Test Taking Strategies That Actually Help

Introduction

Forget the overused advice like “get a good night's sleep” or “eat a balanced breakfast.” This guide is packed with real strategies to help you navigate tricky test questions and strategies for how to proceed when you're stuck and unsure.

General Tips

These strategies help you stay focused, avoid simple mistakes, and make the most of your test time:

1. Practice Test: The best way to get better at taking tests is… taking tests. Plain and simple. Familiarity breeds intuition and you’ll start spotting correct answers faster.
2. Memory Dump: If you’re allowed a cheat sheet, fill it out ahead of time. If not, jot down key formulas, facts, or mnemonics the moment the test starts.
3. Context Clues: Read everything carefully — don’t skip instructions or the end of long questions. Previous questions might help unlock others.
4. Ask the proctor: If something feels off or unclear, ask! Some instructors will clarify more than you think and sometimes even hint at the answer.
5. Budget your time: Take the question total and divide by the total time so you know when you are spending too much time on a question.
6. Keep it moving: If a question stumps you, make your best guess, mark it, and come back later. Getting stuck wastes time and hurts your momentum.

Multiple Choice Strategies

Multiple choice isn’t just recall, it’s a game of logic and probability. Have a system:

1. Eliminate obvious wrong answers.
2. Look for keywords and qualifiers like best, except, or always to narrow the options.
3. Read all the choices before deciding.
4. Longer answers are often correct — they tend to be more specific.
5. Favor repeated terms — answers sharing the same phrasing might both be right.
6. Choose the most complete or detailed answer.
7. “Select all that apply” — treat each choice as a true/false question.
8. Pick the “umbrella” option — the one that includes elements of other answers.
9. Go with your gut when truly torn — your first instinct is often right.

True/False Strategies

Simple rules here, but they matter:

• 100% qualifiers are usually false: always, never, only, none
• Moderate qualifiers are usually true: sometimes, often, many, usually
• Don’t leave blanks; you've got a 50/50 shot, so pick something!

Short Answer and Essay Questions

This is where clarity and structure matter most. Partial points are possible, so don't leave it empty:

• Use the prompt to start your answer. Ex: “The five causes of…”
• Write what you know, even if it's not complete, you may get partial credit.
• Give general answers if you do not know specifics.
• Check line length — longer blanks usually mean longer answers.
• Write clearly, use full sentences, and proofread if time allows.

Habits of Highly Effective Students

If you really want to excel, you should put in the effort. Your test isn’t over when you turn it in, more learning happens after:

• Review your answers before submitting. You may catch a mistake before it’s too late.
• Schedule test reviews with your professor and learn why you got something wrong.
• Study mistakes — understanding your teacher’s logic helps you predict future questions.
• Get plenty of rest before exam day. Keep your study stress under control so you a fresh and ready.

Final Thoughts

Test-taking is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice and strategy. The more you train yourself to think critically, manage your time, and recognize patterns in how questions are asked, the more confident and capable you’ll feel walking into any exam.

Don’t just aim to pass, aim to understand the game behind the test.