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, a phenomenon termed the “testing effect.” Practice tests have also been shown to defend memory against the effects of stress and identify content gaps important in 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 of the information from the paragraph as they could on a free recall test, then restudied the text and recalled again. Other groups were given extra studying time or created concept maps. One week later, when all students took a test to assess memory retention, the retrieval practice group retained 50% more information than the other groups.
“Effortful retrieval,” such as taking a practice test, does more than boost memory. Psychologists at Kent State University suggested that more difficult retrieval tasks activate information related to the retrieved memory due to the more elaborate memory search needed to locate the target information. That means not only will the retrieved memory be easier to access later on, so will related memories.
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 for an item, the slower the decay rate, indicating that testing actually slows the rate of forgetting. Because of this effect, practice tests were found to be more helpful earlier in the learning process, presumably because this increased the difficulty of retrieval.
Testing not only strengthens neural connections, it points out 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 studying the material they missed.
What can educators take away from this research? Practice tests are an important tool to reveal gaps in student knowledge and solidify 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 early on with retrieval practice.
Contact us today to see how Test Innovators can help your students maximize their brains’ learning potential!
