As one example, maybe a student tends to overthink questions and often selects the wrong question. One strategy students can use is to rate each answer choice from -3 to +3 based on the evidence they have to support it. If they have a lot of evidence against an answer choice, they would rate it -2 or -3. If they have no evidence for or against, it would be rated 0. It doesn’t feel good to choose a 0 or 1, but after rating all the questions, students can feel more confident with that selection if it truly is the highest objective choice.
Of course, the appropriate strategy for students depends on whether and what is going wrong. Students may require careful coaching to determine whether they are having issues with test-taking strategies and what the appropriate strategy would be to help their unique circumstances.
This concept can also be applied to other types of performance beyond exams, but depend critically on the strategies required for that type of performance. Time management may be an issue across many types of performance, but how you strategize a solution for time management likely depends on the type of situation.
Working Memory
The last component of this framework is working memory. While I’m calling this working memory, it truly involves any and all psychological factors that may be impacting a student’s ability to perform. This includes but is not limited to:
Wellbeing
Sleep
Nutrition
Exercise
Burnout
Attentional control (possibly ADHD)
Other personal life factors
As with test-taking strategies, even with high content knowledge and good test-taking strategies, a student who is trying to perform with only half their normal working memory capacity is unlikely to be successful.
