©Arlene Taylor PhD

Innate preference influences the type of examination style that individuals are most comfortable using. When examinations contain questions and testing methods that are matched with each of the four divisions of the cerebrum, each exam-taker would theoretically be able to excel at one style and, at the same time, get to practice the other three.

Examinations are often developed with the so-called “average” student in mind. Some students, often those who fall outside that average range, may give a “wrong answer” when they focus on an exception to the general rule, (an exception these students often can discover if one exists).

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Left Frontal Lobe

  • Oral presentations
  • Abstracting and summarizing
  • Essay questions, investigative writing
  • Prefers multiple choice questions

 

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Right Frontal Lobe

  • Essay questions (prefer to use a computer)
  • Submission of a project (e.g., art, writing)
  • Composition questions (e.g., creative writing, music, poetry, novels, short stories)

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Left Posterior Lobes

  • Matching questions
  • True or false questions
  • Precise memorization
  • Needs predictability in exam schedule

 

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Right Posterior Lobes

  • Uncomfortable with any type of exam
  • Prefer practical questions (e.g., portray, demonstrate, role-model)
  • Needs to engage in conversation around the examinations