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Test-Taking Skills

Test-Taking Skills

Tests can be an effective way to determine a student’s understanding of a given subject. However, since not everyone is a good test-taker (due to anxiety, concentration issues, poor study habits, etc.), sometimes tests do not accurately reflect a student’s general intelligence or understanding of a specific topic. But the good news for those who don’t find that test-taking comes easily to them, is that there are ways for students to improve their test-taking abilities.

Be prepared

  • Some teachers will provide hints about upcoming tests, letting students know specific content areas that will be a focus. Pay attention to any advance warnings and notices you may get.

  • Study with peers.

  • Make a schedule of what you will study and when so you don’t end up cramming at the last minute or be tempted to stay up all night studying.

  • Take notes in class and make an outline of the key things to remember. Make sure you take your own notes and make your own outline as it is important that the information you are reviewing is written in a way that you understand and that makes sense to you.

  • If your teacher is offering a review session prior to the test and you need the extra help, go for the review.

  • Make a review sheet of the important points and concepts you will need to know for the test.

When you are studying

  • Eliminate distractions, including TV, cell phones, and Facebook. Shut down the electronics or go to a room where none will be available so you won’t be tempted by them and so you won’t have to deal with a lot of noise or other distractions.

  • Stick to study time amounts that are manageable for you. Some people can study sold for two hours straight (or more). Others may need to break up the time more, so be mindful of your attention span and set up study times that are realistic for your concentration levels.

  • While it is prudent to break up study times into manageable amounts of time, if you find that you consistently have trouble concentrating for any kind of prolonged period, you are having trouble grasping the material, remembering things or anything else seems off to you – check in with your parents, teacher and doctor about it as there are many things which can interfere with studying and learning, such as ADD/ADHD and various learning disabilities.  

  • Take breaks and find healthy ways to reward yourself for the hard work you are doing.

Try and maintain a positive study mindset in terms of how you are approaching your studying. According to PsychCentral, you can:

  • Aim to think positively when you study, and remind yourself of your skills and abilities.

  • Avoid catastrophic thinking. Instead of thinking, “I’m a mess, I’ll never have enough time to study for this exam,” look at it like, “I may be a little late to study as much as I’d like, but since I’m doing it now, I’ll get most of it done.”

  • Avoid absolute thinking. Instead of thinking “I always mess things up,” the more objective view is, “I didn’t do so well that time, what can I do to improve?”

  • Avoid comparing yourself with others, because you usually just end up feeling bad about yourself.

The day before the test

  • Eat in a healthy way.

  • Get enough sleep – at least 8 hours if possible. If you pull an all-nighter odds are that you will not perform as well on the test because you will be tired.

  • Go over your review sheet several times.

The day of the test

  • Wake up on time and try to arrive on-time, or better yet early, for school. This will help to calm your nerves (running late often increases stress levels) and will give you time to get some last minute studying in.

  • Make sure you have whatever supplies you need for the test with you so you don’t have to stress about having forgotten something you may need. Pens, pencils, calculators, textbooks (if allowed) or whatever else you may need or be permitted to use – make sure your supplies are with you for the test.  

Taking the test

  • If there is not a clock in the test-taking room, have a watch available so you can keep track of time and pace yourself. (Avoid using your phone for this or a teacher might misinterpret this as cheating).

  • Try and stay positive. If you feel yourself getting nervous, take some deep breaths and make some positive statements about the test and about how you will do.

  • Do the easy problems first. Skip the ones you don’t know and come back to them later.  There might even be clues later on in the test to help you with the questions you didn’t initially know.

  • Always read the entire question before answering.

  • Look for key words that may help you to determine the answer such as “all,” “never” or “none.”

  • Pay attention to where you are at with the test. If others are done before you, don’t let that distract you from what you need to get done.

  • If there is time, go back and look over the test. Make sure all questions have been answered, check for any careless mistakes and proofread any essay or short answer questions.

  • If you have time to review the test, don’t get caught up in second guessing answers that you initially put down, especially when it comes to multiple choice questions. Often our first instincts are correct and it’s when we start second-guessing and over-thinking that we get those questions wrong.  

There are lots of helpful strategies people can use to make studying a more effective task. But it is also important to remember to keep your life balanced and to make sure that your life is not all about studying. Time with friends, having interests outside of school, exercising and even working PT while you are in school can all be important to taking care of yourself and staying balanced in your life overall.

For more information read the TeensHealth article Studying for Tests.