THERE’S MORE TO PASSING EXAMS THAN JUST SKIING, RIDING, AND TEACHING WELL
By Mark Aiken Y
ou’ve done the studying. You know the material inside and out. You’re skiing or riding better than ever, and your mentors love your approach to teaching scenarios. But here’s the problem: you don’t test
well. You get nervous in exam settings and freeze in front of groups of peers. In short, you’re stressing out about that certification exam on the horizon. I have good news. Knowing that, at
every exam, some candidates will succeed and some won’t, I wondered if there were strategies for achieving the best possible outcomes at these stressful events. I spoke with three experts, who provided plenty of encouraging advice. Peter Howard works
at Vermont’s
Sunday River and serves as the Alpine Certification Chair for PSIA-AASI’s Eastern Division. In other words, he is an examiner and plays an integral role in all decisions relating to the administration of exams in the East. Krissi Taylor Leslie is the director of tutoring for the Princeton Review, an organization that prepares individuals to take standardized tests like the SAT, GRE, and MCAT. Larry Rudiger, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Vermont with a particular interest in how the human mind processes, arranges, and retrieves information. Tey shared their collective wisdom
for how to be successful at exams, with one caveat. Each agreed that there is no substitute for skiing and riding to the national standard and knowing the material. Tat said, Howard, Leslie, and Rudiger emphasized that focused study tailored toward a specific exam, a mindset that testing is just another form of receiving feedback, and quality practice in the right conditions can improve test- taking ability and increase a candidate’s
82 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2016 chances for success.
KNOW THE EXAM FORMAT AND PARAMETERS “Nothing can stand in place of solid preparation,” says Leslie. By preparation, she means for the specific test. First off, think about
QTrain for the exam. Tis sounds obvious, but does your studying prepare you for the testing you’ll endure? For example, Howard, who has been an examiner since 1987, says if your teaching repertoire includes primarily low-level lessons, this could make the Level III teaching and
“Nothing can stand in place of solid preparation”
PSIA-AASI’s certification exams. Tey compare instructor performance to an objective national standard. However, the association’s exams
Q If your exam is on a big mountain, find time to train on a big mountain. If you can’t, then think about finding an exam held on a mountain with similar terrain and vertical feet to yours. Howard has also seen candidates who skied well, but who did not practice low-end demos or agility tasks. Know what’s going to be tested and how; then prepare for it. Tis will help you perform well.
movement analysis a big challenge. “It shows if you haven’t done it,” he said. “You have to find a way to practice teaching high-end lessons; maybe try to lead staff training clinics.”
Exam anxiety is normal, but you can combat it.
can be a subjective experience because they rely on individual(s) to score the candidate’s performance. With that understanding, take the following into account to give yourself the best
chance of success: QKnow how the test is designed. Leslie’s students are preparing for multiple- choice tests, so reading comprehension is
QRecognize the social nature of our exams. As a professor, Rudiger looks at tests differently than most of us. “A test is a mediated social interaction between test administrator and test taker,” he explains.
QI never thought of an exam as “social interaction,” but PSIA-AASI’s most certainly are. Some examiners are jovial and welcoming, putting the entire group at ease. Others are standoffish and formal, adding to the tension.
key. In the case of PSIA and AASI exams, the divisions publish study guides that describe the exam formats. Tey outline what time the exam starts, the exam schedule, and tasks on which you might be graded.
QAt training clinics, practice speaking
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