Before beginning a test, if possible, flip or scroll through it to get a sense of how long the test is and what it will ask you to do.
As you work, keep in mind how much time you have. It's better to give yourself a chance to answer each question than to spend all your time getting one question right, not leaving time to answer any others.
Pay attention to how many points different questions or sections are worth. If you are worried about time, allocate more time to the questions worth more points, or answer those questions first.
Read any essay question prompts before beginning the test. As you take the rest of the test, mark any questions that might help you answer the essay question. Even if the essay topic is not covered by the rest of the test, keeping the prompt in the back of your mind for that extra time can be helpful.
1. Drawing a blank? The other questions and sections in the test can be like a word bank for you. Looking at them might help you find or remember helpful vocab words or give you other clues.
2. Read the question carefully. Make sure you answer every part of the question.
3. If you don’t know, it’s better to guess and write something than to leave it blank.
| Tip | Why it's helpful | What to be careful of |
|---|---|---|
| If a question is really hard, skip it and come back to it later. | Sometimes, reading the other questions and answers helps you understand the hard question better. | BE CAREFUL if you are doing this strategy on a scantron. Be sure to leave that question blank on the scantron. It can be easy to accidentally start bubbling questions on the wrong lines when skipping questions. |
| Circle words like: No, not, cannot |
It helps you make sure you understand the question and each answer. |
A word like not will completely change a sentence’s meaning, so you want to make sure you notice it. Is there one of these words or are there two? |
| Circle words like: all, only, never, always, none, every |
These words are absolute; they don’t leave room for any exceptions. | Be careful with these ones! An answer has to be really rock-solid to always or never be something. |
| Circle words like: often, usually, sometimes, most, rarely, occasionally |
These words leave some wiggle room. | It’s much easier to usually be something. |
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Use two blank pieces of paper to cover up everything on the test except the question you are looking it. Try to come up with your own answer to the question before looking at the answer options. |
Covering up the other questions helps you focus on one question at a time. Coming up with your own answer before looking at the options makes it less likely to get thrown off by a tricky set of answers. It can also make it easier to identify the correct answer. |
Be sure to read all the answers before selecting one. Sometimes several answers are similar and only one is right. |
| Cross out any answers you know are wrong. |
Even if you have to guess between the other answers, it increases your odds of guessing correctly. If you’re not guessing, it helps you find the correct answer. |
Don’t cross out too darkly. It’s helpful to still be able to see the answers you aren’t using:
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| Read the question or true/false statement carefully. | Sometimes a question, answer, or true/false statement has multiple parts to it. Make sure you pay attention to each part. | For true/false questions, every part of the statement needs to be true for it to be true. |
| Pay special attention to similar answers that both seem right. |
See if you can figure out what is different between the two answers. If they seem to be exactly the same, then look for another answer that is “all of the above” or “both a and c”-style |
Be careful with “all of the above.” If one option is wrong, then the answer can’t be “all of the above.” |
If you have extra time after finishing, don't turn your exam in right away. Instead, take a short break, even if it is just closing your eyes for a few moments. Then review your test.
Slowly review all the questions and your answers. In particular, make sure that you:
It's better to put an answer down than to leave something blank. If you know you will not have time to finish, it's better to select answers for all multiple choice questions and throw some key words into fill in the blank or short answer questions.