Concept

The pretesting effect: Do unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance learning? study discussion

  • Pretesting is effective and persists after 1 week
  • “Pretesting did not seriously impair retention of untested items, as it has been posited to do previously”
  • Unsuccessful tests might be beneficial because they strengthen the retrieval between the question itself and the actual answer
  • Unsuccessful tests might also be beneficial because they facilitate deep processing that doesn’t occur when you only read the question
  • Tests in schooling should be looked at as a learning opportunity instead of just a measurement opportunity
  • Standardized tests can still be helpful if students are taught about the content in general shortly after taking the test

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Updated 2021-04-28

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