Tips if that is used, can help you to increase your performance during exam.
Twenty-Seven Test Taking Tips
Test
Taking Tips - Memorizing The Material
1. Good
test scores start with good comprehension of the material, of course, which
often includes memorizing specific facts and formulas. Perhaps the most common
way to remember something is by repetition over time. You expose yourself to
the material repeatedly. That's typically how you learn how to use a computer,
for example.
To make
this simplest of memory "techniques" work for you, schedule periodic
reviews of the material. These intervals seem to work well(following your first
exposure):
Review the
information after 10 to 15 minutes.
Review the information the next day.
Review the information the next week.
Review the information a month later.
2. Of the
more advanced techniques, I've found that the "loci system" and its
variants are the easiest to use. The basic idea was used thousands of years ago
by Roman orators to remember speeches. They would rehearse speeches as they
walked through a garden or palace, associating each important topic with some
location. The, when in front of the audience, a speaker could mentally walk
through the garden to recall each point.
Listening
to books on my MP3 player, I've noticed that I often recall exactly where I was
when I read that part of the book again. This suggests a new way to use the
loci system for test preparation. Record what you need to know and walk through
a park or down city streets as you listen. Stop to look at what's around you as
each important part begins. During the test you may find that you can mentally
take a walk to recall much of the information.
Test
Taking Tips - Preparation
3. If you
really want to do the best you can on all of your exams, start your preparation
long before, with healthy habits. Those include eating healthy foods, getting
regular high-quality sleep, and committing to take the time necessary to learn
the material. Now here are some more specific tips:
4. Sleep
well. Although sleep deficiencies seem to affect response time more than
accuracy, many tests are timed, so get quality sleep. But don't overdo it. In
my experience, too much sleep can make you just as mentally groggy as too
little.
5. Review
the test. A sample test or previous version of the exam will help you know what
kind of questions will be on it, so you can be sure to study the right things.
6. Get
there early. Test-anxiety is bad for test scores, and time pressure adds to
test-anxiety, so avoid it by being a bit early.
7. Sit
away from nervous test-takers. The anxiety of others can be contagious, so
don't sit near others who are obviously stressed out.
8. Ask
about the exam. The professor or administrator of the test will sometimes tell
you where most people have trouble. Double-check answers in that part of the
test, or watch for "trick" questions.
9. Drink a
little bit of coffee. Several studies have shown that people score higher on
written tests after as little as a half-cup of coffee. If you are are a very
nervous person, however, too much caffeine can increase anxiety. Use your own
judgment on this one.
10.
Exercise for ten minutes. As little as ten minutes of exercise has been shown
to speed up decision making time and accuracy in tests of mental ability. Take
a walk just before test time, or find a place where you can jog in place for a
few minutes.
11. Use
supplements. There are many things you can ingest that may help, but I will
mention just a few that are proven safe. Fish oil (or just eating fish) speeds
up brainwaves and in some studies appears to improve concentration as well.
Ginkgo Biloba may help send more blood to the brain, although some recent
studies dispute this. An extract derived from the Periwinkle Plant,
Vinpocetine, is used as a cerebral vasodilator to increase blood flow to the
brain, improving its oxygenation and thereby increasing mental alertness and
acuity. Recent research suggests that it may be the most powerful memory
enhancer available to date.
Test
Taking Tips - Exam Skills
In
addition to the comprehensions and preparation steps you can take, there are
also things you can do during an exam to improve your score. Here are a few
examples.
12.
Imagine yourself confidently finishing the test early and without trouble. A
bit of positive expectation works for most people, and can't hurt.
13. Breath
deep. As you start the test, take several deep breaths and let the tension
drain from your muscles. This will reduce anxiety and help you concentrate.
Take a deep breath now and then throughout the test, to keep the oxygen level
in your brain up.
14. Sit up
straight. Posture changes brain function, for reasons not entirely clear yet.
15. Close
your mouth. I'm not sure why this works either, but it really does.
16.
Concentrate on each question. Total involvement in one question at a time
reduces feelings of anxiety because you are not anticipating and worrying about
the next challenge. Don't think about the other questions until you get to
them.
17. Make
notes. Write down any information you might forget (if you are allowed to take
notes). If you "crammed" for the test just before taking it this can
be particularly useful. As soon as you sit and the exam starts, make a few
notes about anything you might otherwise forget.
18. Pay
attention to instructions. Often points are lost solely because the
instructions weren't followed exactly.
19.
Organize your time. When you first receive the test, review it and plan how
much time to take for each section. Also allow several minutes for reviewing
the test afterwards. In this way you'll know if you are on schedule or if you
need to speed up. You don't want to lose credit for eight questions you knew
the answer to just because you spent too much time working on a few tough ones.
20. Find a
few easy questions first. Answering a few questions you are sure about gets
your confidence up. It's a good warm-up for the rest of the exam.
21. Leave
tough questions for later. An important skill for timed tests, learn to
recognize when a question may be too difficult to answer quickly. Again, don't
leave eight easy questions unanswered because of time spent on a tough one.
22.
Consider the test makers intention. When an answer seems too easy, and you know
it's wrong, look for a similar answer. Why? Because creators or exams often try
to catch sloppy test takers with answers that are similar. Watch for other clues
to intent when you are unsure of the right answer.
23. Answer
all the questions if you can. Except when there is a penalty for a wrong answer
(as opposed to an unanswered question), you should guess if you're not sure. On
multiple choice tests you'll probably get a few guesses right just by chance.
24. Narrow
the options. When they are multiple choice questions, eliminate as many
unlikely answers as you can. Then pick one of the remaining ones. By simply
knowing which answers are wrong you can often get half of these questions
correct with this method.
25. Review
the test. Always use the remaining time to look over your exam when you are
done. Maybe you learned something from later questions that can help with the
correct answers for earlier questions. Also be sure you marked the right
circles or boxes on multiple choice tests, and that you didn't leave any
questions unanswered.
26. Burn
up the time. Maybe you've done everything you can do, but why not use any
leftover time to review the test once again? A simple mistake that you can
correct can move you up to the next grade.
Creating
a Routine
27. Find
the test taking tips that work for you. Then create a routine you can follow
each time, using the study skills, appropriate preparation, and skills that
raise your scores the most.