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Related Discussions
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Bubbling Technique
CantStopWontStop
Alum Member
I am about to switch to bubbling in groups. After each RC Passage, LG Game, and before I turn the page for LR. For some reason this scares me. For those who have switched, did you have this initial irrational (or maybe rational) fear? Was there an initial step backwards before you saw the gains? Did you see gains? And if so how much time do you think this saves? I will go into the laboratory (aka my desk) to see how it suits me, but I would love some thoughts too.
Comments
I made the switch too, and was initially uneasy. It does same me time, not sure all that much.
Just as accurate so long as you don't rush, which probably goes for the one-by-one method.
I actually liked it for LGs because I had to go back to earlier questions, and sometimes a later inference clearly showed I made a mistake.
This is how I bubble, but I never really did it any other way. It just makes sense to me to do it like this. It takes less time than bubbling after each question, but is a better check than waiting until after the entire section or something. It's like a good half way compromise I think. As long as you try it out on PTs, it shouldn't make you uneasy or anxious - there's literally nothing riding on it! Haha. Just try it out, maybe a couple of times to get used to the rhythm, and if you don't like it then go back to whatever you were doing before.
It's all a personal preference. But I do like the efficiency of doing it this way.
Didn't always bubble this way but I have been for the past 6+ months. The transition was pretty smooth. I never had bubbling errors with either, but the system you lay out feels far more efficient because bubbling interrupts my rhythm less. I can also quickly check for bubbling errors with each page turn/game/passage.
It takes me between 20-30 seconds to bubble and get to the next question regardless of the section.
I heard some people do this with some success. You should experiment and try it out. Personally, I stuck with bubbling after every question because I feel more rushed bubbling after every RC or LG. Different strokes for different folks. Just have to find what works best for you.
I was pretty nervous! The first PT I took, I forgot to bubble the last two questions (i.e. one whole last page) of a section and made a few mistakes. But after practicing on several sections and getting in the habit of doing it while foolproofing, I got the hang of it and realized its utility. I'm actually a lot faster and more accurate now.
Don't be scared! Mistakes are normal. Give yourself some time, and it'll quickly become second nature!
I used to bubble in after each question. I saw a bit of improvement after I consciously switched over to bubbling after each game/passage/LR page. It wasn't so much in score (literally no improvement there) but rather in my ability to concentrate. Looking down to bubble more often took me out of the zone. I find I'm better when I can stay in "the zone" as long as possible. My timing also improved by about 1 minute per section.
I'm planning to do several trials and go with the one that works best.
I also bubble in sections -- which I agree keeps me in the zone and more focused overall. Can I ask a related question regarding what everyone does with skipped questions? Fill in a random choice and change later or leave blank and fill in at the end?
Thanks for all the feedback. I’m looking to make the change.
@jyarmo I fill it in. Then circle the number on scantron to let me know it was skipped. This gives me peace of mind. Also if I don’t get a chance to go back I have a bubbled answer. The only drawback is the ~80% chance you have to erase which I’m comfortable with.
@jyarmo I've left it blank if it's a total skip. If I was stuck between answers then I would put whatever I was leaning towards.
If you leave it blank, just be careful that you don't bubble in the wrong question number.
Hmm for me it seemed natural to vary by section. I generally will wait until I finish a game or a reading passage- then bubble in all the answers for that passage. In LR however, I bubble by question as each and every question is distinct from the previous one. I am open to trying new things though!
I bubbled in before every page flip!
Highly recommend it, it allows you to break your train of thought as minimally as possible.
I bubbled every page flip. It saves time.
The only time I would switch away from this would be if I was running out of time at the end of a section. I would then bubble in c for all the remaining questions when it got down to about two minutes and erase and rebubble in one at a time as I got the right answers. Thankfully, this didn't happen to me too much. But, you definitely don't want to be trying to finish the page before you do your bubbling if you are not going to make it to the end of that page in time.
Like everyone else is saying, DO IT!
I also bubble in groups, right before I turn the page, and have always done it that way. However, at the 5 five minute warning time, if I am not within the last couple of questions, then I change it up to make sure I get my guesses in on the questions that I won't have time to get to. I will go to the bubbles for the last question and bubble all D's from there backwards. Fill them fully, but lightly so that they can be erased if you get back to that question. Then I go forwards again and bubble just one question at a time.
I bubble before every page turn. I think the only drawback is if you skip a question. You have to be very careful to remember to skip the bubble on your answer sheet. I've mis-bubbled due to that a few times
..
How do you guys deal with this issue?
I think it's better to get used to bubbling before each page flip if you can because your test center might have tiny desks. That happened to me and it was frustrating not being comfortable with the lack of space
I had an issue where I'd get a flow going and forget to bubble. I now place the bubble sheet behind the set of pages I'm working on... So if I'm working on pages five and six, the sheet is slid in between seven and eight. That way, when I flip the page I can't forget to bubble. The only exception is that I don't do so on the last page for fear of appearing to look at the next section.
My actual bubbling I do as follows:
-I circle the number of any skipped question on the bubble sheet. They helps me see clearly which ones I need to return to and also helps with the flow of bubbling in groups (it gives my hand/pencil something to do with the skipped line preventing me from mistakenly placing the next answer in what should be the skipped line)
-LR: bubble in the answers in groups, usually one page at a time. (in the above example I'd bubble the answers from page 5 as a group, then look at page six and bubble them as a group.
-LG: by the game, by page
RC- By passage, by page.
Again, for each of these I slide the answer sheet behind the pages I'm working on so that I don't forget to bubble (until the last page, because I don't want to be accused of looking at the next section.
Might be a dumb question... but for those who circle on the scantrons.. do you just make sure you erase really thoroughly? What if time runs out before you get back to it? I always assumed that stray marks on a scantron can create errors in scoring.
I have this same question -- anyone?
I leave it blank and mark that row, outside of the space to bubble, with an 'x.'
'Circle on the scantrons'? You mean, instead of bubbling, circling at first? Instead of circling, I would just make a tick mark inside of my selected bubble and come back to fill in later.
@goingfor99th Exactly. Some mentioned marking the question and coming back to it. I always assumed that stray marks on the scantron form, assuming you didn't go back and erase them really well, could throw off the scantron machines when it came to grading. I like your suggestion, however, of making a tick inside one of the answer bubbles. Good way to mark that it's a question to go back to, without making stray marks or circle the question number on the form.