Organizing for Tests

• Begin reviewing early.  This will give your brain time to get comfortable with the information.

• Conduct short daily review sessions.  You can ease into more intense review sessions prior to major exams.

• Read text assignments before lectures.  This will help identify concepts the professor considers important.

• Review notes immediately after lectures.  This will help identify information that you do not understand while the lecture is still fresh.  You may also want to re-read or annotate the texts after the lecture.

• Create review tools.  Tools can include checklists, mind maps, predict test questions, flashcards and textbook CD’s or practice tests. 

• Review with a group.  This will enable you to cover important material that you may overlook on your own.

• Conduct a major review early enough.  Allow for a visit to the instructor if necessary.

• Break up the study tasks into manageable pieces.  Study while you are mentally alert.

• Study the most difficult material when you’re alert.

• Don’t just cram the night before an exam.

• Get plenty of sleep the night before an exam.

• Don’t go to the exam with an empty stomach.  Eat healthy food.

• If you need help in a subject area, consider getting a tutor or ask for help from your instructor or classmates.

Anticipating Test Content

• Pay particular attention to any study guides that the instructor hands out in class.

• Pay particular attention just prior to the exam to points the instructor brings up during class lectures.

• Generate a list of possible questions you would ask if you were making the exam, then see if you can answer the questions.

• Review previous tests graded by the instructor.

• Confer with other students to predict what will be on the test.

Guidelines for Multiple Choice Questions

• Eliminate options you know to be incorrect.

• Cover up the answers – read and answer the main question then review your choices

• Give each option of a question the “true-false” test. 

• Question options that grammatically don’t fit with the stem.

• Question options that are totally unfamiliar to you.

• Question options that contain negative or absolute words.  Try substituting a qualified term for the absolute one, like frequently for always; or typical for every to see if you can eliminate it.

• “All of the Above”:  If you know two of the three options seem correct, “all of the above” is usually a strong possibility.

• Look alike options:  Probably one is correct.  Choose the best, but eliminate choices that mean basically the same thing and thus cancel each other out. 

• Double negatives: Create the equivalent positive statement and consider.

• Echo options:  If two options are opposite each other, chance are one of them is correct.

• Favor options that contain qualifiers.  The result is longer, more inclusive items that better fill the role of the answer.

• If two alternatives seem correct:  Compare them for differences, then refer to the stem to find you best answer. 

Guidelines for Essay Questions

• Organize your thoughts before you begin to write.  A short outline will improve your answer.   Write the topics and key introductory words.

• It can be helpful to memory “dump” any information you have at the beginning of the exam.

• Paraphrase the original question to form your introductory statement.  The process helps you get the question straight in your mind.

• Use the principles of English composition.  Form a clear thesis statement (statement of purpose) and place it as near to the beginning as possible. 

• Write clearly!  Teachers need to be able to read it. 

• Use lists or bullets wherever possible.  Numbers or bullets allow teachers to easily see your points.

• Identify the verbs or words in the question that give you direction.  Key words in each question describe the task you are expected to complete.