Prepping for Tests

Sleep Enough While pulling an all-nighter may seem like the perfect way to finish a paper on time or prep for a test that's in the morning; skipping a night of sleep actually makes it harder to concentrate, multitask, and remember information. In fact, sleep is known to consolidate memory - so skip the all-nighter and keep sleeping your normal hours. It will help you feel calmer, remember more, and do better on your exams.

Do not make assumptions Read the question for what it is. Don’t add in details that could change the question. Don’t think of real-life examples that are similar. They likely will skew your thinking. Your real-life example is probably the anomaly, not the norm. The ONLY time I would recommend using a real-life example is if you have no clue. Then your best guess is as good as any.

Determine WHY you are missing the questions This is a skill, after-all. So when it comes to big tests, (like the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, NPTE…) you have to practice! Take a practice exam. Go through and score your exam and categorize each wrong answer into THREE categories.

Academic error You lacked the necessary knowledge to answer the question. EXAMPLE: They asked you what the dermatome level of the lateral thumb was and you had no idea. By the end of categorizing your practice exam results, it may become very clear that you are lacking knowledge in a certain area. This will help you clarify where your weaknesses are. Spend the most amount of studying time in these areas. Stop studying “everything” and focus where you need it.

Decision-Making Error You narrowed the answers down to two and you chose the wrong one. Determine what is the purpose of the question? Read the questions carefully and imagine the questions through the eyes of the exam writer providing the test.

Test-taking error This is all those questions you totally would have got right had you read them correctly. Whoops. They are the worse questions to miss. You won’t know everything, so academic missed questions are inevitable. Decisions making questions misses are inevitable too. Tests are stressful. You likely will make a wrong judgment. But test-taking errors should be kept to a minimum! If you review your practice exam and have a lot of misses in this category, you need to re-evaluate how you are taking your exam. Perhaps you are going to fast? Should you take notes as you read? Or not take notes? Determine what helps you clearly and succinctly read the questions and answers better. Try out new strategies until you eliminate test-taking errors.

Define which of the three categories from above that your “misses” are from. Focus on improving in that category (or categories). Retake another practice exam and repeat. Keep taking exams until you are happy with where your scores are at and feel confident to take the exam. You can do this!!