For most students, midterms and final exams may be one of the most stressful experiences in college – especially in your freshman year when you are unfamiliar with the new course structure. Even if you’ve studied for hours and know the material well, sitting in that eerily quiet room as the professor hands out the exam can be overwhelming. Test taking is a skill and learning how to effectively prepare and perform can be as challenging as the subject matter. This week’s Nerd Word offers up some tips to help you alleviate anxiety and excel at your exams.
Before you do anything else, once the test is in your hand – always read directions! This will ensure that you provide your answers exactly the way the directions state. Determine what the scoring rules are for the test and follow them to your advantage. For example when in a multiple-choice format, if wrong answers are penalized and unanswered questions are not scored, don’t guess unless you can reduce the choices to two. However if you are only rewarded for correct answers and receive no deductions for incorrect choices, then you can guess regardless of how unsure you are of your response.
Objective examination questions usually contain one or more key words. A key word or group of words are those on which the validity of a statement hinges. Learn to spot the key words in the question that define its meaning. If a statement contains two clauses, one of which is false, then the whole statement is false. Usually, two-statement true-false questions are either both true or both false.
The primary exam format preferred by college professors is the multiple-choice test. Multiple-choice questions are essentially true-false questions arranged in groups. Usually, only one alternative is correct. Your job is to pick the alternative that is more accurate than the others. Read multiple-choice questions the same way as for true-false. Eliminate obvious false choices and answer the easiest questions first. Answering easy questions earliest is the best strategy. If you stumble over difficult questions for too long a time, you may not be able to complete the exam.
The methods used to answer true-false and multiple choice questions apply to matching questions as well. Always scan the entire list of alternatives before matching any. As in the other types of questions, try to identify key words in each list and test them. Completion questions require you to provide a word or phrase. When you encounter completion questions, choose your words carefully. If you don’t know the answer, give it your best guess, as often times such responses get at least partial credit.
A key mistake is to overlook the physical and psychological preparation that successful test taking requires, so keep your mind fueled with Nerd Energy drink and be sure to get enough sleep on the night prior to the exam. Next week as the Nerd takes a look at the essay writing process in an overview that will make the task of writing a double-digit paged paper much less frightening.
