Why is it that some people don't test well?

[punkin]

I have an older DD who is very anxious about testing and she just sucks at it, particularly standardized testing. She is brilliant (say her mother and her IQ scores), but standardized testing seems to be her downfall.

I, on the other hand, am a standardized test wiz. I can take any test on any subject and do reasonably well, even if I have no idea about the subject itself. What can I say, it's a talent. However, it has never been useful in any real-life situation. It doesn't make me smarter or more capable. I just happen to be a great test taker.

 

[LisaR]

I have an older DD who is very anxious about testing and she just sucks at it, particularly standardized testing. She is brilliant (say her mother and her IQ scores), but standardized testing seems to be her downfall.

I, on the other hand, am a standardized test wiz. I can take any test on any subject and do reasonably well, even if I have no idea about the subject itself. What can I say, it's a talent. However, it has never been useful in any real-life situation. It doesn't make me smarter or more capable. I just happen to be a great test taker.

Same here. I got a near perfect score on the math section of my SAT back in the day. Believe me, I have trouble adding 2 + 2. I have a knack for doing well on tests even if I don't know what the heck I am doing. I don't know if I am just a good guesser but I look brilliant on paper. In real life; not so much!

Thanks for all the stories. I am glad to see my son is not alone. I worry about him when it comes time for SAT's. I am quite certain his results will be very low. He will not have a choice but to look at colleges that put a low emphasis on test scores. He will never have the highest GPA or the best grades thanks to his test results but he is incredibly smart and it shows up in other ways.

 

[MoonFaerie]

My DS has ASD. He struggles with the wording on tests. He's very literal and struggles with implied questions. On the 1st day on school, his teacher told them to sit down in their chairs & put their heads down for 10 mins of quiet time after lunch. Poor Ben was trying to figure out how to get both his butt & his head in the chair. So some of the questions really trip him up.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

I don't test well either. I am repeating an intermediate algebra class right now. I need at least a C in the class to pass it and go on to my final math class. I'm two classes away from graduating. I do fine on my homework. I have all A's, but when it comes to my tests I do horrible. I freak out and my mind goes blank when the test is immediately in front of me.

 

[luvthatduke]

That is a really great story, and a really great teacher!

 

[stasijane]

I have never been a good test taker. My brain likes to short curcuit when under pressure, if I know its important enought I would fail at guessing my own name.

 

[Christine]

Same here. I got a near perfect score on the math section of my SAT back in the day. Believe me, I have trouble adding 2 + 2. I have a knack for doing well on tests even if I don't know what the heck I am doing. I don't know if I am just a good guesser but I look brilliant on paper. In real life; not so much!

That's funny. Same here.

I am HORRIBLE in any kind of math. When I took my college placement exam, I scored so well they told me that I could basically start off at any math I wanted. I knew better and chose Math for Dummies, which, ahem, I did not pass.

I've had this happen a number of times.

 

[WDWBarb]

I think that anxiety and pressure is to blame. When I was young, I had a cruel and horrible math teacher who would demand fast responses to math questions in class and humiliate you for a wrong or slow response. I was decent in math before her class, terrible ever since.

The funny part is that I can do math in my head fairly well when there is no one else around. But if there is anyone expecting me to do it, I sputter and fail even the easiest equation. The other day my boss asked me in a meeting what 14 and 7 was and I looked like a fool when I pulled out my phone to use a calculator.

It's almost like that part of my brain shuts down and won't operate under any type of pressure. During tests, our anxiety is extremely high and it makes accessing those "thinking" parts much more difficult.

So there's my very un-scientific theory.

 

[tmarquez]

It sounds like a lot of it has to do with anxiety.

But I also think that test taking is a skill in itself. I took a class that was about how to take tests. It was really interesting and I learned a lot of tips and tricks on all different kinds of tests, that not only helped with scores but also times.

I never spent much time studying as a kid, but after that course I could pretty much at least pass any test.

I did a quick search and found this site that has some of the kind of info I'm talking about. http://www.testtakingtips.com/test/index.htm

It may help people with test anxiety to be able to focus on some rules for taking tests so they don't over think the testing material.