Right before the exam: Review summaries and outlines rather than trying to cram at the last minute. Make sure that you’ve packed everything you need to take the exam, including pens, colored pencils, and calculator. Avoid contact with anyone who might cause you stress. Arrive a few minutes early to the exam. Read the entire test first: Confirm that you have the whole exam. Note point distributions and special instructions. Plan and apportion your time: Allocate the amount of time you spend on a question based on the credit you’ll receive for answering it correctly. Answer easy questions first and then move to harder ones. Mark any question in the margin that you need to come back to. Problem-solving sections: Highlight, circle, or otherwise indicate what your final answer is, but don’t obliterate any work that you’ve done. You may receive partial credit for that work. Make diagrams and graphs big and easy to read. If you get stuck, make a note to yourself in the margin about what you need to do and come back to the problem later. If you’re worried that your answer is wrong, explain the process by which you arrived at that answer. Here again, partial credit may be rewarded. Essay sections: Underline key terms in the questions. Make sure that your essay does what the instructions call for (common verbs in instructions are: analyze, trace, explain, discuss, compare, contrast). Write an outline at the beginning of your answer or in the margins. This will help you structure your response and may be a source of partial credit if you run out of time. Answer every part of the question. Provide textual examples, references, data, graphs, etc. Multiple-choice sections: Don’t over interpret questions. Read every answer. Eliminate answers that you know to be wrong or that are highly unlikely. Trust your first instincts and change an answer only if you actually remember the correct one. Short answer and identification sections: Be clear and precise. Cite significance of thing, person, place being identified. Define key terms. Don’t spend too much time on any one question. If you get stuck: Mark that question in the margin and come back to it later. Answer what you do know first. This might help you think of more information. Write down what you do know. It may help you remember more.
