Twelve tips on guiding preparation for both high-stakes exams and long-term learning

Abstract

High-stakes exams including admissions, licensing, and maintenance of certification examinations are commonplace in health professions education. Although exam scores and performance can often serve gate-keeping purposes, the broader goal of health professions education is to foster deep, self-directed, meaningful, motivated learning. Establishing strong support structures that emphasize deep learning and understanding rather than exam scores can be beneficial to preparing learners who have the knowledge base to be excellent practitioners. This article offers guidance that can be used by academic support centres, medical educators, learning specialists, and faculty advisors, or even test-takers, to help learners to balance score achievement and knowledge development, while simultaneously cultivating more efficient and motivated studying and increasingly self-regulated learning. This series of tips details considerations for building academic success supports, fostering a growth mindset, planning efficient and effective studying efforts, utilizing test-enhanced learning strategies, exam-taking skills practice, and other support structures that can help strengthen learning experiences overall.

Keywords:

• Evidence-based learning practices
• exam preparation
• test-enhanced learning
• self-directed learning
• learner support

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the learners of Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia College of Dental Medicine, who we are dedicated to supporting and challenging every day.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aubrie Swan Sein

Aubrie Swan Sein, PhD, EdM, is Director of the Center for Education Research and Evaluation and Assistant Professor of Education Assessment in Pediatrics and Dental Medicine at Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York.

Shubha Dathatri

Shubha Dathatri, PhD, EdM, is Education, Assessment, and Evaluation Specialist and Assistant Professor of Education in Surgery at Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York.

Todd A. Bates

Todd A. Bates, PhD, MSEd, MA is Education and Learning Specialist and Assistant Professor of Education in Medicine at Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York.