Doing well in school often requires doing well on tests, and that’s even more true when you’re going to college. A big test can often make a full letter grade of difference or more, which means it’s important to have good test-taking skills.
Fortunately, no one is born a good or bad test taker. All that matters is how you approach the situation. Here are five ways you can become a better test taker.
Study Consistently Instead of Cramming
There’s no way to get around it – if you want to do well on tests, then you need to study. The best test taker in the world still couldn’t provide answers they don’t know.
When you’re studying, it’s important that you remember what you learn. This is hard to do if you’re cramming tons of information into your head at the last minute. You’ll get far better results from your studying when you spend at least a small amount of time with the material every day. For example, 30 minutes per day Monday through Thursday for a test on Friday would be much more effective than a two-hour cram session on Thursday night.
Aim for Understanding Over Memorization
Although you need to remember what you study, you shouldn’t be trying to memorize it. You’ll remember it more easily when you aim to understand the material.
One of the best ways to do this is to learn concepts in a way that makes sense to you. Instead of memorizing the definition of a concept that you find in your textbook, think of more relatable examples of the concept. Not only will this help you remember it, but this deeper understanding of the material will likely also come in handy on the test itself.
Relax and Go to Bed Early the Night Before
A big test can have anyone feeling nervous and stressed out. You’ll only exacerbate this stress if you try to study as much as possible in the final days and hours leading up to the test. It’s best to stick to your usual study schedule. You may even want to give yourself a break prior to test day. If you believe that you know the material, it could be wise to prioritize getting in the right mental state.
Go to bed on time the night before your test. Students who have regular sleep schedules get better grades, on average, than those who don’t.
Get in the Zone on Test Day
On test day, the two most important things you can do are eat right and think positive. A nutritious meal with protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats will have you ready to perform at your best and will keep you full.
Having a positive mindset is also proven to help students do well on tests. If you start to feel any nervousness, the key to dealing with it is to change your perspective and to see it as excitement, instead. The two feelings are just about the same, and it’s all a matter of how you choose to perceive them.
Don’t Spend Too Much Time on Tough Questions
Test-taking strategies vary depending on the type of test you’re taking and the scoring system, but one strategy that holds true for just about any test is skipping hard questions and coming back to them later after you’ve answered the rest.
If you run into a question that’s giving you trouble, it doesn’t make sense to agonize over it. That can sink your confidence and eat up your time. Focus on the questions that you can answer with ease first. Once you’ve done all those, then you can spend your remaining time on anything that will require some deeper thought.
You probably don’t need to completely change how you approach school to be better at tests. With a few adjustments here and there, you can see a significant difference in your understanding of the material, how confident you feel on test day and how high you score.
