Test Taking Tips
The following are some test taking tips that can be very beneficial when taking your State Board Written Exam:
Start Preparing For The Written Exam Way In Advanced
One major mistake most students make is that they start to prepare for the written exam two or three days before the test. Studies show that starting to study weeks to months before any written exam is far superior to a mass cram session. For example, you will get more out of five 2-hour preparation sessions spread over one week rather than one 10-hour night before the test cram session.
Late night cramming is usually a recipe for disaster resulting in poor retention, mental and physical fatigue, and careless mistakes on the test. The sooner you start studying for the State Board written exam, the better!
Make A Plan
Proper preparation for your State Board written exam means you need a solid plan. Using your textbook, this online course, notes from school, or other material, strategize on how you are going to prepare. Have a small achievable goal for every study session that you can build on. For example, set a goal for your next study session using this course. Concentrate on one topic completing a certain number of questions. Increase the number of study questions you tackle the next time around.
Take one of the timed simulated tests in this course. As you review your answers, you will see from which topic it was pulled from. For questions you missed, concentrate on that topic.
Do Not Let Panic Overtake You During The Exam
A certain amount of anxiety is normal prior to taking any exam. The idea is not to let this overwhelm you during the exam. To reduce panic and stress, put in as much time studying and preparation time as you can afford prior to taking the exam. The more prepared you are for the written exam, the less likely you are to panic.
Multiple Choice Strategies
*Be sure to read each question in its entirety before glancing over the answer choices.
*After reading a question, answer it in your head if you can before reviewing the answer choices.
*If not sure of the correct answer, use a process of elimination to get rid of as many wrong choices as you can before answering the question. Wrong answers are often easier to find than correct answers. Eliminate answer choices which you are 100 percent sure are incorrect before selecting the answer you believe is right.
*Make an educated guess if not sure of the answer. At State Board, you will always get the answer wrong by skipping it. Here are three strategies to help narrow the choices to select the correct answer:
- Ask yourself whether the answer you are considering completely addresses the question. If the test answer is only partly true or is true only under certain narrow conditions, then it is probably not the right answer.
- If you think a question is a trick question, rethink it. None of the questions you encounter at State Board are intended to be deceptive. If you suspect a trick question, make sure you are not reading too much into the question. In most cases, what looks like a “trick question” is only tricky because it is not taken at face value.
- If after your very best effort, you cannot choose between two choices, try vividly imagining each one as the correct answer. You will often “feel” that one of the answers is wrong. Trust your gut feeling.
*When you are positive two of the answers are correct with an “All of the above” choice, then the “All of the above” choice is probably the correct answer.
*When you encounter an “All of the above” answer choice, do not select it if you are pretty sure one of the answers is incorrect.
*When you encounter a “None of the above” answer choice, do not select it if you are pretty sure one answer is correct.
*If you get stuck on a question do not waste too much time on it. Answer it as best as you can, flag it, and move on. Come back at the end of the test if you have time.
*If time permits, go back through your test to make sure you have answered everything correctly. For the most part keep you answers the same, unless you have discovered new information in a later part of the test to disprove your answer.