Faculty of translation theory and practice department of translation theory and practice

Related Work
Thurner and Böttcher conducted a regional survey among lecturers, analysing their
expectations of incoming students’ initial competences and comparing them to those
competences these students possess in reality [3]. This survey focusses on soft skills
and cognitive skills (rather than professional skills), as they are the foundation for the learning process. As a next step, Thurner et al. [1] identified a set of competences that are relevant, but often missing in first-year students of CS or related topics.

Knowledge Test Design
As each student cohort differs with respect to their initial competences, the current
state of competences must be evaluated for each of them. To achieve this, we develop a questionnaire-based test tool set for assessing the relevant competences. Our student cohorts tend to be rather large. Therefore, the test design ensures that the test can be processed automatically.
After identifying competences that are relevant for studying computer science or
related topics successfully (Thurner, Böttcher, & Kämper, 2014), the project team
started to develop different assessments to evaluate students’ competences in 2013. In October 2013, the tool set of test instruments (cf. Fig. 1) contained three tests: a questionnaire focussing on personal information, a self-assessment focussing nontechnical skills, and a knowledge test. The self-assessment is described in detail in.
The first version of the knowledge test was designed in winter term. By
now, the test is in its fourth iteration. Over time, the knowledge test was refined, but
has been rather stable since winter term.
Test Taking Strategies
Before delving into test taking strategies outlined below, we recommend reading and familiarizing yourself with proven test preparation tips and strategies for improving test performance, if you haven't already.
Once you have a solid command of the subject matter and material that will be presented on your test, it's time to put in play some basic test taking strategies that have proven effective for thousands of students. Remember, you must adapt test-taking strategies to the specific type of test you're taking.

1. Be prepared
There is no substitute for preparation. If you haven't studied throughout the semester. If you haven't reviewed prior to test day. If you don't know the test material, all the test taking strategies in the world won't save you. Preparation is key.
Spend as many hours as necessary to understand the material that will be covered on the test well enough to achieve a high score.
Since teachers often slightly modify information on tests to determine if students have a good understanding of concepts, spend time on honing test-taking skills.