TIPS FOR TEST TAKING
When you take a test, you are demonstrating your ability to understand course material, or perform certain tasks. The test forms the basis of evaluation or judgment for your course of study. There are many environmental conditions, including your own attitudes and conditions, which influence how you perform during tests.
These suggestions may help:
Come prepared; arrive early for tests
 | Bring all the materials you will need, such as pencils and pens, a calculator, and a watch. This will help you focus on the task at hand. |
Stay relaxed and confident
| Remind yourself that you are well-prepared and are going to do well. |
| Don't let yourself become anxious; if you feel anxious before or during a test, take several slow, deep breaths to relax. |
| Don't talk to other students before a test; anxiety is contagious. |
Be comfortable but alert
| Choose a good spot to take the test. |
| Make sure you have enough room to work. |
| Maintain an upright posture in your seat. |
Preview the test
| Plan to do the easy questions first and the most difficult questions last. |
| As you read the questions, jot down brief notes indicating ideas you can use later in your answers. |
Answer the test questions in a strategic order.
| Begin by answering the easy questions you know. |
| The last questions you answer should a. be the most difficult b. take the greatest amount of writing |
When taking a multiple choice test, know when to guess.
| First eliminate answers you know are wrong. |
| Always guess when there is no penalty for guessing. |
| Since your first choice is usually correct, don't change your answer unless something in another question gives you the answer to a previously answered question or you are 100% certain you selected the wrong answer. |
Try to reserve some time for review.
| Review your test; resist the urge to leave as soon as you have completed all the items. |
| Make sure you have answered all the questions. |
| Check your math answers for careless mistakes (e.g., misplaced decimals). Match your actual answers to math problems against quick estimates. |
| If possible, check your math by taking your answers and working the problems backwards. |
Analyze your test results.
| Each test can further prepare you for the next test. |
| Decide which strategies worked best for you. |
| Identify those that didn't work well and replace them. |
| Use your tests to review when studying for final exams. |
Qualifiers are words that restrict or open up general statements.
Words like "no, never, none, always, every, entirely, only" restrict possibilities and usually imply false statements. They imply a statement must be true 100% of the time. Qualifiers like "sometimes, often, frequently, ordinarily, generally" open up the possibilities of more accurate statements and usually indicate true answers. They make more modest claims and are more likely to reflect reality.
Every part of a true sentence must be true.
If any one part of the sentence is false, the whole sentence is false despite many other true statements. Therefore read long sentences carefully and pay attention to each group of words set off by punctuation. Sentences with long strings of words are most likely - but not always - false statements.
Adapted from the University of St.Thomas Learning Center