1. Test Taking Strategies Developed and Designed by Birma Gainor
Test Taking Skills
Test Taking Strategies
Developed and Designed by Birma Gainor

2. Advice Overview
General Strategies
Strategies for Objective Exams

3. General Strategies Bring the materials you need for the test
Arrive on time
Write down formulas of processes you need as soon as you get your test paper
Preview the test
Read all directions carefully and slowly

4. General Strategies (cont’)
Underline key terms and steps in the directions and in each question
Use appropriate test-wise strategies
Answer the easiest questions first
Expect memory blocks
Attempt every question

5. General Strategies (cont’)
Make your responses neat and legible
Unless you are using a special form that will be scanned for scoring, cross out incorrect information instead of taking time to erase
Work at your own pace
Review the questions and your answers

6. Strategies for Objective Exams
If you don’t know an answer, skip it and go on
When you return to questions you skipped, try to figure out what the answer is NOT
Eliminate grammatically incorrect distracters
Read all choices before answering a multiple-choice question
Responses that LOOK like the word to be defined are usually incorrect

7. Objective Exams (cont’)
Watch for distracters that mean the same thing
Use what you know to analyze and make decisions about information
If the test contains a true-false section, read each question thoroughly
If the test concerns math or science, watch your time closely
Watch for double negatives

8. Objective Exams (cont’)
The longest choice is often the right one
A middle choice (b or c) is often the correct one
Read carefully and look for give-away clues
Watch for trick questions
If a multiple-choice confuses you, consider the stem and each distracter as a true-false question

9. Objective Exams (cont’)
Use the side with the longest responses as the stem on matching tests
Try to determine the relationships between the columns on matching exams
Cross out choices that you know are incorrect
When all else fails, guess
Review your exam before turning it in

10. Questions?
Please talk to one of the staff members if you have more concerns or if you would like assistance.