Test taking Strategies - for students (university, high school, techniques, master)

[el_suave]

I need suggestions or techniques on how to do proper Test Taking. How to be more effecient during my exams and answering essay sections, going through multiple choices questions, solving problems, relaxations techniques...etc basically anything that saved ((you)) during your exams back in high school or college or university that could help me as a student.

You can even comment and add specific tricks to specific fields of study.

Anything goes exept obvisouly cheating. haha

Be kind pls. I'm serious about this.

Thanks for the help.

[ragnarkar]

When you do multiple choice questions, if you don't know the answer, it helps to clearly denote the choices you are fairly certain are incorrect. Then near the end, you can make an educated guess among a smaller pool of answers rather than guess blindly. This is especially important for tests where there's a guessing penalty but it applies to all tests.

[Momma_bear]

If a test is timed and all the questions are the same number of points make sure you answer all the easy ones first. If you don't know the answer to a question right away skip it and then go back to it. This way you can make sure that you answer all the questions that you know.

You should also understand how a test is scored. If you are given credit for the questions you get right then you should make sure you answer every question even if you have to guess.

If there is a penalty for getting questions wrong (like the SAT) then you should see if you can eliminate a few choices. If you can increase your chances of getting a question right by eliminating choices you should guess.

[rockymtn]

Make sure they get plenty of sleep a few nights in a row before the test.

Give them a healthy breakfast.

Don't erase the first answer they go with, unless they are absolutely sure it was wrong.

[Finger Laker]

I was/am a pretty good test taker

Everyone is different, but I found that confidence played a large part

Put in some preparation time - have an understanding of what will be on the test

Then understand how tests usually flow and how the instructor/test maker wants you to answer

(For example, I had a teacher who would give essay exams and state the format that the answers must take - it was a logical progression so not difficult to remember, but so many of my friends did poorly because they didn't just follow the "how" that was provided)

Take a minute and read the instructions for the section.

Take a breath and get into it.

Move confidently through the test - aggressively filling in the questions you know, elminating options that are clearly wrong on ones that you don't

I've often found that on multiple choice tests an answer later on can clarify the previous one that you may have skipped.

For example (an absurd one at that)

Bacon is derived from what animal:
A - Cow
B - Mouse
C - Pig
D - Leprechaun

I immediately cross of B & D ....... but what comes from the cow - is it bacon or brisket? - also, aren't pigs pork & ham?! ...... argh! - it's so confusing .... i'll get back to this one

Later in the exam:

This mammal produces the vast amount of milk used in the US for dairy consumption:
A - Goat
B - Cat
C - Cow
D - Yo momma!

I know this one - it's definitely C ........ in fact, now that i'm done with the exam I see that this question was geared to the segment about cows, but I don't see any question that was geared towards pigs ....... If I had to guess I bet that answer before was there to ask about pigs

Don't second guess a whole lot and understand at the time of the test you know what you know - express that immediately and with confidence and then finesse the rest

[soonerguy]

For multiple choice tests:

*Longer answer choices are more likely to be correct than shorter ones.
*Answer choices with negative words such as no, not, none, never are less likely to be correct than answer choices with positive words.
*Answer choices using words like "always" and "never" are less likely to be correct than answers with words like "sometimes", "often", and "usually".
*In choices containing "all of the above", if you are sure 2 of the choices are correct, but are unsure about the others, pick "all of the above".
*Look for clues: If a word blank is preceeded by "an", then you know the correct answer must begin with a vowel. I've had this happen to me several times over the years.
*If you have no clue and are forced to randomly guess, pick B or C. C is most often the correct answer, followed by B. Choice A is least likely to be correct.

[Ivorytickler]

What kind of test are we talking about? Is it one where wrong answers count against you or one that doesn't. If wrong answers don't count against you, skip the harder questions and leave them for the end, in case you run out of time. But make sure you mark your bubble sheet so that you don't lose your place. Also rule out as many wrong answers as you can. Even if you don't know the right answer, you increase your odds of guessing right by ruling out what you know to be wrong.

[zthatzmanz28]

My advice is--

READ the entire test FIRST. This is especially true for a reading test. Sometimes one question provides an answer for another.
Answer only the questions you are 90% sure about
Multiple choice questions-Eliminate the obviously wrong answer(s)
The longest answer on a multiple choice is generally the correct answer.

[Momma_bear]

If it is a reading comprehension test read the questions before you read the passage.

[suzy_q2010]

The single best thing you can do to help you face an examination with confidence and be relaxed when you take it is to master the material that is being tested.

The best way to do that is to attend class, read the assigned material, and keep up. If you go to class, the teacher will usually tell you what will be on the exam without explicitly saying so. Look for hints like the theme of a novel --- sounds like a potential essay question. The same would be true for comparisons and contrasts. Look for things like "causes", "effects", "the three most important", and "turning points".

Some courses will require a certain amount of brute memorization. Just do it.

Ask the teacher to explain anything you do not understand.

Study with a partner or a group.

Know your best learning style. I am a visual learner. I do not retain material well after hearing it one time. I do better to take notes. If you do better hearing it, consider recording a lecture.

DH was famous for getting the gist of an entire course on the front and back of a single three by five inch index card. It helps if you can write really, really small! He carried the cards with him everywhere and would whip them out and study them whenever he had a few minutes.

If old tests are available and it is permitted to use them, do so. Do not just memorize the answers. Use them to see what topics are covered, then learn those topics cold.

For standardized tests, take practice tests and be familiar with the rules and formats of the various sections. Ask people who have taken the course what kinds of questions were on the exams. Do you need to know dates? Definitions? Memorize them. You can use more than one three by five card if you need to!

Read the directions for each section of the exam!

I had a teacher in high school who did an exercise on following instructions with an English class. She gave us a single page that had about twenty five lines of text.

The first line directed you to read the entire page before doing anything else. The other lines included directions such as "underline the third word in this sentence."

Like many others, I ignored the first sentence and completed the directed activities as I read down the page.

The problem was that the last item said, "When you have read the entire page, stop, put your name in the upper right corner and turn the page in."

I do not think any one in the class passed that little exercise, which was fortunately not graded, but it made a big impression on me.

So learn the material first, then understand the exam format, read and follow the directions, and you very likely will cruise through the test.