Faster does not always mean better when it comes to solving difficult problems. In fact, a 2023 study found that people who score high on tests of intelligence complete assessments quickly only when the questions are simple.

When faced with challenging problems, highly intelligent people tend to slow down, deferring conclusions and making “decisions about tentative solution paths while storing previous progress in working memory,” the researchers noted. To avoid false positives, they abstain from making decisions on “higher-level problems” until they’ve solved the simpler ones. What should be prized during learning is not speed alone, the study concluded, but a student’s ability to “switch between fast and deep modes of information processing—depending on the nature of the problem.”

To facilitate cognitive dexterity and signal the value of careful thinking, add one or two difficult problems to assessments and give students ample time to solve and explain their solutions. Or you might combine multiple choice and tough open-ended questions that get kids shifting between speed and deeper thinking.