Study Tool For Practice Exams.. Was This A "Cheat Sheet"?

[Mitchell]

Before I post this topic.. I want to make one thing clear.

Whether I take my exam this Friday, next Friday.. or whenever.. I am NOT planning on making up a "Cheat Sheet" for the purpose of passing the real exam. Such is wrong. If I don't deserve to pass, I shouldn't pass, and should take it again.

That being said..

As everyone who read my posts knows. I had to read 20 plus chapters of material, and each time, pass a practice exam to move on to the next chapter.

A couple of times.. if I was really stuck on a question or two for a chapter, the system would give me the right answer to a particular question, and I would write it down, and keep it, because.. I knew I needed to get through all 20 chapters, and not be stuck on one chapter. The way the system worked.. I needed a 70% on each practice exam, to "Graduate" to the next chapter.

Sooo., if the system directed me to take the practice test over again, I did, and I failed it, sometimes up to.. 10 times.. I would write down a couple of the correct answers on a sheet, for the purpose of simply passing the one chapter exam.. so I could go on to the next chapter, and make sure I reviewed all the work.

When I mentioned this to my friends.. they didn't see anything wrong.. because.. they said what I did was really not a "cheat sheet" for a few answers, but rather.. a tool to help me study, and not get bogged down with one question or chapter, while being able to then move on to others.

Is what I did wrong? Was it really a "Cheat Sheet".. or.. just a tool to help me study, and make sure I was able to get to all 20 chapters, and take all 20 practice tests. I didn't have to do this with every chapter.,. or even most.. or even.. some.. just with a couple of really troublesome chapters that I was concerned about getting bogged down with, that I wouldn't be able to get to others.

Thoughts?

 

[Sunriseticklee]

You're cheating. If you knew it, or truly understood it, you wouldn't have to write down the answers to move on. You would get them all right.

BUT you can call it a study aid if it makes you feel better. Maybe it is your own version of Cliff Notes.

I'm not mad at you though. I'm the kind of person who would put all test questions on the website in game format, and if you play the games enough times, you know the answers, hence you ace my test. Basically, trick them into studying. May work like a charm because when the state test comes.... they kill it! Why, because I could make them study, even when they don't know it.

I wonder if anyone can honestly say they have never cheated at anything, on anything, on anyone ever. Maybe not cheated on someone... but I wonder about the other two.... hmmmmmmmm

 

[milagros317]

IMO it's not cheating unless you do it on the real test, which you won't.

 

[General Zod]

I feel.that as long as you do not take that to the test,it is not cheating. For some people,I include myself,writing stuff down helps with memory.

 

[Mitchell]

Sunrise, thanks.

I only cheated on one real test in my life. In HS, and I got caught. I was having a bad year, and had a test in a class I didn't know the material. I had a small piece of paper with answers in between my legs, and the teacher saw I was looking at it. She sent me to the Dean, and I was suspended, and had to take my finals at home, with a tutor/proctor who I had to pay for, and who made sure I didn't cheat. I passed everything okay, and honestly. . As everyone who has read my posts knows, I got very high grades in college, without ever cheating. Although, the highest grades, were often take home tests, where I had to write long papers, and give definition or explanation answers.

No, mils, of course I wont do this on the real exam.

Thanks Zod.

My dad knows what I've been doing. He's always known I'm not a good test taker. From the time I was little, I would rather write a 20 page paper, then take a test. His opinion was the same as mils and Zod, that as long as I'm not doing it on the real test, its a study tool, and not cheating.

I didn't try to take the practice final again, and wont, until after I go to the all day review tomorrow. I'm going to mention the bad grade on the practice final to the course review instructor, tell him about my being a bad test taker, and ask him his opinion. My mentor doesn't seem worried about the bad grade on the practice final. He says the review class will help me increase my grade.

Just so everyone knows, I took the practice final completely honestly, and from memory, no "Cheat Sheet".

 

[GQguy]

This is the real world. If you're not cheating you're not trying hard enough. These exams are stupid formalities...the real test is when you get your license and your ability to sell insurance. No one cares if you memorized the test and sell millions worth of life insurance. But....don't get caught! Everyone hates a cheater dumb enough to get caught.

 

[mykal]

Mitchell, I don't consider what you did cheating at all. When I prepare for my Oracle DBA certification, I always get the practice test and go through the entire set of questions, checking the answer for each question after I have entered my answer and/or guess. Then I see what I got right or wrong and why.

I'll do this for multiple passes each time reviewing only those that I got wrong on the previous time through. Once I no longer have any wrong, I'll take the mock certification exam.

A lot of the time, I find that I learned more from the practice exam then I did going through the reading and/or classes leading up to the exam.

That being said, I also agree with GQguy in that how you do in exams is really no reflection of actual ability.

 

[Mitchell]

Thanks, guys.

Just so both of you guys, and everyone else, knows.

I had my day long review course.. It was very well done,. The instructor covered everything. I was honest with him. I told him that I';m not a good test taker, and about what I did with the practice test. He didn't have a problem with that at all. He did say that for the real exam, there are eye in the sky, and if you cheat, you are permanently disqualified from ever taking the exam, or getting your license. No way, after as hard as I've worked. If I take it, I will do so honestly, and if I fail, will just keep taking it til I pass.

I cant take the real exam tomorrow. One has to pass the practice finals honestly twice before then, and I told the professor that I cant. He wont be there next week.. so what we came up with, is I would take it the next time its offered, Friday the 25th. There is a another day long review on the 24th, but I doubt I'd do that, because I don't want to burn myself out. I'm just going to study, take practice finals honestly, and take the real thing honestly on the 25th. Professor H confirmed that one can take the real exam as many times as needed, and most don't pass it the first time.

Thanks for the support, guys. I plan to rest tonight. I am one tired man. One thing that brightened my day. I saw the cutest girl sitting next to me on the way home. (With a guy unfortunately, so I couldn't talk to her). She was doing a shoe dangle off her bare foot, and I glanced without being noticed. It was a nice ending to an otherwise brutal day.