First, when students are asked to make predictions or given pretests on course material, in the ways that happened in Bjork's experiment, they have a clearer understanding of what their final assessment might look like—and that, in turn, might improve their subsequent study activities and preparation strategies. As Bjork pointed out, “Taking a practice test and getting answers wrong seems to improve subsequent study, because the test adjusts our thinking in some way to the kind of material we need to know” (Carey 2014b).
