Tips For Higher Test Scores
 
Before the test…
 
1. Consider the test a contest or a game that you really want to win.
2. When you are studying, try to guess the questions that will be on the test.
3. Review your notes.
4. Use your textbook to look up points that you are not clear on.
5. Ask someone to help you study.
 
During the Test…
1. Get off to a good start. Have everything with you that you will need, (pencils, eraser, calculator, etc) when you enter the class.
2. Try to relax. Give yourself positive self-talk, be confident. Tell yourself positive, realistic messages. "I can do this. I can pass this. I know this stuff. I can handle this." Tell your brain what you want it to do, not what you don’t want it to do. "I can pass this. I can do this. I will do my best." Breathe deep and slowly. Think about something else or skim through your notes one more time if allowed.
3. As soon as you get your test, try to forget about other people. Write anything that you want to remember (facts, dates, equations, formulas, or memory aids) in light pencil at the top of your test paper.
4. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and don’t accept too much from others.
5. Put things in perspective. If you fail a test, nobody is going to take your birthday away. Struggling with tests is not the worst thing in the world. Once you realize that this is a small problem in the "big picture" of life, that anxiety level automatically goes down a little.
6. Put your name on the test and read the directions carefully.
7. Before you begin answering questions, quickly look over the entire test and develop a plan. For example, if the test has 25 multiple-choice questions and 2 essay questions, you could plan 15 minutes for the multiple-choice, 20 minutes for the essay questions, and 5 minutes to check over your answers.
8. Read each question twice. Put a dot or light check mark by any answer you are not sure of. After you have gone through all of the questions, go back to the ones you’ve marked and try them again. Don’t panic if you don’t know the answers to the first few questions. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for your brain to get in gear. If you are not sure of an answer, always go with your first instinct.

 

Page created by Keith Thompson, Counselor
May 2005