--- title: Tests, exams and mistakes — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Tests, exams and mistakes», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: When a test is announced, revising (going over what you learned) a little on several different days works better than cramming (trying to learn --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/) / Tests, exams and mistakes # Tests, exams and mistakes Lesson 255 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 19 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/0/) — When a test is announced, revising (going over what you learned) a little on several different days works better than cramming (trying to learn it all at once) the night before, because spread-out practice helps the brain remember for longer. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/1/) — In the test you write your name, read every question carefully and do the ones you know first; if you get stuck, you move on and come back at the end. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/2/) — Your eyes stay on your own paper, even when the teacher leaves the room, because a test must show what you know and honesty matters most when nobody is watching. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/3/) — A low mark is a map of what to practise next, not a measure of how clever you are forever, and you never change a mark or forge a signature to hide it. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/4/) — Everybody makes mistakes, even teachers; a girl in Perth who knocks over a glass jar tells the teacher straight away, so it can be cleaned up safely, and she is respected for owning up. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/5/) — Revising a little on several days helps you remember for longer than revising only the night before. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/6/) — In a test you write your name, read every question carefully and do the questions you know first. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/7/) — If you get stuck on one question, you move on and come back to it at the end, so there is time for the others. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/8/) — Looking at a neighbour's paper is cheating, because the test must show what you know. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/10/) — National tests, such as SATs in England or NAPLAN in Australia, also check how well the school teaches, and one test does not decide your future. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/11/) — A lower mark shows what to practise next; you look at what you got wrong and ask how to improve. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/12/) — Changing a mark or forging a parent's signature (writing their name yourself and pretending they did) is dishonest, and the trouble is much bigger when it is found out. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/14/) — If a teacher makes a mistake on the board, you politely put up your hand and say you think there may be an error. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/15/) — If you break something in the classroom, you tell the teacher straight away so it can be cleaned up safely. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/16/) — If you are blamed for a classmate's mistake, you calmly explain what really happened. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/17/) — A boy in Ohio stayed up nearly all night cramming before a big test; next morning he was so tired he could not remember things he knew well, and he did worse than in practice. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/18/) — A girl in England hid a run of bad marks from her parents and teacher; by the time anyone found out, she was a long way behind and needed months of extra help. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/19/) — Sleep helps the brain store what you learned, so staying up all night usually makes results worse. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/255-tests-exams-and-mistakes/20/) — Hiding mistakes and bad marks stops people from helping you while the problem is still small. - ← previous: [Classroom rules and homework](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/254-classroom-rules-and-homework/) - next →: [Questions, group work and the adults at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/256-questions-group-work-and-adults-at-school/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)