Ms. Jasper's Math Classes

 

Test Taking Skills & Strategies

 

There are certain things you can do to prepare for a test and do while you are taking a test that can improve your test-taking ability and scores. Here is a list of several ideas to get you started.

 

1. Have a positive attitude – Do NOT “psych” yourself out!! - In other words, don’t tell yourself that you won’t do well, before you have even taken the test. Also, RELAX.

 

2. Look over the entire test before starting – Quickly scan the test to see how many points each question is worth, and how easy or difficult the questions are.

 

3. Answer the easiest questions first! (This one is debatable... new research shows that it might be more beneficial to begin with the most difficult question, spend a brief time on it, then move on to easier questions and go back to the more difficult questions after you regain some confidence and momentum... you may move back and forth between easy and difficult questions if you'd like. Sometimes this can help you remember more difficult information that is "stuck" in your memory.)

 

4. Use your time wisely – Spend more time on the questions that are worth more points and don’t get held back for too long on a problem you are having trouble with. Go back to it later.

 

5. Guess – WHEN you are not penalized for guessing wrong. If you get no points for leaving a question blank, then guess.

 

6. If possible, allow time for review at the end of the test.

 

7. For Multiple Choice Questions:

· Read each and every multiple choice item (A,B,C,D) beforemaking a selection.

· Visually take an item away – draw a line through any item that youknow is not the correct answer.

· When it is a question type that has “all of the above” or “A and B only,” or choices similar to those, put T/F (true/false) next to each multiple-choice item.

 

8. Space your study – Do not “cram” for a test – in other words, don’t wait until the last minute to do all of your studying!

 

9. Be well rested – Get a good night’s sleep the night before a test.

 

10. Look for clues in other parts of the test – sometimes you can find help within other questions (that’s always a very exciting thing to discover!!)

 

11. In general, if you don’t have a good reason to change an answer (such as remembering something later in the test that will help you better answer a previous question), then you should probably stick with your first response.