Test Taking Tips

Sharing our favorite test taking tips

Maybe you're new to online school, or maybe it's been a while since you’ve taken any kind of test. Either way, we're here to help you succeed. Review our test-taking tips and find out what works best for you and your own lifestyle.

How to Prepare Before a Test

The average person forgets approximately 90% of new material just 24 hours after reading it. Don't be average!

• Study and review your notes regularly.
• "Overlearn" the material to increase your comprehension and recall.
• Keep it "fresh" in your mind so that you can remember it.

What to Do During the Test

• Keep a positive mindset coming into the assessment. Your frame of mind is important. Even questions that may at first seem confusing can often be reasoned through with a positive attitude and open mind.
• Preview the exam before you begin.
• Answer the questions that you know first. Your confidence will build, and you might find clues within the test that will help you answer the questions you don't know.
• Check your answers.

What to Do After the Test

• Review your exam to give you a general idea of how you are learning the information and skills in a course. If you are having problems, it can alert you to seek help, such as a tutor or study group.
• Review a test to see where you may have misunderstood or misinterpreted a question. This will help you become a better test-taker in all of your courses.
• Stay calm and focus on the test feedback so that you can benefit from it. Getting anxious, angry, or frustrated will not help.

Make a Test Plan

A test plan is simply an outline of how you are going to use your time and resources to prepare for a test. Your test-preparation plan should address:

• When you will study
• Where you will study
• What your goals for each study session will be
• How you will judge if you reached your goals for each study session
• What to do if you need extra time
• How you will test your knowledge. Some examples include:
• practice answering test questions
• work with a study buddy
• meet with a study group on the Community
• How you will use the feedback from a test to help you improve your test preparation for the next test

Adapted from the work of Claire Ellen Weinstein