A toolbox of strategies to improve test-taking skills: a comparison of student perceptions

Changes in the national examination structures have renewed interest in the development of test-taking strategies for professional students in the health sciences. It is often assumed that these high-achieving students have developed proficient test-taking skills and abilities before admittance. However, the assessments in these programs and for national licensure require an elevated level of reasoning and integration with clinical concepts. It was hypothesized that the implementation of an immersive test-taking strategies program would improve dental student perceptions of their abilities. A "toolbox" of four methods was implemented, which included 1) an introductory video that provided students with 10 tips for approaching high-level exam questions; 2) problem solution videos interspersed with class practice problems to walk students independently through rationales; 3) collaborative group assessments in which students implemented the strategies in teams to prepare for exams; and 4) unit exam debriefings to review the question rationales. Although all methods were positively reviewed on surveys, students indicated that the problem solution videos and the collaborative group assessments were more helpful and improved their test-taking skills significantly more than the other strategies (P < 0.01, 1-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test). Students felt they had developed strong test-taking strategies (average of 4.21 on a 5-point scale, SD 0.76) and felt more prepared for the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (4.48, SD 0.66). These results suggest that a multipronged approach with frequent opportunities to practice test-taking strategies can improve student perceptions of their ability to master high-level and integrated assessment questions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Professional students in the health sciences may need to improve their test-taking skills for high-level and integrated assessments. A toolbox of strategies was implemented in a Dental Physiology course that included an introductory video, problem solution videos for practice problems, collaborative group assessments, and unit exam debriefings. The students reported that the strategies were helpful, improving their preparation and test-taking strategies for summative exams such as the Integrated National Board Dental Examination.