Learning. Life.

The Study Skills Series: 4. Test Taking Tips

Posted on 12 April 2008

My aim is to help you study smarter, not harder. Here’s some simple things you can do that will improve your test and exam performance without studying more. Honest

The day before the test:

• Go over all of your notes, skim through the text book and thoroughly review everything.
• Pack your bag with everything you’ll need: pens (take more than one), notes, paper, water, tissues, etc. Get everything else you need together – like your wallet, car keys and clothes. You’ll start the day calmer, and have everything that you need with you.
• Please, please pack more than one pen. Someone’s always runs out: don’t let it be you.
• Check the time and place of the test – even if you think you know.
• To help you think better and sleep better -
  • Eat healthily
  • Avoid caffeine and nicotine. If you’re addicted, you’re going to need it to stay normal, but keep an eye on it.
  • Get a bit of exercise (but don’t overdo it)
  • Spend a bit of time relaxing
• Get a good night’s sleep. It’ll help you think better the next day.

On the day of the test:

• Get there early, and check out where the test room is; make sure you know how to get there.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine as far as possible again. These make you more nervous, which is not what you want!
• Keep calm, and try to relax if you’re getting nervous. Take a walk, and purposefully breathing slowly & deeply.
• Do any study that you feel will help you, but keep relaxed about it.

When you get into the test room:

• Choose a desk wisely. If you’re easily distracted by others, consider sitting up the front. If you like to be able to rest your eyes by looking into the distance, sit by the window – not in the middle of the class, where the examiner might think you’re looking at other peoples’ work
• Get out everything you want to have with you, and put it on the desk. Tissues and water are a really good idea!!
• Relax – there’s nothing more you can do now. Breath deeply and slowly.
• Listen to all instructions, and follow them.

When you are told you can start the test:

• Read the front page – note how long the test is and any other instructions.
• Find out how many marks are in the test, and work out how many minutes per mark
  • e.g. 50 marks & 60 minutes = a mark a minute, with some time at the end to go back.
• Read through all the questions before you start to write. This allows your mind to start working on the last questions in the background.
• Start with the easiest question. You can usually answer test questions in any order you like. Answering an easy question makes you feel good, and so makes it easier to answer other questions. It also starts getting you “on a roll” or “into the zone”. And your brain can work away at the hard questions in the background.
• Jot down the key points on the test script or answer booklet (you can cross them out when you’ve finished). You can then structure your answer better. I’ve had students pick up marks when they didn’t finish the answer, but hadn’t crossed out the list – they got marks for the points they hadn’t added in yet. Things that are crossed out aren’t marked.
• Answer the question: know what key words like describe, explain, discuss, compare & contrast and illustrate mean, and then do that.
• … the whole question: Answer all parts of the question – if you’re asked to explain something, using an example, then make sure you have (a) explained and (b) given an example. No matter how wonderful your explanation is, you won’t get the marks for the example unless you give one.
• … and nothing but the question: If you’re asked to discuss Operational Feasibility, don’t add in Technical and Legal Feasibility too, to show what you know. The examiner knows what the answer should be, and is comparing your answer to that. There may be marks for defining Operational Feasibility and mentioning the key questions for operational feasibility, but there will be no marks for other types of feasibility. Don’t waste your time.
• Keep answering the questions that you can, leaving the hard ones ’til last.
• When the time is up for each question, stop. If it’s a minute a mark, and a 10-mark question, after 10 minutes, stop. Seriously. After the first few minutes you probably got out most of the important information, so you’re into diminishing returns for your time – each mark is harder and harder to get. You’re better going on to a new question, where you can get more marks, quicker. Mark the question on your test sheet so that you know to come back to it later if you have time.
• When you can’t think of an answer, relax. Seriously. Exam nerves or anxiety caused by not knowing the answer triggers our fight-or-flight response, and the brain switches into “react” mode, out of “recall”. Try your best to relax, and you might find memories coming back. You might let your mind wander for a few minutes, to see if you come to the answer laterally. Don’t give in to the fight-or-flight response by leaving.
• If you don’t know, guess. Please! Unless you will lose marks for a wrong answer (and this should be clearly noted on the test script), you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even if you pick up half a mark, it’s worth it.
• When you’ve finished, read over your answers and check that you’ve answered all parts of all questions.
• Stay til the end, unless you’re absolutely sure you have answered all the questions 100% correctly (hint: you won’t have). Often inspiration strikes after you’ve been sitting there relaxing for 10 minutes.

Of course, you’re still going to need to study to pass

Hope this helps,

What are your top test taking tips? Please add a comment to let me know.