Page 240 - Keys To Community College Success

even thinking about it, you may have developed time-management, planning, organi-
zational, and communication skills needed for test success and college success in gen-
eral. You may also know yourself well, which will help you choose strategies that
work for you.
Furthermore, your life experiences can give real meaning to abstract classroom
ideas. For example, workplace relationships may help you understand social psychol-
ogy concepts, and refinancing your home mortgage may help you grasp a key con-
cept in economics—how the actions of the Federal Reserve Bank influence interest
rate swings.

WHAT GENERAL STRATEGIES CAN
help you succeed on tests?

Even though every test is different, there are general strategies that will help you
handle almost all tests, including short-answer and essay exams.

Test Day Strategies
Choose the right seat. Find a seat that will help you maximize focus and minimize
distractions. Know yourself—for many students, it’s smart to avoid sitting near
friends.

Write down key facts. Before you even look at the test, write down key informa-
tion, including formulas, rules, and definitions, that you don’t want to forget. (Use the
back of the question sheet so your instructor knows that you made these notes after
the test began.)
Start with the big picture. Scan the questions—how many in each section, types,
difficulty, point values—and use what you learn to schedule your time. For example, if
for a two-hour test you think the writing section will take you more time than the
short-answer section, you can budget an hour and a quarter for the essays and 45 min-
8 utes for the short-answer questions.
CHAPTER Directions count, so read them. Reading test directions carefully can save you trou-

ble. For example, you may be required to answer only one of three essay questions; you
may also be told that you will be penalized for incorrect responses to short-answer
questions.

QUALIFERS
Words and phrases
that can alter the meaning Mark up the questions. Mark up instructions and key words to avoid careless
errors. Circle qualifiers such as always, never, all, none, sometimes, and every; verbs
of a test question and that
that communicate specific instructions; and concepts that are tricky or need special
require careful attention.
attention.
Be precise when taking a machine-scored test. Use the right pencil (usually a #2)
on machine-scored tests, and mark your answer in the correct space, filling it com-
pletely. Periodically, check the answer number against the question number to make
sure they match.
Work from easy to hard. Begin with the easiest questions and answer them quickly
without sacrificing accuracy. This will boost your confidence and leave more time for
harder questions. Mark tough questions as you reach them, and return to them after
answering the questions you know.

Watch the clock. If you are worried about time, you may rush through the test and
have time left over. When this happens, check over your work instead of leaving

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