TEST TAKING STRATEGIES

By

Uta A. Maharaj, M.Ed.

ACTIVITY

“I wish I had a dime for each time I’ve heard a student say, ‘I understood it all at home but when I took the test, my mind just went blank.’

I don’t want that to happen to you!

Some of you have great strategies for taking tests, and others might like some help, so let’s gather some suggestions.

ACTIVITY

Get into pairs

List and be ready to share as many ideas as possible for test-taking strategies of two types: BEFORE & DURING a test

You have 10 minutes for this.

PREPARING FOR TESTS

Space out your studying over a few days or weeks, and continuously review material, don't wait until the night before.

Get a good night's sleep before the test.

When a test is announced or anticipated, identify the material that will be covered in a test.

PREPARING FOR TESTS

Let go of negative feelings about the test.

Keep a copy of all previous study materials and all graded work.

Familiarize yourself with test question styles and directions.

Keep calm and cool; think positively.

MORNING OF THE TEST

Start your day as you always do.

Eat a good breakfast.

Think of what you will do to relax after you get home from school.

Think Positive!

THE TEST

TRUE/ FALSE – Qualifiers like "never, always, and

every” mean that the statement must be true ALL of the time. Usually these type of qualifiers lead to a false answer.

– If any part of the question is false, then the entire statement is false, but just because part of a statement is true doesn't necessarily make the entire statement true.

– Usually there are more true answers than false on most tests. Soo…when you do not know the answer. Mark it true!

THE TEST

ESSAY – Organize your thoughts before you begin to

write.

– Budget your time, don't spend the entire test time on one essay.

– Don't write long introductions and conclusions, the bulk of your time should be spent on answering the question(s) asked.

– Write clearly! Teachers need to be able to read it.

THE TEST

MULITPLE CHOICE

– Read the question before you look at the answer.

– If there is no guessing penalty, always take an educated guess and select an answer.

– Select answers that are longer and more descriptive.

– Read all the choices before choosing your answer.

– An answer choice of “All of the above” is typically the correct answer. If more than one choice is correct, “all of the above” is probably correct as well.

THE TEST

MULTIPLE CHOICE

– After you have been through all of the questions once, go back and find questions you have some knowledge about and eliminate choices that you know are incorrect.

I know C isn’t

the answer!

THE TEST

SHORT ANSWER – Concentrate on the number of blanks in the

sentence and the length of the space.

– Provide a descriptive answer when you can not think of the exact word or words.

– Look for grammatical clues within the question to help you determine the correct answer. If you can think of several correct answers, let your teacher know and you may be rewarded with a clue as to the answer he or she is looking for.

THE TEST

QUANTATIVE/ MATH

– Repetition is important in math, you learn how to solve problems by doing them.

– Make up a sheet with all the formulas you need to know and memorize all the formulas on the sheet.

– Show all your work (especially when partial credit is awarded) and write as legibly as possible.

THE TEST

QUANTATIVE MATH

– Look for careless mistakes, make sure the decimal is in the right place, that you read the directions correctly, that you copied the numbers correctly, that you put a negative sign if it is needed, that your arithmetic is correct and so on.

THE TEST

OPEN BOOK – Spend an equal or greater amount of time preparing

as you would for a normal test; the open book test will most likely be harder than if it were a closed book exam.

– Highlight important points, use post-it notes, bookmarks and make notes in your book, if it is allowed.

– Answer the easy questions that you know off the top of your head first, then go back and answer the questions where you need to reference your book.

– Bring all the resources that your professor or teacher allows for.

POST TEST

REVIEW your answers (be sure not to over analyze).

YOUR FIRST GUESS IS USUALLY RIGHT

TIPS

Always arrive early and take a moment to relax and reduce your anxiety.

Listen attentively to last minute instructions given by the instructor.

Read the test directions very carefully and watch for details.

Maintain a positive attitude.

Rely on your first impressions.

TIPS

Fill in bubbles fully, write neatly, and erase stray marks.

Double-check the test number in your test booklet against the answer sheet every few questions to be sure you haven’t gotten on the wrong number.

TEST!!!

Complete the test in front of you

You have 5 minutes to do this.

THANK YOU

Thank you for your time and attention and GOOD LUCK!!!

If you require additional information, please contact the Academic Advising and Disabilities Learning Unit.