Page 231 - Keys To Community College Success

strategies engage your analytical, creative, and practical thinking skills and help you
prepare for the challenge of test taking.

Gather Information
Before you begin studying, find out as much as you can about the test.

What type of test?
Investigate the following.

■ Types of questions. Will the questions be objective (multiple choice with only one
correct answer, multiple choice with more than one correct answer, true–false,
sentence completion), subjective (essay), or a combination?
■ Test logistics. What is the date, time, and location of the test? Is it an in-class or a
take-home exam? Will you complete it in person or online?
■ Supplemental information and tools. Is the test open-book (meaning you can use
your class text), open note (meaning you can use any notes you’ve taken), both,
or neither? Can you use a graphing calculator or any other tool?
■ Value of the test. All tests are not created equal in terms of how they affect your
final course grade. For example, a quiz is not as important as a midterm or final,
although accumulated quiz grades do add up. Plan and prioritize your study time
and energy according to the value of the quiz or test.
Don’t fall into the trip of thinking that online tests and open-book
tests should be easier than traditional tests in the classroom. In real-
ity, the fact that you have access to resources usually leads instructors
to create challenging tests that require more critical thinking. If you
prepare for an online or open book exam as you would any other
test, chances are you will have a more successful result.

What are you expected to know?
Read your syllabus and talk to your instructor to get a clear idea of
the following.
■ Topics that will be covered. Will the test cover everything since
the term began or will it be more limited?
■ Material you will be tested on. Will the test cover only what
you learned in class and in the text or will it also include outside
readings?
What else can you do to predict what will be on a test?

■ Use your textbook. Check features such as summaries, vocabu-
lary terms, and study questions for clues about what’s impor-
tant to remember.
■ Listen at review sessions. Many instructors offer review sessions
before midterms and finals. Bring your questions to these ses-
sions and listen to the questions others ask.
■ Make an appointment to see your instructor. Spending a few
minutes talking about the test one-on-one may clarify misunder-
standings and help you focus on what to study.
■ Get information from people who already took the course. Try
to get a sense of test difficulty, whether tests focus primarily on
assigned readings or class notes, what materials are usually
covered, and the types of questions that are asked.

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