What are strategies for minimizing student questions during exams?
I explain at the start of the first test that, "Questions clarifying what you're reading are okay (raise your hand, I'll come over). I cannot tell you how to solve a problem. My response may be, 'I can't tell you that during the test.'"
If Question #1 comes up, I do as stated. Questions #2-3 get a fairly loud (but polite) repetition of, "I can't tell you that during the test." (Or, "That's what you're being tested on."). Question #4 may get, "Just read the direction carefully" (which itself is a repetition of something I need to say during almost every single class meeting).
I find this public act tamps down on questions as much as I can hope for. The main thing is to be solidly consistent. Counterexample: I was co-proctoring with another professor in their class. That professor got a question, shook his head in disgust, muttered "You should know that", and walked away. Then turned around, walked back, and actually did talk the student through how to solve the problem. This can only encourage more fishing questions like that.
Due diligence: In liberal-arts math courses I have occasionally had students express disbelief and/or outrage that I wouldn't help them during a test. "But you're the teacher, that's your job" kind of thing.
You ask about minimizing questions, but really from how you describe your motivation it sounds like the real question is about minimizing distractions to you and to the students; the questions of type 2-4 don't bother you per se, but only to the extent that they create a distraction.
Well, it seems to me that distractions can easily be brought down to a level that no one can reasonably find objectionable by imposing a suitable protocol for students to ask questions, and without compromising any student's right to ask any question they think is appropriate to ask or making the students feel like you are treating them in an adversarial fashion. A couple of possibilities that come to mind for such a protocol are:
- A student who wants to ask a question should raise their hand and wait for you to notice them. You will then give them permission to get up and approach you in a part of the class that's far enough away from the other students so as to minimize the noise and distraction that your conversation will create. They then ask the question, you answer it, and they get back to their seat.
Or, if that's not quiet enough, then a slightly more drastic option would be
- The student will write their question on a piece of paper and raise their hand. You collect the paper, go back to the front of the classroom, think about the question, write an answer (or something like "no comment" if the question is not legitimate), and give them back the paper. If they are still unsatisfied with your answer, they can ask a followup question by following protocol 1 above.
Finally, I should add that I see some psychological benefit to allowing students to ask even illegitimate questions (e.g., of type 2-4). We should remember that exams are a very stressful situation and induce a high level of stress and anxiety in many students, which can be quite debilitating and hurt their performance on the exam. I think it's important to be as empathetic and mindful as one can to this fact; in particular, giving students the impression that you are friendly and stand ready to answer any questions they may have can go a small way towards reducing the level of anxiety some students will experience, even to the extent of allowing them to perform better (and want to ask fewer questions!). And this is true even if in practice when the students ask an unfair or illegitimate question you give nothing away. So, it may sound a bit Machiavellian, but in my opinion creating the appearance of being helpful can be just as important and useful in an exam situation as actually being helpful.
My approach is approximately "no questions, period" (not after the first few minutes). I'm only in the room to proctor, not to talk about the exam. Even if there are typos on an exam, it is a very mixed thing to "make corrections" during the exam itself, because some people will already have spent time on the thing, etc. That is, "fairness" is sometimes approximated best by "uniformity".
One could follow up on "refusal to answer questions" by observing (to the students) that understanding expectations of format, this-and-that, are a large part of what such exams are meant to test. This may not console everyone, but it is a genuine point, and deserves repetition.
So, yes, even when there have been ghastly typos, I've just kept things as they were. Yes, this approach does entail announcing that, no matter how scrupulous I've been, there may indeed be typos, and that students should exercise their own judgement about that possibility. (Again, even if there are typos, it is not possible to correct them in-exam in a fashion that is clearly fair to everyone, unless it happens within the first few minutes.)
It did take me a long time (30+ years?) to get to this point of view...