[grey_aj]

I study a lot before each test, I'm even willing to admit that I study too much and more than I need to. But whenever I get into a test, it just doesn't work out for me. I know everything that I need to know, but I keep making careless mistakes or just forgetting some important info even though I spent hours studying it. What can I do to become a better test-taker?

Since I study a lot but still don't do great on tests, I'm getting more and more scared of taking them, which is bad. And I'm starting to set myself up for failure more and more too. Any advice?

- AJ

[monkeybrains21]

When I had problems in school with exams I tried lots of things. 2 worked for me. Before test I would put a sucker int mouth and have that sugar the entire time. It was like the sugar put my brain in overdrive and the answers just flowed. Another that worked for me was when I'd study I would listen to songs I knew all the words to, then when taking the test I'd sing the songs in my head and I'd start to remember what I was looking at and reading while I studied.

[Perna]

The only thing that worked for me was making sure I did not have to study for the test in the first place I would engage with the material when I was learning it and get interested in it for its own sake and the material became a part of me, so, as monkeybrains cleverly does, you could sing the song and the material would be there. Only I was interested in what I studied and would study other things about it and get a larger picture so I knew why we were assigned this part to study/be tested on at this time, etc. and I could relate that so the details were there or did not matter as much because I got the whole picture/idea (if writing an essay, for example, instead of doing multiple choice or short answer).

You need to know how to study specifically for the requirements of each test. Not all exams will test you for the same ways of thinking, recall, knowledge, etc. For example, while you might want to read a textbook for a history quiz, it's far more helpful to solve problems ahead of a math exam instead of looking through the book or notes.

It might be helpful to talk to your professors to see what kind of studying method and thinking style is most helpful for a given exam.

[Stronger]

Oh my goodness. I feel you!
I get horrible test anxiety. For the SAT, one section I was shaking so bad that I couldn't write. During another section I fell asleep (I have narcolepsy). Tests stress me out like none other. Even the anticipation for it feels like I'm getting an ulcer.
It sounds like it's more like, you read the question wrong, or your stressed out about time, or you worry so much about whether or not you chose the right one that you have to change your answer. Thats what it is for me most of the time. Is it test anxiety that your talking about?
If it is, I've found that these help a little:
Amazon.com: Rainbow Light Busy Brain Release, Coenzymate B, 60 Mini-Tabs: Health & Personal Care

Also, sometimes, simply just taking the time to count your breathing. In four seconds, Out four seconds, and do that four times. It may seem like you're wasting precious time, but it is much more important that you're able to focus. So no, you're not wasting time.
And, if you have time, read each question twice, to make sure you're reading it right. Because if you can't figure out the answer you'll probably read all the answers over and over again, but did you make sure you understood the question first?

I don't know. May not make much of a difference, but at least it's a start.

Good luck!!

[shortandcute]

Originally Posted by Perna

The only thing that worked for me was making sure I did not have to study for the test in the first place I would engage with the material when I was learning it and get interested in it for its own sake and the material became a part of me, so, as monkeybrains cleverly does, you could sing the song and the material would be there. Only I was interested in what I studied and would study other things about it and get a larger picture so I knew why we were assigned this part to study/be tested on at this time, etc. and I could relate that so the details were there or did not matter as much because I got the whole picture/idea (if writing an essay, for example, instead of doing multiple choice or short answer).

I agree. I've heard instructors say that it's better to do that than to "cram study." I've heard that one of the worst things you can do is stay up all night before the test and cram.

[Travelinglady]

It might help to first zip through the test, answering questions you are sure about. Then maybe you will be more confident to go back and tackle the ones you aren't comfortable with.

Do your textbooks come with study guides you could order? A lot of them do.

[livinglife200]

I am the same way. I hate taking tests, I suck at them period.I can know the stuff and it just wont come out when it is test time. I have recently found that flash cards and studying with someone or just saying what you need to say out loud works well. Teach someone what you are studying for. I did that and it helped me. Also, color coding each section, and using a colored pen to take the test. I hope this helps!

[lizardlady]

When I was un undergrad I had horrid test anxiety. I'd know the material frontways and back when I walked in the door. Then I'd sit down to take the test and my brain would lock up. I was lucky to be able to remember my own name at that point.

Since then I've found somethings that work for me. I would suggest you talk to your guidance/counseling center at your school. Most have tips for effective studying and reducing test anxiety.

ok, what worked for me...

As others said, learn the material in advance. I used to tape my classes, with the profs permission. That night or the next day I would listen to the tape as I reviewed my notes. If I'd missed something in the notes I added it as I listened.

Grad school entailed hours of reading. I would break it up and not try to cram everything into my brain at once. When my brain started to ache from reading I'd go do something completely unrelated to school work. Something physical was helpful.

I too listened to music while I studied. I would listen to the same music as I waited to take the test.

I absolutely did NOT cram the night before. My feeling was that if I didn't know it by then I wasn't going to learn it in the last few minutes/hours. While my classmates were freaking out and cramming right before the test I would sit quietly, listening to my music, some times I would meditate to help myself stay calm.

Trav had an excellent point about going straight through the test answering the questions you definitely know the answer to. Then go back to the beginning and go through again. Keep doing that until you finish the test. Answering the stuff you definitely know gives you a boost in confidence to tackle the harder stuff. For scantron type tests, the ones where you fill in bubbles I am almost complusive about making sure I bubbled the right answer on the sheet. I once discovered I'd skipped a line on the answer sheet so all my answers after that would have been wrong if I hadn't caught the mistake.

Something I had to work on was not paying any attention to how long it took me to take the test vs other people. You finish when you finish. Some folks are fast, some folks are slow. What matters is providing the correct answers, not being the first to turn in your test.

I also made flashcards for myself. I would put a question on one side about the material I was learning and the answer on the back. I would go through all the cards and answer the questions. Any I got wrong got set to the side. Then I went through those again. repeat, repeat, repeat until I go the all right.

[kiwi33]

Writing as somebody whose day job includes teaching University students and assessing their performance in exams or other tests, I think that giving yourself feedback about how well you understand a topic is very important.

It is easy to read over lecture notes, handouts, etc in a vague way, thinking "Cool, I understand that." which may or may not be true.

What I advise my students to do is, once they think that they understand a topic, to put away their notes about it and write down all that they know about it.

Once they have done that they can get feedback by comparing what they have written with what is in their notes.

That feedback might be: (1) "Yep, I understand that." or (2) "OK, aspect X of the topic was covered well but you forgot about aspect Y." or (3) "You need to do a lot more work.".

That feedback helps them to work out where to focus their time in preparing for a test or exam.

[TheWell]

I am a high school teacher
I am going to agree with the person who said that cram studying doesn't work. I took a class last summer and the material was very difficult. I came home from class every day and studied that day's notes. After I studied the notes from the current day I went back to all the notes before.
For example on day two I studied day two's notes and day one's.

By the time the test came around I had very minimal studying to do because I already knew all the material. I also pay very close attention in class and I ask the professor questions either during class or before I leave so I make sure I understand everything.

[Miswimmy1]

A tip the learning specialist at my school used to tell us- take the first five minutes of the exam to write down all of your anxieties (what you're worried about, or just in general what you're feeling). Write it in the corner, or in a margin, or on a piece of scrap paper. Sometimes it helps to just get out all of the tense energy.

If you had diagnosed anxiety, is it possible to talk to your teacher about testing accommodations? You may not end up using them, but it's definitely something that is worth investigating. I do not have test taking anxiety but I have extended time and a quiet testing space for other reasons. I rarely use the extra time but knowing that I have it reduces any anxiety that I have going in.

[kiwi33]

Adding a bit to what Miswimmy1 wrote, which I agree with:

If you are doing an exam with long (20 minutes or more) questions it is always worth spending a couple of minutes making dot-point notes about what you want to write before you start your answer (what you can write in 18 minutes is not very different what you can in 20 minutes).

This has two advantages: (1) It will help you to answer the question in a logical way and (2) It will help you to remember things about the question which did not immediately strike you as being relevant ("Doh, remember that X is relevant here.".

Both (1) and (2) are good things .

[robinforau]

I know the feeling well. I have two college degrees. The first degree was difficult to achieve because I wasn't as interested in the subject matter. The SECOND degree however turned out to earn me a 3.6 GPA because it was the degree I should have sought the first time because it was where my interests really were. Take a Career Interest Inventory Test before going into college.