Test Taking Habits for Getting Better Grades EVEN IF you have studied for your test, these habits can make a big difference in your score!
1. Always, ALWAYS, ALWAYSFIRST put your name and class information at the top of
the paper. It is so easy to forget to do so later. In my class you will lose points if you
don't.
2. Don't skip reading the directions! If you do, you could be blind-sided, and end up in the
grade-gutter! Read slowly and CAREFULLY! Remember the instructions on "How to
Follow Directions."
3. Don’t get hung up on one part of a test. We all have the tendency to “Start at the
beginning and work straight through to the end.” That can be a mistake! If you are not
able to immediately answer or solve a part of a test (or class work), leave it and go on to
the next part. When you have reached the end, go back and work on the ones you
skipped. This has several advantages:
1. You will have answered all the easier parts, and will have earned credit for them. If you
spent a lot of time on the hard parts, you would not have gotten the easier
ones done!
2. Also, the fact that they were hard for you may result in you getting them wrong anyway!
3. As you work on the easier parts, you may see something that triggers your memory
about how to do the harder parts.
4. As your conscious mind is working on the easier parts, your unconscious mind may still
be working on the hard parts. When you go back to the hard parts, they may then seem
easier! (This works!) 4. If a question comes into your mind, see if you can figure out the answer from the
instructions.
5. Check for consistency between answers. Answers should not contradict each other!
(Contradict means they can’t both be true.)
6. If late in the test you figure out how to do something, go aback and see if you need to fix
answers you gave earlier!
7. After you are “done,” go back over the test paper and reread all the directions and
be sure you have done each one. Make sure you have answered each one correctly.
for Getting Better Grades
EVEN IF you have studied for your test, these habits can make a big difference in your score!
1. Always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS FIRST put your name and class information at the top of
the paper. It is so easy to forget to do so later. In my class you will lose points if you
don't.
2. Don't skip reading the directions! If you do, you could be blind-sided, and end up in the
grade-gutter! Read slowly and CAREFULLY! Remember the instructions on "How to
Follow Directions."
3. Don’t get hung up on one part of a test. We all have the tendency to “Start at the
beginning and work straight through to the end.” That can be a mistake! If you are not
able to immediately answer or solve a part of a test (or class work), leave it and go on to
the next part. When you have reached the end, go back and work on the ones you
skipped. This has several advantages:
1. You will have answered all the easier parts, and will have earned credit for them. If you
spent a lot of time on the hard parts, you would not have gotten the easier
ones done!
2. Also, the fact that they were hard for you may result in you getting them wrong anyway!
3. As you work on the easier parts, you may see something that triggers your memory
about how to do the harder parts.
4. As your conscious mind is working on the easier parts, your unconscious mind may still
be working on the hard parts. When you go back to the hard parts, they may then seem
easier! (This works!)
4. If a question comes into your mind, see if you can figure out the answer from the
instructions.
5. Check for consistency between answers. Answers should not contradict each other!
(Contradict means they can’t both be true.)
6. If late in the test you figure out how to do something, go aback and see if you need to fix
answers you gave earlier!
7. After you are “done,” go back over the test paper and reread all the directions and
be sure you have done each one. Make sure you have answered each one correctly.