Practice Test Project 2013

Last year I organized and some of you helped with a Bible Bee "practice test project" for the purpose of making mock tests at both the Local and National level for the benefit of all Bible Bee contestants. The Local tests turned out pretty good; the National tests, different story. This is because all the National qualifiers had much less time to make questions than they did during Locals. I did not anticipate this last year. However, I am thinking about a new scheme that will hopefully work for both Locals and Nationals this year.
Like last year, everybody is welcome to participate. Ideally, we would have a majority of previous Bible Bee contestants; but I do not want this to deter any new people from participating. As long as there are some previous Bible Bee-ers in your group, we will welcome you. I also need two "commanders" (preferably Seniors; see below) who will have special jobs; they will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. (EDIT: The commander positions have already been assigned.) If you'd like to volunteer, please contact me with this information: your age division (unless you're an alumnus), preferred Bible version (one of KJV, NKJV, ESV, and NASB) and the age divisions you could make questions for.
(You can make questions for a particular age division if:

1. You are currently competing in that age division, or
2. You have direct access to the Sword Study for that age division.
   Considering the format of this year's Young Explorer (Level 1) Sword Study, only the Level 2 Sword Study will count as being the Primary resource from which you can take questions. This means if you do not have access to Level 2, even if you do have access to Level 1, you will need to make questions for another division.
   Most likely, Primaries would make questions only for Primaries, and Juniors would make for Juniors and Primaries (although Junior-made Senior questions might be acceptable).
   )

A few prerequisites for volunteers are:
-Direct access to at least one of the official 2013 National Bible Bee Sword Studies. While this is not absolutely essential, if you do not have access to a Sword Study, you will be severely limited in your question-making. (Aside: Sword Studies are copyrighted, and as practice test makers, we are not allowed to copy them verbatim. This, of course, does not mean that you have to think up all of your questions with no help from the SS.)
-A good working email address that you can access fairly frequently, and where applicable, parental permission for me to share your address with whoever I deem necessary.
-A sufficient amount of time in your schedule to make a fair amount of test questions and check a lot more in the months of June and July. While we can probably go into early August if necessary, the later we finish, the less time others will have to take the test.

Last year we all got together in small groups and each group make a separate test. As mentioned before, the Local tests went pretty well, but not so for Nationals. This year I am thinking about making three larger groups, one for each age division. One big difference would be that the tests would most likely be more than 200 questions.
Each group would have a "Commander" of sorts who would keep track of who has done what and make sure everybody does their fair share of helping. One of these commanders would probably be myself. Sometime in early June, I will send an email to all the volunteers with the names, email addresses, and Bible versions of their commander and teammates. (You can begin making questions before I send the email). All finished questions would be sent to the commander, who would either check them himself or herself or pass them on to other members of the team (preferably using another version) to check. Hopefully every group would have all four versions to work with. Once two or three people have checked the questions and the commander is satisfied that all is well, he or she would put them into an accumulating document with the finished test questions. Once finished, the test would be sent to me and I would do the final formatting before releasing it.
The commander would also have a couple special jobs: First, I have realized that making one test instead of multiple for each age division might hinder Primaries, Juniors, and Seniors making for their own age division because they would probably see most or all of the questions on their own test. To combat this, the commander would NOT send every question to every team member, especially the ones that are making for his or her own age division. Hopefully we would have enough members in each group to accomplish this and still adequately check the test questions. In addition, I think the finished test should have sections with each question-maker having their own little section with the questions they made, so that when the volunteers take the test that they helped to make, they could know at a glance which questions they had already seen and which they hadn’t.
Another job of the commander would be to quickly look through the questions made by the team members at the end of the project and eliminate any duplicates, even if they are not actually checking the questions. Unfortunately, this rather defeats the purpose of the last paragraph; so for now, I will agree to be the Senior commander, unless an alumnus would like to help me out. (EDIT: Nathan Tappendorf, a Senior himself, has graciously offered to take the Senior commander position for me. Thanks Nathan!) I would also suggest that the other two commanders would also be Seniors (or a Junior for the Primary test), so that the other commanders will not see the questions on their age division's test before they are finished.
Oh, one more thing: I highly recommend that all volunteers make use of Microsoft Word's "Reviewing" feature for checking the questions. This allows you to track any changes you make in the document and include comments about specific questions in the document itself, instead of having to rely on memory or comparison for the changes and long e-mail messages for the comments. Search for "Reviewing" in your Microsoft Word's Help document to find out more about Reviewing.

Matthew

Wow that sounds really cool!! :)

Yay! I've been waiting for this post! :D I'd love to help this year, but need to get my parents permission first! :) I'll let you know as soon as possible.

EDIT- I have a couple questions…

1. Are we only going to make 1 test for each division?
2. This may be kind of a harder question to answer, but anyway… On average, how many emails might I expect to recieve a week?
   Thanks in advance!

Matthew, although I'm not able to compete this year because of age, I will be doing the study, and I would be willing to help you with anything you need help with for the practice tests.

@Elanee - Thanks! I'll put you on my list. What Bible version would you be using to make the questions?
BTW: I just realized - I think that you were our family's guide at last year's National Bible Bee in the introductory tour. Do you remember that?

@Rachel: That's what I was thinking, but a friend just brought up that maybe we could make a separate 200-question test so that it would be as real practice as possible, then put the excess questions in a different test. I will have to think about that one.
You're right, that question is hard. I'd say maybe about 5-10? It will depend on how many questions you make yourself, but I am expecting and hoping for several (8+) volunteers in each group, so the work load should not be that hard. I just sent the text of this topic to 35 email addresses yesterday.

Matthew, i sent you an email, I would be delighted to help!!

Thanks for answering, Matthew! :)
I talked it over with my parents, and I don't think they mind me doing it, but both their concern and mine is that it will take up too much of my studying time. So I'll be thinking/praying about it and I'll let you know!

Rachel, last year I was blessed with the opportunity to proof one of the local practice tests. I learned sooo much more than I would have if I hadn't proofed. I'm sure I got some of the real test questions right because of doing that. Other contestants will think of things that maybe you missed or didn't think were important, a you do the same for them. It was so wonderful to be able to work on the test, and it definitely helped me study, instead of taking time from it. :)

Hi Emily! Thanks for your answer! :) I'm considering it…
If I did help, I'd prefer (as well as my parents) that i would not to have to make more than about 10-20 questions, because of my schedule.

I helped with a practice test last year, and I would love to do it again!

@Rachel - That's fine. In fact, that's one of the reasons I created this new method - so that people could work according to their varying amounts of time available.

@Sarah - Great! I'll put you on the list. I think I already have your info… EDIT: are you still a Junior?

Yes, she is.

Matthew - thank you for telling me that! I will have access to all 3 Sword Studies, so if I do help, I could make for any divison.
I'll let you know shortly!

Hi everyone,

For those of you who have already volunteered, this is a reminder that now that Bible Bee has started, you can begin making test questions any time. For those who have not yet responded, you can still join in the test making but I would like to know sometime this week whether you will be helping or not. I currently have about 4 volunteers per division, including commanders, so we need at least a couple more volunteers per division in order to really pull this off. Specifically if you are an NASB user, please consider doing this as we have no volunteers using NASB so far.
Also, one thing that I neglected to mention in the original post: Considering the format of this year's Young Explorer (Level 1) Sword Study, only the Level 2 Sword Study will count as being the Primary resource from which you can take questions. This means if you do not have access to Level 2, even if you do have access to Level 1, you will need to make questions for another division. Please let me know if this changes the divisions you can make questions for.

Sorry Matthew, I haven't been on Memverse to see your response until now. I will be using KJV, to write questions, and I guess I could write for the Senior Level since that is the only level I have access to.

I think I do remember you and your family at Nationals, but I can't picture you exactly due to the quantity of people I took on tours in such as short amount of time!

How is the test making coming along? Have an idea when they'll be out?

We're coming along pretty well - my group is, anyway. August 10 is when they're supposed to be finished if not earlier. It depends on how fast everybody works. :)

Sounds great! :) Looking forward for them to come out! :D

Great. This will be a great help!

Leah, I have some 50-question tests ready for all three age divisions, but the only way I can get them to you is through email. Maybe you could send me an email, or I could get your email from somebody else we both know?

Hey could u email me the Senior and the Junior test by chance?? :)

Do you have an estimated time when the ESV (full-version) practice test will be available?
Also, I have a website where you contact me…if you could go there and just leave a simple comment, then I would have your email address and could send you an email…….and then maybe you could send me the ESV 50-question test, if it's available. (Hope that's not too confusing.) The site is www.talesofkhartur.weebly.com and the contact form is right on the home page.
[Check out what I've got while you're there. :)]

Thanks so much for heading this up. It really is a HUGE help.
Karthmin

I like ur website. :)

Matthew, when do you need the questions?/

@Martin: My email address is under my account. (Click on the link on my name to the left.) I'll make sure to visit your site sometime, but I'm only allowed on certain sites and so I'd have to ask my dad to put it on the allowed list. Also, you'll remember that the official BB test is not version-biased, so the practice tests won't be either. :)

@Bethany: By tomorrow if possible. I'd like to have several days to check them, and the official deadline for the full-version tests to be fully complete is August 10.

Will you be sending the tests out? How will that work? I would really like to receive a copy of the test to increase my knowledge of 1 John. Thanks!

I think they are posted as PDF files on the Memverse blog. At least, that's what they did last year.

That's what I'm planning, unless for some reason Alex isn't able to do that this year. If that happens to be the case, I will try to post them on another website and post the link here.

Thanks so much, Matthew!
[Edit: Just sent you an email.]

Will the practice tests be out tomorrow? :)

Well, I hate to say this, but probably not, because we (at least my group) still have a lot to do, and even if we do finish by tomorrow Alex will need some time to post it. Keep your eyes peeled, though. :)

Caleb and his team have finished their Primary practice test!! I just sent it to Alex, so it should be on the blog soon! The Senior and Junior versions will also be available very soon.

Thanks so much!!!!

Awesome! :)

I love them! I just finished the Senior test.

BTW, I'll be able to help you next year probably.

@Matthew - Do you think that there are going to be practice tests for nationals? Thanks again for the ones for locals!

@andrew: I hate to say this, but I am looking at a very busy fall, particularly if I make it to Nationals (which I'm planning on.) :) So, I will not be able to lead a practice test project for Nationals, but if anyone else wants to lead it, I might be able to help some. I am thinking, though, that Nats practice tests won't be as needed as Locals practice tests, because the people who get to Nationals got there because they are good test-takers already. I'm not saying it wouldn't be any help; I'm just saying that Locals is much more important.

Okay, that's all right.

I would be interested in taking it!!

I would be interested as well!

I would love to take it! That sounds really helpful.

i'd like it too!!

I would take it.

I'd be interested, even though I'm not studying for Nationals :) Sounds neat!

I'd like that too! Thanks.

I'd be very interested in taking your Dad's test, Leah. Thank you so much!

I'd be interested in taking the test, Leah. that's a great idea.

I'd definitely be interested in taking it - thank you so much! =)

I'd like to take it too. :D

Could I take it even though I am not a Senior yet? :-)