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Ask a Study Skills Question

What can I do during a test to maximize my results?

Take a deep breath (or two or three). This will clear your head and help you focus.

Survey the whole test at least once (though quickly). Try to assess which questions will take more time, which questions you will find easier, and which questions count for the most points.

If you can, I recommend answering the easiest questions first, then the ones that carry the most weight, and then tackling the ones that seem really tough. This requires you to move back and forth through the test, and perhaps jotting notes or arrows next to the problems you skip. Some students aren't comfortable doing so-they prefer to start at the beginning and work through each problem as they come to it (to avoid missing a problem by accident). In that case, I recommend guessing answers to the problems that look as if they may take up all your time (and you might still get them wrong) and then jot a star next to that problem to come back and try again.

When you are done, check your answers carefully. There is nothing worse than careless errors. Make sure you read the question carefully. If you had to answer in a specific format, make sure your answer fits that format. Use the correct units if it's a problem you had to solve.

Watch for words like NOT or EXCEPT.

Be conscious of the fact that you are choosing the BEST answer. That means other answers can seem partly or mostly correct, too, but you want the best one.

My favorite tip is to use a True/False method, at least for multiple choice questions.

First, read the question and don't look at the answers. Try to guess what the answer will be. (Example: The weather in Boone is…" and I guess, "a little bit of everything.")

Then look at each answer (ALWAYS READ EVERY ANSWER, EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU SEE THE RIGHT ANSWER RIGHT AWAY).

Mark each answer either T for true or F for false (I sometimes do partials, like T? and F? when I'm not completely sure).

One last comment: if you start to feel panicky or freeze up, first, take several deep breaths. Then find a question you can answer and get started. Once you get started, it usually gets a little better, and you start to remember things. Answering one question may help you answer another one.

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