Sneaking in a cheat sheet is NOT a good test-taking strategy!!!
Midterms. Love em’ or hate em’–there’s no way to avoid em’. It’s that time of year again where we take a step back from the food debates and workout routines to focus on the nitty-gritty academic aspect of college. But have no fear, because I’m here to help! This post is all about tips on test-taking so you can tackle those formidable midterms.
The fact is that you can study all you want, but if you don’t have good test-taking strategies all that knowledge is going to stay locked in your brain. And no matter what the class you are more than likely going to run into at least one of these two types of questions: multiple choice and paragraph response.
Taking a Multiple Choice Exam
Now, when a professor says the test will be multiple choice, most students are relieved–and for good reason. Multiple choice tests are significantly easier to pass even when you don’t fully understand the material because you have a 1 in 4 chance of guessing correctly. This is not to say don’t study. You should absolutely study. But if you’re walking into a multiple choice test feeling uneasy about the subject matter, here is some advice:
- Read All the Answer Options– Always.
Looking at all the possible answers will ensure that you don’t fall for any tricky questions with answers that sound plausible. - Take Your Time. Never hesitate to go back and check your answers. I know it’s tempting to just turn in your test and get out of class early, but many times students lose points because they skimmed over questions and end up missing key phrases like “Which of these is NOT accurate?” Going back and reading the questions will ensure that you didn’t accidentally skim over something as vital as a “Not.”
- Don’t Feel Overwhelmed by Choices.
Elimination is key in getting the correct answer on questions you have no clue about. Everyone’s been there. You’re taking a test and come across a question that seems to come out of nowhere, but nevertheless there it is and you’re expected to take a guess at it. So it’s best to find the option that you know isn’t right. For most multiple choice questions there are two “throw away” answers that most students easily recognize as incorrect. This leaves test-takers with two answers that sound right. From that point, it’s all about luck.
Taking a Paragraph Response Exam
While students are usually thrilled to hear their professor is doing a multiple choice test, almost no one is excited to hear that they will be seeing paragraph responses on an exam. These questions can really tank test takers and giving advice is not easy because each subject has different standards. However, here are some general guidelines so you aren’t left horribly confused when you come across this type of question on your mid-terms.
- OUTLINE.
I cannot stress this enough–planning what you’re going to say is vital for any length of written response. When you are trying to think of the answer and write it down at the same time, it’s really easy for words to get left out or jumbled up. Professors may take off points for simply leaving out key descriptive words that make answers specific. Just plotting out what you’re going to say and the order you’re going to say it in helps make your wording a lot cleaner. - Fake It Until You Make It.
Just because you’re not 100% sure about the answer doesn’t mean you throw away the question. Say what you THINK is right. Unless your professor docks points for misinformation, you’ll probably get at least partial credit. Feel free to add extra information as well. It’s better to have too much than too little. - Use Your Time Wisely.
Professors give you the entire class time to take a test for a reason. Don’t rush through answering your paragraph response questions. The more you can think about a subject the more likely you are to remember material on that subject. Take your time, read the question carefully and re-read your answers before turning it in. Of course, if you have several questions, you can’t spend too much time on any one question. Divide the number of minutes allotted by the number of questions on the exam to find out the average time you should spend on a question. Try to stick to that schedule in order to get to all the questions.
Hopefully these test-taking strategies help you feel a lot more confident heading into your exams this week. That A is totally achievable but you have to work for it too. Don’t take midterms lightheartedly and be as prepared as you can be.
Wishing you the best of luck on your exams this week!
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