Strategies for Test Taking
1. Don’t spend too much time on any one question. Do your best and then move on.
2. Answers the easiest questions first, but be sure to go back to those questions you skipped.
3. If you are "stuck" on a particular problem, you can:
A. Make up a simpler problem that you know how to solve that is similar to the one that you don’t, and try using the same method.
B. Make a diagram or model of the situation to help you understand the problem.
C. Go on with the rest of the test. Maybe, another part of the test will jog your
memory or give you a hint on how to solve the more difficult ones.
D. Try working backwards.
4. Always read math problems completely before beginning any calculations. If you "glance" too quickly at a problem, you may misunderstand the problem or what is asked.
5. Make sure that you answer the question that is being asked. Some questions have more than one step.
6. Underline key words or phrases in the question that will help you to solve the problem.
7. When answering multiple-choice questions, read the question and all answer choices before answering the question.
8. During multiple-choice, if you don’t know the answer, eliminate choices that you know cannot be correct. Then, the odds are more in your favor of getting it right.
9. When answering multiple-choice questions, do not change your answers unless you are very uncertain about your first choice.
10. If your answer does not match one of your choices, check if it is written in a different form. If not, reread the problem, recopy the numbers, and try to solve again. You may have copied the problem incorrectly.
11. Always carefully line up your decimals on your scratch paper (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands), in order to make it less likely to make a mistake.
12. Double-check and match the question number in your test booklet against the answer sheet every few questions to be sure you are bubbling the right circle.
13. When you think that you are done, recheck and make sure that you answer all of the questions.
Strategies to Reduce Test Anxiety:
1. Always prepare well for a test by making up your own test. Test yourself before the test.
2. Don’t wait until the night before to study. Study over a few days. Never cram at the last minute. It could make you feel anxious.
3. Stay relaxed. If you get tense during the test, stop and take a few deep breaths slowly to relax. Then, continue with the rest of the test.
4. Do the simple problems first, in order to build up your confidence.
5. Cover all of the problems, but the one that you are working on. Seeing the rest can make you anxious or lessen your focus on the problem at hand.
6. Don’t worry about how fast others are finishing. Just concentrate on your test. Faster is not necessarily better. Take the time that you need.
7. Have a positive attitude and believe that you can do well. Keep telling yourself that you can do it.
8. Don’t panic if you blank out on a question. Just skip the question and come back to it later.
9. Write down what you do know about the problem, if you still don’t know where to start when you come back to the problem that you skipped. It may jog your memory.
10. Don’t listen to negative comments or rumors about the test, especially from students who have not prepared.
11. Don’t panic, if you don’t know how to do all of the problems. You don’t have to have all of them right in order to pass. However, be sure to answer all of the questions.
12. Be good to yourself: 1. Get a good night sleep the night before: 2. Eat the something nutritious on test day; and 3. Avoid arriving too late or early to the test.
1. Don’t spend too much time on any one question. Do your best and then move on.
2. Answers the easiest questions first, but be sure to go back to those questions you skipped.
3. If you are "stuck" on a particular problem, you can:
A. Make up a simpler problem that you know how to solve that is similar to the one that you don’t, and try using the same method.
B. Make a diagram or model of the situation to help you understand the problem.
C. Go on with the rest of the test. Maybe, another part of the test will jog your
memory or give you a hint on how to solve the more difficult ones.
D. Try working backwards.
4. Always read math problems completely before beginning any calculations. If you "glance" too quickly at a problem, you may misunderstand the problem or what is asked.
5. Make sure that you answer the question that is being asked. Some questions have more than one step.
6. Underline key words or phrases in the question that will help you to solve the problem.
7. When answering multiple-choice questions, read the question and all answer choices before answering the question.
8. During multiple-choice, if you don’t know the answer, eliminate choices that you know cannot be correct. Then, the odds are more in your favor of getting it right.
9. When answering multiple-choice questions, do not change your answers unless you are very uncertain about your first choice.
10. If your answer does not match one of your choices, check if it is written in a different form. If not, reread the problem, recopy the numbers, and try to solve again. You may have copied the problem incorrectly.
11. Always carefully line up your decimals on your scratch paper (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands), in order to make it less likely to make a mistake.
12. Double-check and match the question number in your test booklet against the answer sheet every few questions to be sure you are bubbling the right circle.
13. When you think that you are done, recheck and make sure that you answer all of the questions.
Strategies to Reduce Test Anxiety:
1. Always prepare well for a test by making up your own test. Test yourself before the test.
2. Don’t wait until the night before to study. Study over a few days. Never cram at the last minute. It could make you feel anxious.
3. Stay relaxed. If you get tense during the test, stop and take a few deep breaths slowly to relax. Then, continue with the rest of the test.
4. Do the simple problems first, in order to build up your confidence.
5. Cover all of the problems, but the one that you are working on. Seeing the rest can make you anxious or lessen your focus on the problem at hand.
6. Don’t worry about how fast others are finishing. Just concentrate on your test. Faster is not necessarily better. Take the time that you need.
7. Have a positive attitude and believe that you can do well. Keep telling yourself that you can do it.
8. Don’t panic if you blank out on a question. Just skip the question and come back to it later.
9. Write down what you do know about the problem, if you still don’t know where to start when you come back to the problem that you skipped. It may jog your memory.
10. Don’t listen to negative comments or rumors about the test, especially from students who have not prepared.
11. Don’t panic, if you don’t know how to do all of the problems. You don’t have to have all of them right in order to pass. However, be sure to answer all of the questions.
12. Be good to yourself: 1. Get a good night sleep the night before: 2. Eat the something nutritious on test day; and 3. Avoid arriving too late or early to the test.
