Test Taking Strategies

• Spend as many hours as necessary to understand the material that will be covered on the test well enough to achieve a high score.
• Since teachers often slightly modify information on tests to determine if students understand the information, spend time on honing test-taking skills.

• You’ll increase your confidence if you take time to relax.
• You’ll be able to narrow your focus for the upcoming test.

• It is not uncommon for teachers to alter test details at the last minute.
• If you miss test instructions, test taking anxiety will increase.

• It is not uncommon to have two correct answers on a multiple choice question.
• Frequently, test instructions will notify students that they only need to complete two questions, but there will be 5 options.

• Take time to estimate how must time you’ll have for each question.
• Pace yourself so you can complete the test in the allotted timeframe.
• Complete the questions you know first to save time.

• Do not lose confidence or waste time if you encounter confusing or difficult questions. Answer questions you know first.
• If you have no clue about the correct answer, make an educated guess if it will not count against your score.
• Disregard patterns. It is probably coincidence if a string of multiple choice answers you know are correct are “a.”

• The first answer that pops in your mind is probably correct.
• It can be counterproductive to review answers and make changes.

• Go back and answer difficult questions after answering easy ones.
• If you are required to complete an essay, review it for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Check to make sure you have completed the entire test. It is not uncommon for questions to be listed on the opposite side of a page.

• It takes time and practice to develop effective test taking skills.
• To determine whether your test taking strategies are working, take time to evaluate your performance after each test.
• Be sure to take note of where you’re struggling. Are you struggling with essays or multiple choice questions?
• Arrange to meet with teachers to discuss low test scores to determine what you can do to improve. This is highly recommended if you struggle with essay questions.