Nick Schmeichel

You read the chapters, read the notes and completed the study guide. You are ready to ace that test, but as soon as the instructor hands out the paper, you forget everything. However, TRiO Student Support Services has tips that will help you make the grade without losing your lunch.

Five-Day Study Plan

Preparing early for an exam is the key to performing well. Test material can be learned more efficiently if a student studies material briefly throughout a longer period of time.

The key to cramming is focusing on the material you remember. Students have less chance of remembering something when they teach themselves the night before an exam.

The main keys to the five-day study plan are:

1. Studying must be done evenly during a five-day period.

2. Learn a new part of your study material each day and review the material previously studied.

3. Divide study material into even blocks.

4. Writing and reciting is a way to use active learning and is very useful.

5. Self-testing helps a student monitor his or her learning progress.

10 Tips for Test-Taking

1. Arrive for the test early and prepared.

2. Stay calm and confident with yourself.

3. Pick a good spot to take the test with plenty of room to work.

4. Take time to read through the test before you begin answering questions.

5. Answer the questions you know first. The difficult questions, questions that take a long time to answer or the questions with the lowest point value should be the last questions a student answers.

6. Know when to guess on a multiple-choice question. If there is no penalty and a student doesn’t know the correct answer, eliminate the answers you know are wrong and guess. Your first choice is usually the correct one.

7. Think before you write on an essay test. Create a small outline of discussion points.

8. Get to the point on essay tests. State your main points in the first sentence and use the rest of the space to justify your points. Use examples and specific information to back up your points.

9. Take 10 percent of the test time for review.

10. Tests can further prepare you for another test, midterm or final. Review your answers after every test.