Study Skills Preparing for and Taking Tests - Research Paper Example

 Preparing For and Taking Tests Introduction Hall (2010) notes that majority of students are scared of tests and become very anxious anytime they hear announcements of approaching examinations. This is what sometimes makes students resort to cheating, especially those who have not prepared well enough for the test. Nevertheless, this should not be the case since tests are only meant to examine what the student has learned. They are meant to highlight areas that need more attention by the student and possibly the lecturer. To avoid anxiety and psychological stress associated with tests, students are advised to prepare well enough before the examination time and observe certain rules during exams. This paper will describe strategies for preparing for and sitting tests. In this paper, it will be assumed that exam and test mean the same thing and the two words will be used interchangeably. Hall (2010) advises that test preparation begins on the very first day a student enters the school. This is because all that may be tested during the exams include even the lessons that were taught on the very first day. In Hall’s view, test preparation starts by paying a lot of attention in class and taking an active part in class by taking lecture notes. No student should ignore note taking because lecture notes are good for future reference considering that the human brain cannot grasp everything at ago. Students should also engage the lecturer by asking questions on areas that have not been well explained or those which the student feels that he/she needs additional clarification on. This is important because such areas are likely to be tested. This implies that failing to ask questions may mark the beginning of failure in tests. It is common that lecturers leave assignments immediately after a lecture. Students who intend to pass tests highly must always take advantage of these assignments by completing all of them in time. They should also take the assignments to the lecturers for marking, and seek assistance on questions that were wrongly answered. Completing assignments and taking them for marking may be the key to passing exams because some tests are directly taken from the assignments given in class by the lecturers. It is also important for students to engage in reviewing what they have learnt regularly so as to avoid forgetting concepts previously learnt. To effectively do this, a student must utilize his/her time well. It is, therefore, imperative for the learner to make a personal timetable which acts as a guide on how the time is to be spent on reviewing the notes. This will certainly help the student have enough time for preparing for tests on various courses or subjects (Flippo, 2008). It is also important for students to attend all the review sessions organized by instructors. This is because some instructors have the habit of providing hints or areas that the tests are likely to cover. As such, a student should pay much attention on the areas highlighted during a review as this will help the student in narrowing down on areas that need to be thoroughly revised. If need be, the student should ask the lecturer to clarify in detail areas likely to be emphasized in the exams (Hall, 2010). Many students have the habit of trying to study all night before exams. However, as much as this may be helpful, it is advisable that the student sleeps for not less than 4 hours. Adequate amount of sleep gives the body time to rest and the mind to integrate what has been read. In fact, it is good for the student to set an alarm to help him/her wake up early enough. This will help the individual avoid oversleeping which may make the student report late for the test. The student should then wake up early enough, take a shower to keep the body fresh and cool. It is also advisable for students to eat well before tests. This is because food is vital in giving the body energy to maintain focus during examinations. However, students should avoid eating heavy food just before tests since they make the body feel tired (Flippo, 2008). Before proceeding to the test room, the student must ensure that all resources required for use during the test is available. Some of the resources one may require during a test include: pens, pencils, rubber, and calculator among others, depending on the test to be done. It is worth noting that certain items may be illegal in examination rooms and therefore must be left behind as one goes to sit an exam. Having all the materials is important since they raise the confidence of the student during the test (Hall, 2010). Once all the necessary resources have been prepared, the student should avail himself/herself in class at least five minutes before the test begins. The advantage of reporting in class in time is because some instructors tend to provide additional hints regarding the test just before the test begins. If this is the case, the student should review his/her short notes and textbooks very first on the additional hints provided. It also gives the student time to make final touches by knowing where to sit and familiarize with the place, as well as check that all that is required for the test is available (Hall, 2010). During the test, it is important for a student to read all the instructions provided before beginning to write. Failure to follow instructions may be detrimental as the student may end up doing wrong, leading to failure. Once the instructions have been read, it is important for the student to read the questions at least twice before beginning to tackle each question. Reading the questions more than once is important because subsequent readings may bring out other requirements that the first reading might not have brought revealed (Flippo, 2008). As can be seen from the above discussion, examinations need not be cause for anxiety. One only needs to adequately prepare for the exams to overcome their fears. Following the test tips highlighted above will certainly help a student prepare well in advance before the exams and remove anxiety or psychological stress associated with exams. References Flippo, R. (2008). Preparing students for testing and doing better in school. New York, NY: SAGE Publications. Hall, N. (2010). Norman Hall’s firefighter exam preparation book. Avon, MA: Adams Media. Read More