Page 347 - Statistics for Dummies

Chapter 21
Ten Surefire Exam Score Boosters
In This Chapter
▶ Getting into the zone
▶ Developing savvy strategies
▶ Preventing silly mistakes
’ve taught more than 40,000 students in my teaching career (don’t try to
Iguess how old I am, it’s not polite!), and each student has taken at least
three exams for me. That makes over 120,000 exams I’ve graded or had a hand
in grading, and believe me, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen excellent answers, disas-
trous answers, and everything in between. I’ve gotten notes from students in
the margins asking me to go easy on them because their dog ran away and they
didn’t have time to study. I’ve seen some answers that even I couldn’t figure
out. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, and I’ve beamed with pride at what my students
have come up with in exam situations.
In this chapter, I’ve put together a list of ten strategies most often used by
students who do well on exams. These students are not necessarily smarter
than everyone else (although you do have to know your material, of course),
but they are much better prepared. As a result, they are able to handle new
problems and situations without getting thrown off; they make fewer little
mistakes that chip away at an exam score; and they are less likely to have
that deer-in-the headlights look, not being able to start a problem. They are
more likely to get the right answer (or at least get partial credit) because
they are good at labeling information and organizing their work. No doubt
about it — preparation is the key to success on a stat exam.

You too can be a successful statistics student — or more successful, if you’re
already doing well — by following the simple strategies outlined in this
chapter. Remember, every point counts, and they all add up, so let’s start
boosting your exam score right away!

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