Test preparation

Test preparation (abbreviated test prep) or exam preparation is an educational course, tutoring service, educational material or a learning tool designed to increase students' performance on standardized tests. Examples of these tests include entrance examinations used for admissions to institutions of higher education, such as college (e.g. the SAT and ACT), business school (the GMAT), law school (the LSAT or LNAT), medical school (the MCAT), BMAT, UKCAT and GAMSAT and graduate school (the GRE) and qualifying examinations for admission to gifted education programs.[1]

Test preparations or studying is when students' use strategies to increase their knowledge or to memorise information from their classes. In the Australian school system at the end of year 12 students receive an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) which is a result from their examinations, students are required an ATAR score for a better chance in to a university.[2] School students through year 5-9 also face Naplan test which is a test that involves literacy, reading and numeracy skills.[3]

Preparation Steps

There are many skills and steps that students need to use for success, some include:

Companies

Major companies offering test preparation services include:

Resource providers

Most companies and educators that offer test preparation services also offer traditional (hard copy) and technology-based learning tools, such as books and other printed matter, software, websites, hand-held devices, or content for such devices. So do most test makers, publishers of self-help, instructional and educational materials, and makers of hardware and software.

Test makers

Third parties

Criticism

Some test-preparation programs have been proven to help students improve test scores, [9] but others may have little effect.

Test preparation for the SAT is a highly lucrative field.[10]

A lot of people have criticism towards exams and testing in the primary and high school environment, the number one type of testing in Australia that receives criticism is NAPLAN. Parents and teachers have put forward numerous amounts of cases stating the stress it is having on children and how pointless it is.[11]

See also

References

  1. Jenny Anderson (February 17, 2013). "Schools Ask: Gifted or Just Well-Prepared?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  2. "TISCOnline - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank". www.tisc.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  3. "NAPLAN | NAP". www.naplan.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  4. Busch, Bradley (2015-12-03). "Practice makes perfect: why mock exams are great for students' brains". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  5. Smart, Ursulua (2006). Exam Tips. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 162–166. doi:10.4135/9781446212127.n22.
  6. Smartt, Ursulua (2006). Exam tips. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 162–166. doi:10.4135/9781446212127.n22.
  7. Smartt, Ursulua (2006). Exam Tips. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 162–166. doi:10.4135/9781446212127.n22.
  8. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/onlinetyari-targets-vernacular-users-adds-content-in-marathi/articleshow/50283310.cms
  9. American Book Company Validation Study
  10. http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/682204/2009_worldwide_exam_preparation_and_tutoring
  11. "Time to take a breath" (PDF).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.