How Practice Tests Help Students Learn

Scientific research shows that taking practice tests improves learning and memory retention more than studying and reviewing material alone. This measured phenomenon has been termed the “testing effect.” Practice tests have also been shown to defend memory against the effects of stress and help identify content gaps crucial to learning.

In a 2011 study, 200 college students were tested on memory retention after reading a paragraph on a scientific subject. One group used “retrieval practice,” where they recalled as much information from the paragraph as they could on a free recall test, then restudied the text and recalled the information again. Other groups were given extra studying time or asked to create concept maps. One week later, when all students took a memory retention test, the retrieval practice group retained 50% more information than the other groups.

“Effortful retrieval,” such as taking a practice test, does more than just boost memory. Psychologists at Kent State University suggest that more difficult retrieval tasks activate information related to the retrieved memory because of the more elaborate memory search needed to locate the target information. This means that not only will the retrieved memory be easier to access later, but related memories will be as well.

Each act of retrieval increases the strength of the retrieved item in the brain’s memory, but over time, that strength decays. Psychologists Philip Pavlik and John Anderson found that the more difficult the retrieval of an item, the slower the decay rate, indicating that testing slows the rate of forgetting. Due to this effect, practice tests are more helpful earlier in the learning process, presumably because early testing increases the difficulty of retrieval.

Testing not only strengthens neural connections, but also tracks what students don’t know. Consciously or subconsciously, the brain sorts through these gaps in knowledge. Marcia Linn, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, stated in a New York Times article that students might “revisit the ideas in the back of their mind or the front of their mind.” This rumination organizes information in a way that makes it easier to retrieve later. Students have also been shown to have more productive study sessions after a test and to spend more time reviewing the material they missed.

What can educators take away from this research? Practice tests are an important tool for revealing gaps in student knowledge and solidifying memory. The best way to learn seems to be starting preparation early and incorporating practice tests into the curriculum.

Test Innovators can aid educators with these goals. Our practice tests help identify content gaps and prepare students through early retrieval practice. Contact us today to see how Test Innovators can help your students maximize their brains’ learning potential!