20 Strategy: Test-taking

Tests and assessments are an integral part of the education system.  Tests vary in format from multiple-choice, matching and identification, short answer, and show your knowledge, and essay.  For each of the listed formats, a strategy needs to be employed in order to eliminate anxiety and increase test scores.

Primarily the most important strategy for test-taking is attendance.  A majority of test questions and answers will be addressed through classroom lectures, discussions, and notes.  The next factor is your note-taking ability.  Note-taking during class and through assignments will allow a more organized manner to assess the information that is vital to the subject materials.  Third on the list diet and hydration.  Studies have shown that to have optimal cognitive capabilities the human brain requires proper hydration and sustenance.  This means that before you take a test eat an appropriate meal and drink an adequate amount of water (not energy drinks, soda, etc.).  Lastly is to have an appropriate amount of sleep/rest.  Staying up late and cramming is counterproductive to doing well on an exam.  When a person is well-rested, they have lower anxiety and are able to recall information without added distractions.

• Multiple choice is common in standardized tests for all subjects.  The most important strategy is to eliminate the obviously wrong answers.  If the elimination has not made the correct answer clear, make a notation and proceed to the next question.  After completion of the multiple-choice portion go back and see if other questions have aided in answering the passed over questions.  If all else fails to give your best guess to the question after you reread it.
• Matching and Identification use a similar strategy to multiple-choice, start with the known, and work through the unknown.  Look for hints from earlier or later parts of the test to assist in answering this style of questions.
• Short answer and Show your knowledge test questions test your ability to recall information from the materials covered in class or assigned as work.  These are directly related to your ability to take precise notes and to recall pertinent information.  Most of these styles of questions may have a point value associated with them, these are giveaways to the amount of information that your instructor is looking for in the answer.
• Essay questions require the student to organize and present their information to address the question asked.  Read the question or prompt thoroughly, look for clues to aid in creating a graphic organizer to focus your writing.  Adhere to the paragraph structure model: Hook (Introduction), Body, and Conclusion.  If you create a clear outline and adhere to it, you should be able to answer the question in a clear and concise manner.

An excellent resource to check further test-taking strategies and best practices can be found at the PSTCC Test Taking hints website.