Read the following case studies that accompany Essential Study Skills, 5e, Chapter 12. These case studies appear only online; they are not available in your textbook. Type your response to each case study. After you have completed this exercise, you can either PRINT your responses or EMAIL them to your instructor.

Jane thinks she studies effectively. She always feels like she knows all the information that she needs to know. It usually doesn't take her long to finish a test, either. She goes through all the questions, just the way they are presented, and writes what she really believes is the right answer. She usually leaves feeling like she has done well. Then the surprise! She always seems to make a lot of careless mistakes. She doesn't understand how she can miss questions on the tests when she knows the answers. What strategies could Jane use during the test to have better test results?



Jerry has a history of problems taking tests. One teacher gave him a verbal test and he was able to score well. However, in most cases, he has to take written tests and ends up frustrated and disappointed. When he takes tests, he reads the questions and answers each question the best that he can. He moves systematically through the test. When he answers the last question, he turns his test in. He has had too many experiences changing answers and then wishing that he hadn't. What test-taking habits does Jerry need to change? What strategies would he benefit from learning to use?



Liz enjoys tests that utilize her strong writing abilities; she strongly dislikes true-false and multiple choice questions because she does not have the freedom to answer them from her point of view. She frequently doesn't understand what the question is asking, so she interprets it in her own way. Even after she sees the correct answer, she feels the need to debate it and explain how she understood the question. To reduce her frustration, she writes clarifying statements or comments next to many of the questions. She doesn't understand why her instructor doesn't take her comments into account in grading her test. Discuss the strategies that you could teach Liz so she would be more successful with these two types of objective test questions.



The computer lab used for social science tests is an interesting place to observe human behavior. Students talk to their computers, wince at their answers, grumble at the results, and show many signs of frustration. Tessa typically is nervous about tests, but taking tests on the computer is a tremendous challenge. She procrastinates going in for the tests and can barely control her emotions when she signs in to take the tests. The testing system that is used randomly selects test questions. As soon as the answer is entered, the program tells her if the answer is correct or not. What strategies could Tessa use to reduce her anxiety about taking tests on the computer?