Ellen McCormick

Test Taking Success Tips



Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2010

by Ellen McCormick

Are you tired of seeing red pen all over your tests and papers? Are you plagued with test taking anxiety? Are you weary of cramming? Do you want to take tests with confidence, improve your academic standing, and be proud of your work? Here are three simple steps that can help you improve your test taking skills, no sweat involved.

Step One:

While taking notes in class, underline key terms, and underline or highlight the most important headings and points as you go. This way, when you go back to study, the most essential information you need to know (which you have already highlighted or marked), will pop out at you. Come up with a system of color-coding or underlining that helps you know your own hierarchy. For example, use highlighter for main headings or the most important points, and underlining for subordinate points. This way you don't need to plow through everything all over again, but can go directly to what you most need to study. Writing your questions/reflections, or any good explanations, examples, and side thoughts given by the teacher in the margin can also help. This way you don't confuse it with the main content, but can easily refer back to your ideas and examples for follow up.

Step 2:

Find a regular, simple structure that can help you study for most tests and most subjects. For example, a three point system. Take the notes you already have from your class. Look at the important points that you marked. See if you can group all the important information into three main points. This way, when you think of a certain era of history or a work of literature, you can easily formulate a good, overall summary. And, it will be easy to remember. Just three basic points. Then, group the rest of the information into sub points within each of the main points. It will be easiest for you to remember if you have the same number of sub points either two or three, under each main point. This way, when the test requires a more specific answer, or an in depth essay, you can first think of which main point you're dealing with, and then use the sub points to give the supporting detail. This three point structure works best for the language arts subjects, history, literature, social studies, etc. It can also be used for science, but needs to be adapted for math to include equations. In preparing for math tests, however, equations can be grouped in a similar manner.

Step 3:

Look over your teachers' comments after getting a test back, to learn from your mistakes. See what problems you got wrong. Were they all the same type? If so, that's what you need to study again. See whether your main difficulties are content oriented, meaning that you need to focus more on comprehension, or form oriented, meaning you need to learn a better way of presenting your answers, such as improving your handwriting, grammar, spelling, conciseness, etc. Doing this analysis can help you know the specific points to focus on that will lead to concrete improvement on your next test. Another important point is to compare test from different subjects, and see if there are mistakes you are consistently making throughout all your tests. If you are weak in spelling or grammar, for example, this will affect all of your tests. Working on these general weaknesses first will help you improve your grades in all areas, and then give you time to focus on course-specific improvement.

Studying with this sort of method will help you improve, not only on the first test, but consistently. You'll start to learn how you study best, what helps you most, what your main strengths are, and also the points you need to work on, both in individual subjects, and across fields. Don't settle for red pens and stress. Find your way to learn, express, and excel.

To view more articles by the same author, click here.

Born in Saudi Arabia, Ellen was raised in both the Middle East and the United States. She visited numerous countries in Europe and the Middle East, to learn about culture, history, and contemporary society in an experiential way.  Ellen has a licentiate in Educational Development, and is a candidate for a licentiate in Religious Sciences, pending approval of thesis. Since graduating, Ellen has been engaged in the field of education as teacher, tutor, writer, editor, administrator and research assistant.  She is currently living in Lebanon.  More of her work can also be viewed here.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Jack H. Schick
 2 years 91 days ago.
96 fans.
Great advice. Great technique to improve. I was lucky, blessed with a gift. I remember almost every thing I read. I could almost re-read the page in my mind's eye to get an answer. And, I liked tests. As a Lit student I loved to expound my ideas.
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