1. “Developing Good Study
Test Taking
Lecture 3
“Developing Good Study
Behaviors”

2. The Forgetting Curve! % REMEMBERED TIME Pythagoras (575-
100%
Pythagoras (575-
495 B.C.) a Greek
philosopher, scientist,
and religious teacher
80%
He discovered
the Pythagoras
Theorem.
60%
I think he was a
mathematician or
something.
% REMEMBERED
40%
Greek guy.
Probably dead.
20%
Huh? 0%
ONE
DAY 7
DAYS 14
DAYS 63
DAYS
TIME

3. Introduction to Good Study Behaviors
Your success in scoring high on tests begins
with good study habits.
HOW & WHEN you review will influence your
test grades the most!!
Successful students use long-term study
techniques while poor students are often
crammers.
Crammers tend to read desperately in a
single night to cover everything that should
have been studied in previous days…weeks…
or over the whole semester.

4. CRAMMING Cramming causes unnecessary pressure on
you and will make your
test anxiety worse!
So, the choice is yours:
choose to make test
taking strategies work
for you!

5. Considerations for Good Test Taking
*We’re going to talk
about easy strategies
that you can use…
BEFORE…
DURING…
AFTER…
an important test to
increase your chances
for success!

6. X BEFORE THE TEST… In the weeks before the test…
Follow a healthy diet: Brain
activity depends on blood sugar.
*NOT from donuts, candy,
soda, etc.
*Good sources of blood sugar
include fruit juice, eggs,
milk, etc. X

7. In the weeks before the test…
Be sure to get enough SLEEP!
7-8 hrs./night recommended
Your thinking/reasoning skills will be sharper
after a good night’s rest.

8. In the weeks before the test…
Get EXERCISE!
Your brain needs as much oxygen as it
can get!
Even simple movements increase oxygen
to the brain.

9. Just Before the Test…
Come prepared:

10. Just Before the Test… Cope with panic & nervousness!
Refer to Lecture 1 Notes for tips on positive
thinking and relaxation techniques.

11. Just Before the Test… Arrive early…why? Pay close attention to
the verbal directions
given by the instructor.
Why do you think the
verbal directions are so
important?

12. THE HOUR HAS ARRIVED… You arrived to class early, &
you are ready—the test has
just been given to you.
Look over the whole test
before you answer anything.
Take mental note of the point value of each
question.
Budget your time, and plan to use up ALL of
the allotted amount of time for the test.
Do a “mind dump”—means to make quick notes
of anything you might forget in the margins of
the test.
Outline your answers to essay questions—this
will help you get organized.

13. NOW BEGIN THE TEST… Read directions carefully…NEVER assume you
know what the directions say.
2.Answer easy questions first.
*This will build your confidence.
*It will also give you momentum to get through
the rest of the test.
3.Go back to the difficult questions later.
*Your subconscious mind has been working on
harder quest. while you were doing easier
ones.

14. *Earlier items on test might give clues to
needed information on later items.
4.Answer ALL the questions…unless you are penal-
ized for wrong answers.
5.Ask the instructor to explain any
unclear items.
*Do not ask for answer.
*Ask instructor to rephrase
the question.
6.Answer questions from the
instructor’s point of view.
7.Use margins to explain why you chose a
particular answer if question was unclear or if
an answer seems ambiguous.

15. DURING THE TEST… (continued)
What can you
extrapolate from
this data?
Circle key words in difficult
questions.
Try to express difficult
questions in your own words
without changing the meaning
of the question.
What conclusions
can I make from
this information?
Use up ALL the time allowed for the test.
*extra time…rework questions again
*students who leave early are NOT
necessarily smarter…chances are they missed
many questions or else they’re geniuses!!

16. IT’S OVER!!! (whew!) Write down all problematic
questions so that when you get
your test back, you can check
to see if you got them right or
not.
If you feel that you should have been given
credit for an answer…
Be prepared to present a strong argument.
The instructor might concede the points to
you.
SAVE all your tests for review for the bigger
tests. Often, same questions will be on major
tests but reworded or put in a different section.