Using Quizzes to Improve Exam Scores

Abstract

This session will begin with an overview of the testing effect, i.e., the phenomena of retrieval having a positive effect on long-term memory, the testing effect has been demonstrated in a variety of different classroom settings across a range of disciplines. Multiple studies have found that quizzing generally improves long-term retention, and this effect can be enhanced by different quiz formats. Specifically, fill-in-the-blank quizzes result in higher multiple-choice exam scores than multiple-choice quizzes on the same material (examples include McDaniel, Anderson, Derbish, and Morrissette, 2007; Birenbaum, 2007; and Roediger & Marsh, 2005). We will then report on research weââ¬â¢ve conducted at George Mason University on the effect of an intermediate quiz type ââ¬â fill-in with word bank. The session will continue with a discussion of possible new directions for the current study. The session will conclude with a discussion of the ways instructors from multiple disciplines can incorporate quizzes into their own classes to help their students retain and recall information more effectively.

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Birenbaum, M. (2007). Assessment and instruction preferences and their relationship with test anxiety and learning strategies. Higher Education, 53(6), 749-768.

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McDaniel, M.A., Anderson, J.L., Derbish, M.H., & Morrisette, N. (2007). Testing the testing effect in the classroom. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 19(405), 494-513.

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Roediger III, H.L., & Marsh, E.J. (2005). The Positive and Negative Consequences of Multiple-Choice Testing. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 31(5), 1155-1159.

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