach the actual test. I remember preparing for my licensing exam (for months!) and when the test began and I opened the booklet: I would have sworn that the first question was written in a foreign language. Of course it wasn't. It was just my anxiety playing with my brain.
I watched Evelyn work with a group of EMT students and by the end of the session, I understood why she calls it "the good stuff". She's not an EMT instructor, but her session wasn't about teaching the content, it was about the structure of the test and how to make the structure of test work for you.
What has your experience been with testing? What's your best test-taking tip? What is your greatest fear when you sit down to take a critical exam?
If you're interested...we do have the good stuff. Click here to get more information about getting some for yourself or your kids.
