In the study, 239 freshman college students from the Atlanta area took three different versions of the SAT Reasoning Test. Under conditions simulating the actual exam, with start times of 8 A.M. on three consecutive Saturdays, the students completed tests specially constructed for three different durations: 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 hours. (The current SAT is 3.75 hours of testing over a 4.5-hour session. In this study, the short version of the test had one less of the verbal, math and writing sections; the long version had one more of each. Otherwise, the tests were the same.) Students received a cash bonus if they beat their previous SAT scores.
Before, during and after each test, students completed a questionnaire designed to asses their mood, emotions, confidence, subjective fatigue and more. As expected, the longer they worked on a test, the more the students reported mental fatigue. At the end of 5.5 hours of testing, students reported high levels of fatigue.
However, even though students reported greater fatigue for longer tests, their average performance for both the standard and long tests was significantly higher than for the short test. In fact, the short-form average score was 1,209 out of a possible 1,600; the standard-form average score was 1,222; and the long-form average score was 1,237. Scoring was weighted to make performance comparable across the different length tests.
Overall this article is saying that yes people do have feelings of fatigue during tests but it doesn't necessarily lower test scores. It also talks about how some people can suffer form mental fatigue more easily than others, due to their attitude toward the test or their motivation. So with finals coming up be sure to eat and sleep well, and have a positive attitude toward each test! :]
Good post, Andi. I'll be sure to make my tests longer.
ReplyDeleteYou'll want to double-check your links. Your link for "cognitive fatigue" takes you to the original article. Also, make sure you label each post as a "current event".
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