The analytics way to crack exams
Thousands of students appear for competitive entrance exams like CAT, NEET, JEE each year, where a few marks can make all the difference. An understanding of the subject along with smart test-taking strategies are key to get to the top.
Well-researched insights on tests can help you boost performance.
One way is to use data from student performance in mock tests which helps identify behaviour patterns, then used to design a set of practices that help students prepare better. Digital technology enables a computer-based test along with capturing facial expressions to understand the student experience better.
Analytics-based tools monitors every keyboard tap or click over several practice sessions. The resulting feedback can tell you your strengths and weakness, how to manage time better, what questions to skip to avoid negative marking and where you stand vis-a-vis the competition.
There are four fundamental areas where analytics can help
improve exam performance:
BEHAVIOURAL ANALYTICS
It helps measure your confidence level, gauge the effectiveness of your test-taking strategy, and understand the impact of negative marking.
DISTRACTOR ANALYSIS
This allows you to uncover misconceptions in subjects, and helps you realign and structure your thought process. Practice sessions have multiple choice questions where the wrong answers are not randomly selected, but are based on common errors in thinking or calculation. Every time a student selects a wrong answer, technology can analyse the error in the student’s thought process.
COMPETENCY ANALYTICS
It helps you measure conceptual strength, understand your preparedness in every topic and identify the areas that need improvement.
TIME MANAGEMENT
The analytics report can guide you in time management during a paper. It analyses the time you spent answering each question and assesses this against the average time and best time. Thus, it can tell you whether you are answering fast enough or what type of questions are holding you up.
Some errors are common to all students -- conceptual, calculation, guess work. Analytics identify and categorise errors that a student is prone to, and tracks how these errors reduce over subsequent practice sessions. Analytics tools go beyond an individual’s performance.
Background algorithms use data from all users to generate benchmarks across the population, providing insights on the student’s competitive standing. Thus, as overall population of participants increases, the reports get more accurate and personalised.
The author is global head of TCS ION, a cloudbased solutions firm.