Test Taking Tips

Test Anxiety

Many people suffer from text anxiety, sometimes without being aware that text anxiety is why they feel so uncomfortable. Test anxiety has both physical and psychological symptoms. These symptoms can include

• Physical Symptoms
• butterflies
• clammy hands and feet
• increased heart rate
• shakiness
• headache
• muscle tension (sore and aching muscles)
• Psychological Symptoms
• panic
• fear
• feeling of failure
• extreme worry
• depression
• negative self-talk
• "I just don't do well on tests."
• "(Math, English, History, Science, etc.) have always been difficult for me."
• "No matter how hard I try, I can't be successful, so why bother."
• "The teacher doesn't like me."
• "I just don't have a gift or talent for (math, English, history, science, etc.)."
• "I'm really not very smart."
• "I don't have time to study."

For help with handling stress and anxiety, see Handling Stress.

General Tips for Taking Tests

• Start preparing for a test days in advance.
• Get plenty of rest the night before. Staying up all night studying won't help if you can't stay awake during the test.
• Eat a light meal before the test. Coming to the test hungry will be a distraction that will ruin concentration. Coming to the test too full will make your sluggish and pull blood to your stomach that you need flowing in your brain.
• Take your time.
• Relax
• Answer every question.
• If you don't know, guess.
• Don't change an answer if you have any doubts about the revised answer.
• Follow Directions: Be sure that you have understood the question and are responding with an answer that fits the question.

Obstacles to Preparing for Tests

• Not spending enough time studying
• Having problems concentrating while studying
• Eliminate distractions
  • Turn off TV and radio
  • Study at school in the library, a study hall, or one of the learning labs
  • Play only instrumental music softly, preferably classical, especially Mozart. Studies have shown that listening to classical music improves learning.)
  • Study when people are not around
• Take advantage of short blocks of time to study
• Keep study materials in the bathroom
• Post study tips over the sink, on the fridge, over the desk
• Make a tape of notes to play in the car while driving
• Study between classes
  • Recopy notes from last class
  • Review flash cards
  • Skim textbook
  • Review highlighted and marginal notes in textbook
• If the material is difficult,
  • Put more effort into studying.
  • Find a study partner or study group
  • See a tutor
  • Visit a learning lab
  • Schedule an appointment with the instructor
• Lack of confidence

Tips for Objective Tests

True/False

• Watch out for qualifying words (only, all, most, some, . . .)
• Pay attention to relationship words (if, because, since, . . .)
• Make sure your T looks like a T and your F like an F

Fill-in-the-blank

• Usually, when a list of words are provided, no word is used more than once--use the process of elimination.
• Make sure the word fits the sentence grammatically. If the missing word needs to be a verb, a noun can't possibly be the right answer.

Matching

• Usually, when a list of words are provided, no word is used more than once--use the process of elimination.
• Pick the best answer.

Multiple Choice

• If at least two of the choices appear to be right, and "All of the above" is an additional choice, "All of the above" is probably the right answer.
• Pick the best answer.
• Read answer choices carefully. A single word can make what, at first glance seems to be a correct answer, a wrong answer.

"Trick" questions

When students say a question was a "trick question," what they mean is that they did not understand how the detail which the question referred to had anything to do with the question being asked. What that means is that the student has memorized something without understanding what it has to do with the topic. If a question simply requires the student to recall a fact or detail, the student can do that, but if the question requires the student to think--to apply the fact to a situation or to explain its connection to other details of the course--the student doesn't know how to answer. The solution is to study all details in the context of the main ideas of the chapter. Students must constantly ask, "Why is this important? What does it have to do with this subject? How do all these details fit together?"

Sometimes a student may identify a question as a "trick" question because they did not read it carefully enough to notice any qualifiers or other changes in the question from what was presented in the textbook or in the course. Always read test questions carefully.

Tips for Essay Tests

The biggest problem that people have with essay questions on exams is that they do not read the questions carefully. If the question says, "Define and give examples," students may define but not give the examples. Learn to read directions carefully before beginning. As Paul Bubar, a youth counsellor has said, "If you fly by the seat of your pants, you'll get them ripped."

For more tips on taking an essay exam, see the section on Timed Writing in the Writing Process section of this web site.

Additional Resources

Emerson, Mary Sharp. "14 Tips for Test Taking Success." Harvard Summer School. 29 Spe. 2022. 14 Nov. 2024. <https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/14-tips-for-test-taking-success/>.

"Test-Taking Strategies." James Madison University: Learning Success Strategies. 14 Nov. 2024. <https://www.jmu.edu/studentaffairs/departments/deanofstudents/learning-success-strategies/strategies/test-taking.shtml>.

"Test Taking Tips." Utah State University: Academic Support. Adapted from Ellis, Dave. Master Student, 11th ed. 12 Nov. 2024. <https://www.usu.edu/academic-support/files/TestTakingTips.pdf>.