When you are stressed about a test, sometimes the tendency is to read too fast and try to get through the test as quickly as possible. But this is when careless mistakes happen. Slow down, take your time, and read each question thoroughly.
For example, drawing spaghetti-line intersecting lines from column A to column B is likely to be marked down by a teacher who also has 74 other tests to mark. Similarly, print don’t write; you don’t want to get something marked wrong just because the teacher can’t decipher your sloppy handwriting. Don’t make your Ts look like Fs; spell out True and False. [4] X Research source
This step is only useful for solving math questions on an exam.
The important thing is not to get frustrated and just quit. You only have a limited amount of time, so you need to make every moment count. If you struggle with a particular problem or section, skip it! You can always come back to it later. And this way you’ll be making the most of your time to ensure you get through the entire test.
Read the essay questions first. Write down any notes, but, do not answer them yet. Begin answering the multiple choice questions. While you are doing so, your brain will be gathering information contained in these questions that will help you answer the essays. If needed, write brief notes that you can use later for the essays. Once you have all the multiple choice questions answered (and, you will have checked one box for each of them), then do the essay questions, beginning with the easiest.
The longest answer is usually the correct answer because the correct answer requires more qualifying language to be indisputably correct than the incorrect answers. [5] X Research source Answers that contain words like always or never are almost always incorrect because most truths don’t exist as absolutes. Try eliminating one or two answers that you know for a fact are wrong. There is almost always one answer that is obviously incorrect and then another one or two that you can guess about. Eliminating wrong answers will greatly increase your chances of guessing the right answer from the remaining choices. Pay attention to the answers of surrounding questions. Even randomly generated tests tend to not repeat answers often. So, if you know the answer to number 1 is A and the answer to number 3 is also A, it is highly unlikely that the answer to number 2 will be A as well.
If you finish early, maybe you missed answering all the questions. Go back and make sure there are other questions (like on the back side of a sheet), up on the blackboard, on sheets you dropped on the floor, etc.
Tests can be daunting, but you almost always know more than you think you do. Once you get in there and start taking the test, you will remember a lot more. If you struggle with a section, simply move on and come back to it later. Wasting time on something that you don’t remember at the moment might mean that you run out of time before you can answer questions that you definitely know the answers to. Also, sometimes there will be hints for the question that you are stuck on later on in the test that will jog your memory. Keep moving through the test and come back to the parts that gave you trouble at the end.
Spend the effort you might devote to cheating on doing the best possible job you can honestly. If you fail, use the experience to motivate yourself for the next test.
Taking a test is not the time to talk to your friends. You need to dedicate all of your brain space to the test in front of you. This will help you be more successful. Many teachers consider talking during a test as an attempt at cheating, even if you were not discussing the test. So don’t do it.
Additionally, if your teacher gives you a study guide for the test, make sure you can answer questions about everything listed on the study guide. If your teacher took the time to make you a study guide, that means s/he is serious about testing on these topics. It can be a great hint for you in knowing what to study.
Teachers remember who goes the extra mile by asking for help or really trying and this can impact their grading choices when they grade your test. If you are really putting out a lot of effort but your teacher never sees it, that doesn’t help you very much. Make sure your teacher sees all the work you put in by asking him or her for help and talking to your teacher about what you’re struggling with.
For example, many exams require that you know various formulas, whether they are related to math, science, or some other field. If you have to memorize a lot of formulas, commit them to memory immediately before the test and then write them down in the margins as soon as you begin taking the test. The formula for the area of a circle is A = πr² (with r being the radius). Commit this to your short term memory and then write it down immediately when you get your test.
Try to prepare what you will wear the night before. If you pick out your outfit ahead of time, you will have more time in the morning to focus on eating a good breakfast and running through your notes again. You want to save all of your brain work for reviewing for the test the morning of, not deciding what to wear.
Lack of sleep can seriously affect your brain function in areas of memory, perception, and the level of cognitive capacity at which you can function. [9] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source So getting a good night’s sleep the night before a test is crucial.
There are also certain foods that are thought to be good “brain food” to take before a test like bananas, peppermint, and other superfoods. [10] X Research source [11] X Research source
Pack your backpack the night before so that you know you’ll have all of the items you need. You don’t want to rush around in the morning and accidentally forget something crucial.
