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