Preliminary test in Education
Long tests are considered preliminary tests. These tests are administered to see if the overall change in how critical thinking is developed. Like in computing the time difference, look at this question: how long did Maria study if she studied at 8:30 and ended up at 11:45 a.m.? On regular school days, the teacher should have given the same question, but, of course, at a different time. So then in the long test, the students will formally show that they know and they can answer. What if they don’t know?
Students do forget how to solve such questions. They got confused even because of the many questions thrown at them at the same time during that period. And for that, the mistake will give an indication of how to correct it afterward. It will be a challenge for the teacher to find a way to train the student not to forget the operation. The teacher should be giving more exercises on similar questions for that matter.
Precisely, long tests are preliminary tests so the teacher can see what else he can improve in the manner of teaching and learning. The teacher should not neglect the mistakes that students make. The teacher should continue teaching them and remind them of how to solve it. The long tests will also help the teacher design more effective tests that students will be able to understand more easily than the previous ones.
And when the final exam comes, the students will be ready and confident that they know the lesson and how to answer any questions about it. With the aid of the long tests, students should learn more about the lessons. It is never an evaluation of how good the student is, but rather how far she or he learned about the lesson. Tests are not meant to intimidate the students, but rather to encourage them to seek and find the right answers.