Test-Taking Tips

Videos

  • How to Study for a Test - Study Tips - Smart Test Prep - So you have a BIG TEST coming up. How are you going to get ready? With our help! In this video, we'll give you our best strategies for how to study for a test, effectively and efficiently. Test prep is not a mystery - anyone can do it with careful planning. You'll learn the best tips for how to ace your exam, including: NO CRAMMING Pre-testing Only studying what you DON'T know.
  • Test Taking Strategies - Study Tips - Test Anxiety - Do you have a big test coming up? This video can help you get a great grade with Test-taking tips. Lots of people struggle with tests because of test anxiety or they just don’t know how to make the best use of their time when they are taking a test. Make sure you can show how much you know when you take a test by using these techniques.
  • Test Taking Strategies - This video provides several different test taking tips and strategies for students. These tips and strategies are general, and can be used for a number of different types of questions, such as multiple choice, essay, fill-in, completion, and true or false. This video also provides reasons why each strategy will actually help students.
  • 10 Study Tips for Earning an A on your Exam - If you want to earn better test grades, this video collection of tips will help. Some of the tips in this video cover the days leading up to an exam, while others deal with strategies you can use while you're actually in the testing room.

Extra steps

In order to do well on any test, you must study hard and be prepared. Having done that, you can further improve your test performance by using these test-taking tips.

  • Get off to a good start: be prepared and have everything you will need. As soon as you get the test, write anything that you will need to remember (facts, dates, equations, memory clues, etc) at the  top of the test.
  • Mark the questions you want to return to.
  • Increase your odds on multiple choice by trying to come up with the answer in your head before you look at the options. Always read all the choices and if you are unsure, cross out the choices that you know are incorrect and then make an educated guess with the remaining options.
  • Know how to approach an essay question: reach each question and start with the easiest which will increase your confidence. Before you start writing, brainstorm by jotting down the key words and ideas along with other key points you want to include.
  • Hints for True/False: read these questions very carefully as one word will often determine whether the statement is true or false. Statements with words like always, all, never, every and none are often false where statements with words like usually, most, often, sometimes, many tend to be true.
  • Be prepared for open book tests by going through your notes and highlighting the most important information. Put self stick notes or bookmarks in your textbook to help you located specific information quickly.