The Learning Benefits of Testing

We've talked before about how being tested on information can actually help you remember it better. Several new studies reinforce this idea, suggesting that testing can be useful for students in a number of ways.

Some of the benefits researchers discovered:

• Multiple-choice tests can result in test-induced learning
• Testing can enhance the transfer of learning
• Actively retrieving information while taking a test helps promote meaningful learning

For example, multiple-choice exams are often criticized because they don't require students to actively retrieve the information from memory. Since the correct answer is already there, students simply have to recognize which one of the options is the right choice. In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers discovered that not only could multiple-choice tests be used to promote memory retrieval, this type of exam could also be used to help test-takers recall information that was related to the incorrect alternatives. The finding suggest that when used correctly, multiple-choice tests can actually help foster test-induced learning.

Read more: Testing Can Be Useful for Students and Teachers

More Testing Tips for Psychology Students:

• Psychology Test-Taking Strategies
• Psychology Study Tips
• Share Your Best Study Tips

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