First, let me say that I’d really like to be able to take the same university level test that my high school classmates took, but it just doesn’t happen. Either they didn’t study enough or they didn’t want to bother taking the extra time. In either case, the result is the same. We have absolutely no idea how to write an effective essay in engineering. And even if we could, we don’t know whether we’d ever be good at it.
What I’m trying to illustrate is that even though it might not be possible for you to take a specialized engineering quiz, it’s certainly possible for you to take general engineering quizzes. These types of quizzes won’t test you so much in the realm of electrical engineering, but they will provide you with some insight into the kinds of things that you do well and the kinds of things you need to work on. They’ll also give you a good idea of what you need to know if you want to pursue engineering as a career. So, don’t think of these college tests as just a way to remind you that you need to take this additional step.
If you want to make certain that you get the most out of any kind of engineering quiz, you’ve got to pay attention to the questions. Electrical engineering quizzes are no exception. Each question posed to you should be answered with great care. You should understand why the question is being asked and what the answers will mean for your career. Don’t let the question linger too long – you need to learn as much about it as you can before answering it.
The biggest mistake that I see many students make is to spend too much time thinking about what to answer. Rather than answering the question briefly, try to sketch out the problem and then draw a rough figure or example from real world data. For example, if you were given the question “What is the maximum depth of a swimming pool that can be safely entered without cutting through the filters?” you’d want to know how deep the current would need to go to get to the desired level. Then, you’d want to evaluate whether it’s possible to enter that depth without flooding the pool.
When preparing for an engineering quiz, you’ll also want to think about what types of answers you can expect. Answering questions on a test can be tough – it’s not enough to just glance at the answers. You have to analyze the sentence and determine whether it’s really stating the truth. Sometimes a better approach would be to give the correct answer (as opposed to the wrong answer). However, be careful about giving false answers. This could result in having your grade deduction increased.
Finally, don’t ignore the multiple-choice section of the electrical engineering quiz. You’ll want to pay close attention to it. Most of the time, multiple-choice questions will require a complex thought process. Only give high marks to the best answer, if it’s based on a thorough understanding of the concept. Otherwise, you may be cheating yourself out of a valuable learning experience!
Of course, there are some questions that you can’t avoid. Like all subjects, there are some easy questions and hard questions. Answering a difficult question like “How many cups of coffee does it take to make one cup of espresso?” requires a critical thinking process. You need to first determine how many calories are in that cup of espresso and then determine how many people will be drinking your coffee in a single day. If that question requires a complex mathematical calculation, it’s probably best to skip it and take the easier questions.