1. © 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
Part Two, Study Skills
Taking Objective Exams
Objectives:
This chapter will show you how to:
Prepare for and take tests in general
Prepare for objective exams
Take objective exams
Cram when you have no other choice
© 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin

2. Avoiding exam panic If you are well-prepared,
you are not likely to block or panic on exams.
In order to go about preparing for exams, you must:
Go to class consistently
Read the textbook and any other assigned material
Take class and textbook notes
Study
Memorize your notes if necessary
Start preparing for exams in the first class of the semester.

3. What to study
Key terms, definitions and examples
This information is often set off in italics or boldface type.
Enumerations (lists of items) in your class and textbook notes
These are often the basis of essay questions.
Be sure to learn the heading that describes the list, as well.
Points emphasized in class or in the text
Look for points emphasized in class or in the text.
Concentrate on areas the instructor spent a good deal of time discussing.
Topics identified by the instructor
Pay attention to areas your instructors advise you to study.
Questions on earlier tests

4. Make the most of your time before a test
Spend the night before the exam making a final review of your notes.
Go right to bed without letting other activities interfere with the material you have learned. Get up early in the morning to review the notes once more.
Take any materials with you that you’ll need during the exam
(pen, paper, eraser, dictionary, other aids if allowed).
Be on time for the exam.
Sit in a quiet spot to avoid distractions.
Carefully read over all the directions on the exam before you begin.
Budget your time.
Figure out how much time you can spend on each section of the test. Write the number of minutes on a piece of scratch paper, and stick to your schedule. Sit where you can see a clock.

5. Preparing for objective exams
Objective exams may include the following types of questions:
Multiple choice
True-false
Fill-in the blank
Matching
To do well on objective tests,
you must know how to read the test items carefully.

6. Be prepared to memorize material when studying for an objective test.
Memorization keeps your studying honest; you need to truly understand the material.
In an objective test, you are expected to recognize the correctness of course material.
Ask your instructor what kinds of items will be on the test.
The answers may help you know what to expect.
Try to find a test that is similar to the one you will be taking.
Looking at these exams carefully can familiarize you with the requirements, format and items you may reasonably expect on your exam.
Be sure to review all the main points presented in the course.
Apply techniques of repeated self-testing on the recall words in your notes.
Make up practice test items when you study.
You may be able to predict some of the questions the instructor will ask.

7. Taking objective exams
Answer all the easier questions first.
Put a light checkmark beside difficult questions to come back to later.
Go back and spend time remaining on the difficult test items.
Answer ALL questions unless the instructor has said that extra points will be deducted for wrong answers. Guess if you must; you may pick up at least a few points more than you would if you didn’t answer the questions.
Ask the instructor to explain any items that aren’t clear.

8. Put yourself in the instructor’s shoes when trying to figure out the meaning of a confusing item. What answer do you think the instructor would say is correct?
Circle or underline the key words in difficult questions. This can help you untangle complicated questions and focus on the central point in the item.
Express difficult questions in your own words. Rephrasing the item in simpler terms can help you cut through the confusion and get to the core of the question.
Take advantage of the full time given and go over the exam carefully for possible mistakes. As long as you have a good reason, change earlier answers to make them correct. Be on guard against last-minute anxiety that prompts you to change, with no good reason, many of your original answers.

9. Specific hints for answering multiple-choice questions
Remember that a perfect answer to every question may not be provided in multiple-choice exams. Choose the best answer AVAILABLE.
Cross out answers you know are incorrect. Eliminating answers is helpful because it helps you focus your attention on the most reasonable options.
Read all of the possible answers to a question; remember that “all of the above” may be the correct answer.

10. Minimize the risk of guessing the answers to difficult questions.
Read the question and the first possible answer.
Next, read the question again, then the next possible answer, and so on, until you have read the question with each possible answer.
Breaking the items down in this way will often help you identify the most logical answer.
Try not to look at the answers when you return to difficult items.
Instead, read the question and try to supply your own answer, then compare your answer with options given on the exam to find the one that most closely matches your own answer.

11. Use the following clues only when you have no idea of the answer and must guess.
The longest answer is often correct.
The most complete and inclusive answer is often correct.
The answer in the middle, especially if it is longest, is often correct.
If two answers have opposite meanings, one of them is probably right.
Answers with qualifiers, such as generally, probably, most, often, some, sometimes, and usually are often correct.

12. Specific hints for answering true-false questions
Simplify questions with double negatives by crossing out both negatives and then determining the correct answer.
Remember that answers with qualifiers such as generally, probably, most, often, some, sometimes, and usually are frequently true.
Remember that answers with absolute words such as all, always, everyone, never, no one, nobody, and only are usually false.

13. Specific hints for answering fill-in questions
Read the question to yourself so you can actually hear what is being asked.
Make sure each answer you provide fits logically and grammatically into its slot in the sentence.
Remember that not all fill-in answers require only one word. If you feel that several words are needed to complete an answer, write in all the words unless the instructor or directions indicate that only single-word responses will be accepted.

14. Specific hints for answering matching questions
Don’t start matching items until you read both columns and get a sense of the choices.
Start with the easiest items.
One by one, focus on each item in one column and look for its match in the other column.
Cross out items as you use them.

15. How to cram when you have no other choice
Students who cram for tests are not likely to be successful; they often have to cram because they have not managed their time well.
The following steps may help you do some quick but effective studying:
Accept the fact that you are not going to be able to study everything.
Read through your class notes and mark off those ideas that are most important.
Write the ideas you have selected on study sheets.
Prepare catchwords and catch phrases to recall material, then memorize them.
Go back, if time remains, to review all your notes.
Don’t use the time to learn new concepts; instead, try to broaden your understanding of the points you have already studied.