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Effective Test Preparation
Mental preparedness can be just as important as actually spending time learning the material for a test. Spending time on both aspects of test preparation can be very beneficial. The following tips can help you to get your mind ready so that you can do well on your next exam.
Prepare Mentally
- Stay motivated. You're learning this information and if you think of it as more than just information to help you pass a test but as knowledge that will be useful in your future you will likely retain it for a long time.
- Sharpen your memory. This is something that can help you for more than just test preparation. Brief mini-quizzes in the days leading up to the test can really help you have the information you need well in mind and increases your chance of scoring well on your exam.
- Don't cram. It is simply not a good preparation technique. Instead spread your studying out over a period of time to allow you to process the information. Several short study sessions will serve you much more effectively that one night of burning the midnight oil before a test.
Practical Steps to Prepare
- Review the material. Having everything that you need to review in one place will keep you from wasting time trying to find missing notes or books. Missing material can also create anxiety, so being organized is an important part of test preparation.
- Review the course syllabus. The course syllabus highlights the main topics that were covered during a particular section of the course or over the entire course in the case of a final. Also any quizzes or tests that you've already completed may give you a good idea of how the teacher normally structures exams.
- Find out the format. While certain teachers may favorite a particular style of test it's always a good idea to ask beforehand so there are no surprises. The method of studying for a test differs depending on the format. Also, if questions are going to be weighted differently it is a good idea to know where to focus your attention when you study.
- Schedule your time. A visual of the amount of time you want to spend studying can help put things into perspective for you. Time management is essential for more than just test preparation and forming the habit of making a schedule now can have definite long term benefits.
- Plan to relax. It may sound like a given but if you micro-manage your time to much you will only burn yourself out. So along with planning specific study periods you also need to plan time to relax. Take a walk, watch some TV, bake some cookies, but do something to break up your study periods because you simply stop retaining information if you study for too long without a break.
- Find a distraction-free location to study, in advance if possible. This means not in front of the television and ideally away from the radio and the telephone. Many people choose to study in the library in order to avoid distractions.
- Use a study aid. For most subjects there are several study guides and sheets available that can help you. You may not even have to purchase it if you check to see what is available at the local library first. These study guides will often provide suggestions on studying for the subject and may even provide you with sample tests.
- Form a study group. Study groups can become a distraction if the members don't take studying seriously. Members should encourage one another to stay focused. Everyone can benefit from the strength in numbers if each person focuses on a particular topic and then shares that information with the rest of the group.
- Determine and rank topics that need to be covered. Something is going to be emphasized on this test and it should be emphasized accordingly in your studying. No point focusing on something that won't likely appear on the test.
- Start studying ASAP. Don't spend so much time preparing to study that you don't actually get in some quality studying time.
Successful test preparation is a multi-faceted process. It involves mental preparedness as well as practical preparation. A well-thought out and more importantly well-executed schedule can ease some of the worry that frequently comes with test preparation. Through thorough preparation you can achieve the score you want on your next test.
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