Test Taking Tips:

 Survey the entire test
 Read the directions carefully, making sure you understand exactly what is expected
 Determine the point value for each question
 Read each question carefully, underlining key words
 Do not read into questions what is not there
 Pass over the difficult or debatable questions on your first reading and then come back after completing those of which you were sure
 Use information from other questions
 If you know you made an error, change your first answer.  If it is just a guess, keep your first impression.
 Ask the instructor for clarification if you have a specific question
 Spot check every fifth question for accuracy if you are using a computer-scored answer sheet

True-False Questions:
 Read the questions carefully.  Donít read more into a statement than is there.  Respond to the whole statement.
 Assume that the question is true unless you can determine that it is false
 For a statement to be true, all parts of it must be true.  If a question is partially false, then the whole statement is considered false.
 In a long question it often helps to mark each section as to whether it is true or false
 Write near the question what makes the answer false so that you can verify your reasoning
 Read very carefully questions that contain an absolute (all, every, none, never, always, only, exactly) as these are often false
Be certain to understand how a negative (not, least, unimportant) effects the question.  Watch out for double negatives.  Read the question as if there were no negatives in it at all.

Multiple Choice Questions:
 Multiple choice questions are usually either incomplete statements followed by possible answers
 Read the options very carefully and do not just choose the first answer that seems correct
 Cross out the distractors and select as the correct answer the option that is not a distractor.  Mark each choice as to whether it answers the question or does not answer it correctly
 Use common sense, sound reasoning, experiences you have had, information you know, and your knowledge of how the professor is likely to interpret the question to select the best answer
 Answers with absolutes in them are often wrong and thus distractors
 Watch out for the question with a negative in it ìwhich one is notî or ìthe least importantî
 Unfamiliar looking terms or phrases are seldom the correct answers to test questions.  The only time you should select the unfamiliar looking term or phrase as the correct answer is when you are certain that all the other options are distractors
 Options that contain jokes and insults are often distractors.
 When one of the options is ìall of the aboveî it is often the correct answer
 When one of the options is ìnone of the aboveî you must be able to eliminate all of the other answers
 When two options are similar looking, the correct answer is often both of them or both should be crossed out as distractors
 Longer and more complete answers are likely to be correct
 If A and C is one of the choices, and you know that A is correct, reread B to be certain you can eliminate it.  If in doubt, choose A and C
 If you have not the faintest idea, the middle answers, B and C, are often correct

Essay Exams:
 Know how to spot question words and know what they mean.  Examples: Analyze, Compare, Contrast, Critique, Define, Describe, Discuss, Examine, Explain, Evaluate, Illustrate, Outline, State, Summarize, Trace
 When studying a chapter or a section of a chapter ask yourself questions about what you have just read.  Think of possible essay questions that a professor may ask you on the material.  Use these questions as study questions
 Use a test file if available to go over the possible essay question formats that your instructor might use, or ask your instructor directly for some sample questions
 Use the essay question to formulate a thesis for your response.
 Use the essay question to outline your answer.
 If you are a poor speller, make a spelling list of important proper nouns that you might need to use in an essay answer.
 Remember that spelling, punctuation, and grammar will count especially if they get in the way of the reader understanding your writing.  If you have problems in these areas, get help.
 Support general statements with specific examples
 If you have poor penmanship, write on every other line or try to print
 Bring a blue book, single sheets of paper, and enough pens, pencils, and erasers to class with you
 Remember that in most lower-level courses that require in-class essays, the professor has asked you a question that can be divided up into parts that are in turn assigned certain point values.  Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for an instructor to grade a large number of essays.
 Bring a watch

Back to C.A.T.S. Academic Homepage