LHS High School Study Skills

Related Links

Motivation
Get Motivated
Stay Motivated

Monitoring Input
Listening
Note Taking
Reading
Class Participation

Managing Process
Self Management
Time Management
Concentration
Managing Your Learning
Managing Your Memory
Test Preparation

Mastering Output
Test Taking
Dealing with Test Anxiety
Learning from Tests
Preparing Written Reports
Preparing Oral Reports
Class Participation

Test Taking

By the time you have entered high school, you have been exposed to numerous tests.  You probably already possess some skills in test taking due to this exposure, however your skills can be significantly enhanced by practicing the following test taking tips.

The Triage Method

The term triage refers to a division into three parts or categories.  In the case of test taking, it means to go through the test and divide the questions into three groups:

• probables, the questions you can answer easily

• possibles, mark the questions you think you can work out the answers to with a 

• long shots, mark the questions you have no idea how to answer with an X

As you go through the test, answer the probables first, and then come back to the checks and the X's.  Try to stay relaxed throughout the test.  Never change your first guess unless you are certain you know the right answer.  When you finish the test, review it for careless errors.

True/False Questions

True/false tests are easy to make and easy to grade, therefore they are a favorite for many teachers.  Strategies for answering true/false questions are listed below:

1. Beware of superlatives, such as best, worst, largest, smallest, most, least, etc.  Few circumstances are always present.  Equally few are never present.  Remember that some actually are always or never; but be careful!

2. Check the statement for qualifying words.  A qualifying word is any single word that changes the overall meaning of the statement.  For instance, does the meaning of the statement change if the adjectives and adverbs are eliminated?  Qualifying words are often keys to choosing the correct answer.

3. Look carefully at the subject and the verb in the statement.  Do they belong together?

4. Be careful of reading too much into a statement.  The more you know about a subject, the less you will see statements about the subject as true or false.  Most statements are neither completely true nor completely false.  Ironically, choosing between true and false becomes more difficult with broader knowledge.  In one sense, the true/false test penalizes you for knowing more.

5. Try to prove each statement false.  It is easier to prove a statement false than to prove it true.  Every element in a statement must be true for the statement to be true.  If just one element in a statement is incorrect, the statement is false.  If you can find no error in a statement, accept it as true; don't try to prove it.  This will keep you from reading too much into the statement.

Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions are favored by more students than any other type.  These questions are easier on your recall because they only require you to recognize the correct answer.  However, well designed multiple-choice questions can be difficult; dealing with shades of meaning, conflicting information, appropriate conclusions can make these questions very challenging.  Teachers like multiple choice tests because they are easy to grade, and for students to perform well on them they must know the relevant details and understand the meaning and context of that information.  

Misconceptions about Multiple-Choice Questions

• Multiple choice questions require you to choose the best answer, not the correct one.  All answers may be correct, or all may be incorrect; you are required to choose the best of these options.  Therefore, you should always read every answer before giving a response.

• Many students have heard that you should choose a constant response when guessing on multiple-choice questions and that the best response to guess is C.  This advice is misleading.  When you are forced to guess, always make a knowledge based guess.  If you know anything at all about the subject, use that knowledge to narrow down the possibilities or at least to arrive at a direct hunch.  Hunches are somewhat knowledge based, and they will beat the odds of giving a direct response.  However, if you have used all you know to narrow down the possibilities, and you still cannot decide between two or more choices, you should use your knowledge of probability.  On teacher made tests, choices toward the end of the list are generally more likely to be correct than the ones toward the beginning.  Therefore, if you absolutely cannot decide between A and C on your teacher's test, it's better to go with C.

• Beware of multiple/multiple-or-k questions as they do not work the same as multiple-choice questions.  Multiple/multiple-or-k questions are those that ask you to select between possible combinations of responses--e.g., between (A), (A&B), or (B), (B&C), (C), (none of these), and (all of these).  In this type of question, you are not being asked to select the best answer; you must select all of the correct answers.  The appropriate strategy to use with these questions is to treat each statement as a true/false question.  First try to prove that (A) is false.  If you cannot prove it false, accept it as true and place a check by the (A) statement.  Follow this pattern with (B) and (C) statements, and then mark off the appropriate choice.

Essay Questions

Essay questions are the most dreaded by many students.  Many students feel they must write a lot in order to be awarded the most possible points.  This is far from the truth.  Teachers are generally looking for pre-determined, very specific information.  Your grade is determined by the amount of that information your essay provides.  Essay questions should be answered in three parts.  The first paragraph should answer the question directly, telling your teacher what points the essay will contain.  Then you should devote one paragraph to each point.  Finally, your last paragraph should summarize your answer by restating your major points.

Short-Answer Questions

The best preparation for short-answer questions is to overlearn the details of the material.  Extensive use of study cards is essential.  The best strategy for answering these questions is to first answer the probables as quickly as you can.  Next answer the possibles, and forget about the long shots.  

Tips on objective test taking from CalPoly's Academic Skills Center

Test taking strategies from Buck's County Community College

Anticipating Test Content

Tips to use when you have to make an educated guess