Research Guides: Learning How to Learn: Test-Taking Strategies

Test-Taking Strategies

When writing a test, it is certainly helpful to know the course material, but it can also be helpful to know how to approach writing an exam. This page will cover strategies that you can use for different types of test questions to make your test-taking experience easier and less stressful. At the bottom of this page are resources for managing exam stress and anxiety.

Multiple Choice Questions

Do you find multiple choice questions challenging? Follow these strategies to make multiple choice questions easier and less stressful.

Read the questions and all possible answers carefully
Answer the easy questions first
Try to answer the question in your mind
Eliminate obviously incorrect answers
Carefully consider similar options
Look for clues in other questions
Be careful of "All of the above" options
Answer every question

Multiple Choice Test Strategies Multiple choice tests are designed to assess whether or not you know the information. Beyond questions of recognition, vocabulary, and knowledge, they often ask you to compute, apply familiar concepts to new situations, and think critically about what you've learned in the course. You have to be able to take what may seem like unfamiliar material on the test and apply what you've learned in class to that point in order to deduce your answer.

Essay Questions

Short answer and essay questions are common exam questions that test your deeper understanding of course concepts. Use these strategies to help you confidently tackle this kind of question.

Read the prompt carefully.
- Is it asking more than one question?
- Highlight or underline important words. What do these words tell you for your own answer.
Create an outline
- Plan out what you will write before writing
Be clear and concise
- Do not include unnecessary information
- Make sure your answer includes everything asked for in the question
Plan your time
- Essay questions will take longer than short answer questions
- Budget your time appropriately to make sure you can answer every question

Short Answer & Essay Tests
Exam Strategies: Short Answer & Essay Exams This page includes strategies for short answer and essay exam questions.

Math and Science Questions

Math and science problems present some challenges that the other types of questions do not, largely because they require problem solving skills that are not required of other questions.

Here are some tips:

If you were required to memorize formulas, write them down as soon as possible!
Consider doing easy questions first.
If you get stuck on a question, move onto another and come back later
When working on a question follow these steps:
- Read the question - what is it asking you?
- Organize the information provided to you
- Picture what the question is asking you to do
- Break down the problem into steps
- Solve the steps
- Check your work
Show your work
Answer as much as you can - partial marks are better than no marks

Math & Science Problem Solving Many people feel anxious at the thought of having to perform mathematical calculations. This anxiety can actually affect your performance. Believe in yourself! Maintain a growth mindset and know that if you put in the work, you can learn something new. It’s not always easy – but that’s okay! Problem solving takes time and effort. Give yourself lots of time and patience.

Managing Stress and Anxiety

College of the Rockies Counselling and Wellness Need someone to talk to? Our counsellors are here to listen.
Test your best: Tips for managing test and exam stress Before a test or an exam, most people feel some level of stress. A little bit of stress before an exam or test can be a good thing. It can help to motivate you to work hard and focus. However, too much stress can get in the way of your ability to study and perform on tests and exams.
7 Strategies to Cope with Exam Stress and Anxiety Do you have exams coming up? It is easier to be successful when you feel good, less anxious and less stressed. Whether they admit it or not, everyone feels stressed and/or anxious at some point during exam time.
Exam stress Most people experience stress when they have upcoming exams or assignments. Discover strategies that can help put you on the path to success.

Test-Taking Strategies Resources

Strategies for Different Exam Types

Student Success This book offers study skills and practices for college and university students to help them make a positive transition to post-secondary education, learn how to be a successful student, and make the most of their learning experience. This textbook was created to provide a resource for the ABE provincial level course, Student Success, and it provides resources to meet all the required and optional learning outcomes. The course can be used an elective course towards the BC Adult Graduation Diploma. Students don’t need to be taking a Student Success course to benefit from this text. Post-secondary students can use this material to help them become better, more successful students. Faculty can use any parts of it to give to their students in any of their courses as applicable. Others (anyone) can use applicable life skills chapters. The book is written so each chapter stands on its own as an independent topic and doesn’t require knowledge of previous chapters, so students and instructors can use only the sections they need.
Call Number: eBook