Standardised Test Prep is Stressful (or worse…boring!).

Common methods for standardised test preparation are stressful. In that light, video games encourage a ‘try, fail and try again’ attitude which decreases stress related to the subject matter, whilst increasing exposure and aptitude.

One proven way to increase scores on standardised tests is exposing a student to practise tests and questions. The more experience a student has with answering multiple-choice questions, the better they’ll do on the actual test.

The problem with most online test preparation products is that they mimic the stressful exam environment with countdown timers and rapid-fire questions. Stress markedly impairs memory retrieval, bearing, for instance, the risk of underachieving at exams.

Neuroscience shows that students have superior cognitive input when stress is low and learning experiences are relevant to students, yet stimulating and challenging.

Lockpick Games is taking the usually stressful or boring task of preparing for a standardised test, and creating a fun and memorable experience.

Video games are an ideal environment for young people to learn.

Video games are great at de-stressing exam preparation and increasing capacity for memory and motivation. Kids already love and play video games – ideal users are already comfortable with this format.

Researchers have found that purposeful gameplay builds self-confidence and real-world problem-solving skills. Purposeful gameplay refers to playing a video game with a positive goal in mind, such as learning to solve new problems.

Contrary to popular belief, playing to get better at something helps the player become more resilient in real life and hyper-stimulates the regions of the brain associated with motivation, goal-orientation, learning and memory.

This principle is best articulated by former NASA engineer, Mark Rober in his TEDx Talk ‘The Super Mario Effect’: you can learn anything through a game because games take the fear of failure off the table and ‘trick’ our brains into trying and failing until we finally succeed.

It’s also important to meet young people where they already are: which is often playing video games:

• Tweens (ages 8 to 12) spend 55 minutes per day playing computer or console games, and 34 minutes playing mobile games.
• Teens ages thirteen to eighteen spend 69 minutes per day playing computer or console games, and 27 minutes playing mobile games.

Video games are also the platforms that students and peers socialise and engage with each other on. This increases the sense of autonomy and relatedness with an educational gaming product.

Self-determination theory (SDT) states there are three basic psychological needs that are essential for intrinsically motivated behavior, namely, feelings of competence, autonomy and relatedness. Social environments that provide opportunities to satisfy these psychological needs are assumed to promote intrinsic motivation.

Tapping into video games, an environment students already associate as positive and relatable, is essential to making both exam preparation and study more enjoyable and relevant, and in increasing the benefits of ‘purposeful play’.