Test Taking Tips

At times it can seem overwhelming to prepare for a test or quiz, especially for a class that is more challenging than others, or has a vast amount of new material to remember.  There are some things you can do to help prepare for these tests to lessen the anxiety of the experience and to help achieve better grades.  It is important to remember that there is not one correct way to learn new material or to a magic strategy that can be applied to always earn a perfect score on a test or quiz.  Keep trying to new methods of preparing for your tests and quizzes until you find what works best for you.  How you learn new material may be different from others in your class.

Preparing for Your Test

Before Your Test

• Do all of your classwork and homework assignments.  Your teacher has chosen activities and assignments that will help you learn the new material.

• Use good studying habits.  There is not one correct way to study for a test or a quiz, and you may have to experiment with what works best for you, but use a method that has worked well for you in the past.

• Use study guides or practice tests.  Some teachers provide these resources for you.  You can always make your own study guides if there is not one available.

• Don't cram.  Start preparing for an upcoming test sooner rather than later.  Tests are usually announced well in advance to give students adequate time to prepare.

• Ask for help.  Find when your teacher is available for extra help and then attend a session to review any questions, topics, or problems.

• Check to see if there are any extra credit or bonus questions you can do ahead of time.  These are free points that may be added to your test.

• Get a good night's rest.  Be sure to plan ahead to that the night before a big test you can get to bed early enough to feel rested and ready for the test.

The Day of Your Test

• Be prepared.  Make sure you have everything you need to be ready to take the test.  Don't forget your pen, sharpened pencil, calculator, formula sheet, or any other material you can use while taking your test.

• Use the bathroom.  Try and use the bathroom before your test so that you have less interuptions once you get started.

• Arrive early to class.  If you can, get to class as soon as possible.  This will give you time to organize everything you need for the test.  It's always best to feel ready and settled to start a test or quiz.

• Don't panic!  Remember that all the material on the test or quiz has been covered in class and/or has been on an assignment.

Taking Your Test

General Tips

• Listen to any instructions from your teacher.  Sometimes there are some last bits of information that will be useful to you when taking your test.

• Read the directions to each part of the test.  Some tests have specific instructions for how to complete sections or specific questions.  

• Brain dump.  Often times you can use scrap paper or extra space on your test to write down important information you can use on your test.  Take a few minutes to write facts, formulas, dates, names, sequences, etc. so that you can use them as a reference later.  This can help you feel more prepared and alleviate some test-taking stress.

• Take your time.  In most cases you can use extra time if you need it, so long as you are working productively to finish your test.

• Read all questions carefully and thoroughly.

• Answer questions you know first.  It is okay to skip questions that are confusing or more challenging so long as you go back to them later.  Sometimes you may even find information in other questions that can help you with the more challenging ones.

• Make the questions you skipped.  Use a star or circle or some other means of identifying the questions you skipped.

• Never leave a question blank when a word bank is provided.  A blank answer is wrong.  An answered question has a chance of being correct.

• Review your test once you have completed all the questions.  Make sure all questions are answered.  If you have the time, you can double check the more challenging questions and see if your answers make sense.

• Write legibily.  The teacher needs to be able to read you answers in order for you to receive credit for your work.

• Ask the teacher if something is confusing to you.  The teacher may not be able to give you the answer to the question, but he may be able to clarify a confusing point.

• Answer any extra credit or bonus questions.  These can only add to your score and often have no penalty for a wrong answer.

Multiple Choice Questions

• Read the question and come with an answer before looking at the choices.  This may not work all the time but it can help to find the correct answer with some multiple choice questions.

• Read all the choices before selecting your answer.  Sometimes another option is a better answer than the first choice.

• Look for choices that, when selected, are more grammatically correct.

• Look for choices that are part of the current subject matter.  Sometimes words that are not part of the current topic are used as a distraction.

• Be absolutely sure when selecting "none of the above."  While this can be the right answer, oftentimes there are clues in the question that can eliminate this choice.

• If you find that more than one option can seem like a correct answer, then "all of the above" may be the correct choice.

• If two options are opposite, one of them could be the correct answer.

• Eliminate choices you know are wrong.  This increases the odds that you can get the correct answer.

True or False

• Questions with 100% qualifiers (like no, never, always, all, only) are oftentimes false.

• Questions that fall between extremes (like sometimes, often, frequently, few, some, usually) are oftentimes true.

• If any part of the question or statement is false, then the answer is almost always false.

• Watch for negatives in a true or false question.  Read over the question and see if it makes sense.

Open Response

• Read the directions carefully so you know how to answer each part of the open response question.

• Use the information from your brain dump.

• Use a reference sheet or formula sheet if they are allowed.

• Make a brief outline of how you expect to answer the open response question.  This will help you brainstorm an answer and keep you organized while you write.

• Be concise.  Adding extra details may not help your answer, and in fact, may result in loss of points if that extra detail is not correct.

• Avoid giving your opinion unless the question specifically asks for it.

• Diagrams, drawings, graphs, etc. can help support your answer when done correctly.

• Check for spelling, punctuation and grammar if they are included in the points for your answer.

• Follow all the problem solving steps and show all your work for questions that require calculations.  Remember to use your units.

• Read over your open response questions to make sure they make sense.  Be sure you have shown all your work on any problems.

After Your Test

• When you review your test after the teacher has graded it pay attention to the review session.  Teachers often will review the answers with the class and provide the answers to each question.  This may be done during class time or a different review session.

• Read any feedback a teacher has given to you so that you are less likely to make a similar mistake in the future.

• Check to make sure none of your questions were marked incorrect by mistake.

• Write the correct answer(s) to any question you got wrong.  Sometimes similar questions will show up on a future test or exam.

• Make a note of which questions you got wrong.  Was there a topic that was confusing or a problem that you need to practice more?

• Check to see if there are ways to make up any lost points.  Some teachers allow retakes or other ways to earn back points.  This is not always an option but it's worth asking.

• Keep track of your grades.  If you know how you scored on each test your grade at the end of the term will not be a surprise.