Royane Real
How to Take a Test
By Steve Gillman
Introductory comments by Royane Real
Are you at a stage in life when you need to know how to take a test?
If you are a student in high school, college, and university you need to learn strategies for being successful when writing tests. To be successful when you take a test, you need to study of course, but there is a special art to doing well on tests. You can get some good ideas on how to improve your test performance in the following article by Steve Gillman.
Remember that tests are used to see how well the students have mastered the material presented in class. If you pay attention in class, you will have some idea of what the professor or teacher thinks is important. This is likely to become the material that is emphasized on the exam. Keep in mind what the teacher or professor has said when you are preparing for school tests.
There are various types of tests that teachers and professors use to judge whether or not the students have mastered the material. Some types of tests require that you write very lengthy and thoughtful answers to difficult questions, and that you back up your opinion by citing the source of your facts. A test that requires a lot of thinking and writing means that you should prepare your ideas and opinion in advance, even while you are studying.
This kind of test, that involves a lot of thinking and writing gives your brain a good workout. People who have a good memory and who are good at writing and logic can do well on such exams.
If the test is multiple choice, you might think it will be easier to do well on the exam. After all, you can simply guess, right?
As Steve Gillman mentions in his article about taking exams, some tests will reward you for guessing, and some tests will punish you for guessing. If you are facing a situation where you need to know whether or not to guess, you must find out whether the wrong answers will be deducted from the right answers.
Guessing is a good strategy in situations when you get points for all the correct answers. However, guessing is the wrong strategy when the number of wrong answers is deducted from the number of right answers.
( The above introductory comments were written by Royane Real. Discover other ways to improve your learning ability in my popular ebook “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”)
Feature article:
How to Take a Test
By Steve Gillman
How to take a test? Study, for starters. Of course there is more you can do if you want to get a higher score, and you may already know some of the following tricks. If so, consider this a refresher course. Here are some ways to score higher on the next test you take.
Test Taking Preparation
Preparation is an important and often overlooked element of how to take a test.
Studies confirm that even if you have studied sufficiently, your score will be higher or lower according to how well you prepare for the test. Beginning with a good night's sleep, here are some test-taking preparations.
- Get good quality sleep. Sleep deficiencies seem to affect response time more than accuracy, but many tests are timed, so get that sleep. Quality of sleep has been shown to be as important as the amount, so sleep well.
- Know what to expect. If you can get a sample test, or a previous version, so you know what kind of questions will be on it, you'll be more likely to study the right things.
- Arrive on time. In general, test-anxiety is bad for test scores. Time pressure adds to test-anxiety, so avoid it by being on time.
- Stay away from nervous test-takers. Anxiety can be contagious, so don't sit near others who are obviously stressed.
- Breathe deep. Take several deep breaths and let the tension drain from your muscles.
Specific Test Taking Skills
Beyond studying and preparing, are there skills and techniques to how to take a test?
Absolutely! Here are a few of them.
- Continue taking a deep breath now and then throughout the test. This helps relax you and keeps the oxygen level in your brain up.
- Focus on the question in front of you. Total involvement in one question, even for a moment, reduces anxiety. Don't think about the other questions while working on the current one.
- Take notes at the beginning. If you are allowed to take notes, write down any information you might forget. This can be especially useful if you "crammed" for the test just before taking it.
- Try to determine the test maker’s intent. When an answer seems too easy, and you're sure it's wrong, look for a similar answer. Test makers try to catch sloppy test takers with answers that are close in appearance. Look for other clues to the test maker's intent when you are unsure of the right answer.
- Answer all questions. Unless there is a penalty for a wrong answer (as opposed to an unanswered question), you should guess on questions you are unsure about. On multiple choice tests, eliminate as many unlikely answers as you can and pick one of the remaining ones. You might get half of these questions correct with this method.
The best way to score higher on a test may be to study. Still, no matter how much you study, you know that other factors play a role, so why not apply a bit of proper
preparation and a few good test taking skills too? That is how to take a test properly.
Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower and related topics for years. For more Test Taking Skills, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/test-taking-skills.html
Article source: http://www.999articles.com
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