How To Improve Your Test-Taking Skills In No Time

by: Michael Kabel

How many tests do you think you take in a month? Three? Five? Even more?

The modern high school education is packed with tests, standardized tests, exit tests, and exams. You've probably felt like between all the test-taking, there's not a lot of time to actually learn anything!

But even while those tests are annoying, they're still important, especially if you're planning (or just thinking) about going to college. Taking tests is a skill, and it's a skill you learn just like learning to drive a car or ride a bike. Fortunately, the basics are actually very easy to learn.

Sleep more and eat more.

Sometimes the simplest advice is the best. Today's high school students often don't take care of themselves by sleeping enough or eating the right breakfast. But these simple things make a world of difference at test time.

Think of it this way: your brain is a muscle. If you were planning to run a race, you wouldn't let yourself compete with too little sleep and an empty stomach, right? Taking a test is like running a race. You owe it to yourself to come in rested and fully charged.

Study a lot, but not too much the night before.

Almost all study experts will tell you that cramming the night before a test doesn't work. The "easy come, easy go" rule applies to your brain's memory, and what you learn too quickly isn't likely to stick around.

Study by getting yourself acquainted with the material a week or so in advance. As you study each night, refresh yourself with what you know. This tells your brain to assign the information to your real memory, so it's there when you need it. 

When taking the test, don’t dwell on questions for too long.

You'll only have a certain amount of time to complete any test. As you go through the questions, don't get bogged down by something that you don't think you know. Instead, skip it and go onto the next question. In a short while, you'll have completed most of the test in no time, and you'll be able to concentrate on the questions of which you're unsure.

Don't lose points for filling in the wrong answers.

Remember, it's no good to know the correct answer if you don't fill in the answer sheet correctly. Make sure you've read the answer choices correctly and that you've clearly marked your choice. When taking standardized tests, make sure the ovals are all filled in clearly and neatly.

You can guarantee yourself a clean way around answer confusion by double-checking your answer sheet when you're finished. This will also give you the chance to rethink any answers you weren't sure about.

For written tests, make yourself an outline first.

The outline doesn't have to be formal, but think about the subject and jot down a few ideas about what you want to say first. Then use the list of ideas to give your essay structure. You'll probably find that, once you have an outline, writing the essay itself is as easy as ticking items off a list.