DURING: Taking the Test or Exam

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Self Reflection Questions:

• Do you have good test taking techniques?
• During an exam, what are the greatest challenges for you? e.g. time, distractions, certain test types, anxiety.
• Which question types do you prefer or perform better on? E.g. multiple choice, short/long answer, problems.
• Do you know how to study for the different question types?
• Do you ever freeze or ‘blank out' during a test?
• Do you have effective calming techniques if and when you feel too anxious during a test?

Issues

If I know the content of my course, I should be able to do well on my test, right? Well, not exactly! If you have prepared well and understand the material, you still need to do the following in order to perform well on your test:

• Stay calm and relaxed
• Budget your time wisely and keep close watch on the time
• Plan your approach
• Read the instructions and questions carefully
• Don't let distractions (external and internal) disrupt you
• Know how to ‘attack' different test types
• Keep a positive attitude

Strategies

This section will cover the following topics and strategies:

1. Dealing with Content
2. Answering Different Question Types
3. Reducing Test Anxiety

1. Content

Do a memory dump.
Write down everything you can remember about the topic before crafting any answer. This is helpful in the event you forget later on or anxiety is a problem.

Read directions carefully.
Professors say that most marks are lost at this stage, i.e. students are in such a hurry to answer the question that they misread it.

Do the easiest questions first.
Some students think you should do the hard questions first but doing the easiest ones first helps you build confidence as well as guaranteeing you marks!

Budget Time Wisely: TOOL Timing Your Exam (17 KB)

2. Answering Different Question Types

The most common question types on undergraduate exams are: multiple choice, short answer, essay, and problem-based.

Most students have a preference for certain styles. This is most often due to their personal cognitive and learning style. For example, a student who excels at multiple choice might prefer:

• seeing the answer
• having a finite list of possibilities
• having either a right or wrong answer

Conversely, a student who excels at an essay exam question might prefer:

• spending time creating the answer
• having freedom to choose content (e.g. what evidence to provide)
• thinking globally, conceptually (less interested in minute detail)
• grey areas and subjectivity

Unfortunately, students cannot choose their preferred question type and in some cases an exam might contain questions in only one type. Multiple choice tests, for instance, are very common in undergraduate courses with anywhere from 50-100% of the questions written in this format. Therefore, you will need to learn HOW to study for different types of test questions.

TOOLS

Matching Your Studying to Your Exam Question Types (16 KB)

for Short Answers & Essays
Essay Exams: Plan Before You Answer (32 KB)
More on Essay Exams (32 KB)
Other Types of Exams: Short Answer, Take-homes (22 KB)

for Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice: Feared or Revered? (21 KB)
Writing the Multiple Choice Exams: Ready, Set, Go! (17 KB)

for Problem-Solving
Special Techniques for Math and Science Tests (16 KB)

3. Reducing Test Anxiety

• Do you ever go blank or freeze up during a test?
• Do you ever feel like the room is closing in on you?
• Do you ever feel your heart racing or have difficulties breathing?
• Do you ever race out of the room before you are really finished writing the test?
• Do you ever tell yourself "I can't do this", "I'm gonna fail", or "I'm stupid"?
• If so, you might be experiencing test anxiety.

And, you are NOT alone!
Test anxiety is super common among university students. Why?

Aside from real and growing external pressures (e.g. from universities and employers) for students to get high grades, test anxiety is also rooted in internal (i.e. self-imposed) pressures.
Some of these pressures are:

• Lack of confidence
• Fear of failure
• Feeling unworthy of doing well
• Past experiences with poor performance
• Lack of preparation
• Perfectionism
• Unrealistic goals

The good news is that test anxiety can be beaten! With some effective strategies that you practice regularly before and during the test, you can learn to manage your anxiety.

Keep in mind that a bit of anxiety is necessary during an exam as it keeps you motivated and alert. However, once you go over your threshold for tolerance, it's time to take control. The TOOLS below provided a number of strategies to help you reduce your test anxiety.

Overcoming Test Anxiety (21 KB)
Letting Go: 1. Dealing with Physical Sensation of Anxiety 2. Dealing with Thoughts (24 KB)
Guided Imagery for Test Anxiety (19 KB)

for Math & Science Anxiety
Math and science anxiety: What's Behind it? (19 KB)
Overcoming Math & Science Anxiety. And You Can! (17 KB)

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