Test Taking Tips

The best test taking tips, strategies and techniques on the web!

[testtakingtips]

Take better notes: It could save your life!

Take better notes: It could save your life!

You can’t help but wonder if Percy Jackson would have done better if he had taken better notes in his Ancient Greece class.

Stuff like cutting off a Hydra’s head. Really Percy? Really?

Seriously, if Annabeth hadn’t paid attention Percy wouldn’t have lasted through the first installment of the series.

While taking good notes probably won’t be as important to you as it should have been to Percy Jackson, it certainly is pretty vital. Here are five things you can do this coming semester to take better notes:

Read the rest of the article here!

[testtakingtips]

Can you give tips about tests like the MCAT?

Hey blkporcelaindoll! Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. Been having a lot of technical and scheduling difficulties on my end of things. :/

The MCAT is very much like most standardized tests.  That being said, there’s a few things you should do:

1. Don’t freak out!  Do your best to stay calm.  Get a good night’s sleep the night before and have everything laid out so you don’t need to rush in the morning.  Eat a healthy breakfast and pack a healthy lunch.

2. Practice.  A lot.  You can get the Official Guide here - I highly recommend it.  Not much else can substitute for practicing something.  When you take practice tests, time them.  The test itself is timed.  It’s supposed to challenge your ability to work and think under the pressure of something like an emergency room situation.  Also, get used to doing math without a calculator - you won’t have one for the test.

3. Visualize your success.  This sounds corny, but it’s actually completely true and quite helpful.  Somebody somewhere did a study once testing the difference between actual practice and imagined practice.  I want to say it was with basketball free throws.  Anyway, the people who spent time practicing in their imaginations improved about the same as people who spent time practicing in real life.  Your mind is quite powerful—tap into that and imagine yourself succeeding at the test.

Besides these three big things, there are some other general tips: read all the questions before you answer any, start with the easy questions first, if you’re completely stumped then just bubble in B and move on, keep an eye on your time but don’t freak out about it, etc.

Hopefully this helped a bit!  If you have any more questions, give me a shout!  I promise I’ll keep a better eye on my inbox. :P

- Maximilian, from Test-Taking-Tips.net

[dnttxtndrv]

Don’t text and drive - it’s not worth it!

[testtakingtips]

Something to keep in mind on this graduation weekend!

[testtakingtips]

We all know the feeling - you have to study but you just can't get your brain into the swing of things.  Here's a step-by-step process to help you get your noggin noggining:

1. Clear a Study Space

The less clutter you have on your desk the less distractions you have for your mind.

2. Get Rid of Distractions

Hey you with the iPod, TV and computer on... I'm talking to you!

3. Make a List

What all do you need to get done today?  Write it down in bite-size pieces that'll feel awesome to cross out.

4. Start With Something Easy

Make the first thing on your list something that doesn't require too much brainpower but that is still study-related.  Maybe copying your notes into another notebook, for example.

5. Use a System

Use a study system - it doesn't matter which one you use, so long as it helps keep you focused and productive.  If you don't have a system, check out the Pomodoro Technique - it's what I personally use.

6. Set Up a Goal and Reward

Make goals for yourself and when you meet them, give yourself a suitable reward.

For more information on this step-by-step technique, head on over to this page.

[poorcollegestudentnet-blog]

We all have extra stuff lying around.  If you don’t believe me, go look in your closet.  Or how about on your bookshelf - how many of those do you actually read?

Just about all of us could do with a little extra cash, too.  The good news is that it’s easy to make that extra cash by selling some of that stuff you don’t need or use.  The two best places to do that are on Amazon.com and Craigslist.

I myself have used Amazon.com to sell some of my sister’s old textbooks and made over $200.  For the amount of work I put into it (next to nothing) it was great!

For more information on how to earn extra cash by selling your stuff, go ahead and read this post.

[testtakingtips]

Okay, so this really isn't about test taking, but it's good information regardless...

[testtakingtips]

If you're like most people, you want to remember more.  You might fantasize about being able to "drag in bits of poetry" into conversations, Bilbo-style.  Or maybe you imagine yourself rattling off the first hundred digits of pi as comfortably as you might recite your own phone number.  While we can't all achieve a photographic memory, there are a few things you can do to improve what you've got.

One great way to improve your memory is to exercise, which is rather obvious.  Another is to train your powers of observation through various means and methods - if you don't see something you can't remember it!  Scientists tell us that it takes eight seconds to successfully transfer something into your memory, so practice focusing on something for that length of time.

You'll also want to work out your brain.  You can do this through a variety of mental activities and puzzles.  Just make sure that whatever you choose is new to your brain, challenging enough to be worth your time, but also enjoyable enough to keep you from any suicidal tendencies.

Perhaps the best method of improving your memory is to use it!  If you want to memorize poetry, then memorize poetry!  It's as simple as that.

For more detail on how to improve your memory, head on over to this page.

[poorcollegestudentnet-blog]

Hey everyone!  Our website is now up!

The whole idea is how to survive as a poor college student.  There’s information about making money, saving money and spending money.

I’m still working out a few kinks with the layout.  Go ahead and visit and let me know what you think!

[testtakingtips]

So... How Was the SAT?

How'd you do on the SAT?  Did anything interesting happen?  Reblog with a comment and tell us how it went!

While you're at it, go ahead and like our Facebook page!

[testtakingtips]

The SAT is tomorrow!

If you're not ready by now, don't panic!  There are a few last-minute things you can learn to boost your score.

If you are ready, awesome!  Make sure you get a good night's sleep and have a healthy breakfast.  Maybe some fruit and yogurt.

One more thing: get some exercise!  Tomorrow morning, get out of bed and do 30 jumping jacks.  It'll get your blood moving and get you awake better than any amount of caffeine.

Besides, you want to take care of your body anyway.  Your brain lives in that thing after all.

[testtakingtips]

Hey everyone!

Just to let you know, we've got a Facebook page.

And you should totally like it.

Just sayin'.

:)

[testtakingtips]

The SAT is coming on Saturday!!

Are you ready?

Hopefully, if you're taking it day after tomorrow, you are.  But there's one thing you need to make sure you know, even it it's at the last minute.  What's that?  The art of guessing.

The thing about the SAT is the scoring.  You get 1/4 point deducted for each incorrect answer.  Long story short, if you can eliminate just 2 of the options on each question and randomly guess... you'll come out ahead!

If you want more information about guessing and elimination, read this post.

[testtakingtips]

So it's time for the ACT.  What?  You're not thrilled??

You should be, because you're about to learn how to do awesome on that test.

Tests, actually, 'cause the ACT is actually a few mini-tests strung together.

But that's not important.

What's important to you is how to get ready.

You have a couple options, really.  The first is to take an online course.  The ACT people have a really good one that I highly recommend.  It's only $20 for a whole year of access, which is a steal for all the stuff you get with it.  There's some practice tests included in there, as well as a bunch of "attack strategies" for each of the mini-tests.  I love that.  "Attack strategies."

Moving on.

If you don't want to go the whole online course route, you can always pick up the amazing Real ACT Prep Guide.  This book actually has five retired full-length ACT tests in it for your enjoyment.  Okay, maybe enjoyment is a bit strong.  For your improvement.  In any case, you'll want to get it from Amazon and not the ACT people directly.  It'll save you about $10 bucks and I get a few cents, too, in recognition of Amazon's undying gratitude for my referral.

There are a couple other great ACT test prep resources, but I won't go into them here.  If you're one of those persistent types, go ahead and check out the post on my website to see what they are, as well as some detail on how to get the most out of practice tests.

Good luck!

[testtakingtips]

A little while ago, if you remember, I put up a link to an article about how to cram.  All the things you should do to make sure you get the most out of those few agonizing hours.

I also mentioned that you shouldn't do it.

We all know we're not supposed to cram. Our parents told us, our teachers told us... heck, our bodies even told us at 3 in the morning when we were up studying for a test. But something our parents and teachers never covered (and our bodies only hinted at) was WHY we shouldn't cram.

If you are an inquiring mind who'd like to know, head on over and read this article!

[testtakingtips]

It's really not that difficult to imagine that someone with ADHD or ADD might have trouble with school. Between having to focus for a long time to having to sit still for what feels like even longer, ADHD and school just don't seem to mix.

However, there are quite a few things ADHD students can do to improve their school results. One of the things is to change the way they study. Most ADHD students do better while studying in a quiet place, free from distractions. If they study at the same time each day, they are more likely to be able to focus during that time, as they will have trained their brain that this time is time to focus.

Another study tip for students with ADHD is to find a specific study technique or system and follow it religiously. One of the best systems for this is the Pomodoro Technique, which involves using a timer set for 25 minutes to regulate study time, followed by a brief 5 minute break to refresh.

...to read the rest, head on over to EzineArticles!

[testtakingtips]

Cramming is inevitable, especially for college students. A test just creeps up on us and before we know it we have six hours left to study. We know we shouldn't cram, but sometimes... well sometimes we just do. Here's how to cram to make sure that you get the most out of your time and put the least strain on your body.

Cram Smart, Not Hard

The most important thing when you're cramming is to only focus on what you need to know. There are ways of finding out what will be on the test, or at least getting a pretty good idea.

You can also do things like making and taking a practice test and focusing on your weaknesses. You can make a practice test by looking over study guides from the teacher and the table of contents or syllabus for the course. There are all sorts of things you can do to optimize your studying!

...to read the rest, head on over to EzineArticles!

[testtakingtips]

So it's time for the SAT and you're getting all set for your favorite part: writing the essay!

What?

That's not your favorite part!?

Well, fear not!  Here's one great tip to help you do better and dread that part just a little bit less:

Plan ahead and outline!

It's that simple!  All SAT essays follow the same question format (quote, then assignment with specific questions to answer), so why not come up with a setanswerformat?

Genius, isn't it?

So next time you take a practice SAT (you do take practice SATs, right?), go ahead and come up with an outline to answer the question before the test even starts!

For more SAT essay writing tips, as well as more detail on how to outline these answers, head on over to our site!

[testtakingtips]

If you're like most people who are getting yourself or your young'un ready for the SAT, at some point you'll start shopping around for a course.

What are you looking for?

Well, you want something that'll give you a good bang for your buck.  Something that'll give you some solid information and help without costing oodles of dollars.

There's good news!  Such a course exists!  If you'd like more information, you can check out the post on our website with all the details or you can head straight on over to my-sat.com. 

To be honest and upfront, if you go visit them through our website and end up buying the program, they give us a cut of the money because we referred you.  So they get a happy customer, we get a happy reader and referral, and you get some great SAT resources - good for everyone all around!