Test Taking (yes, we ALL hate them)

Ah the Horror . . . TEST TAKING!!!

Testing is so overrated. One of my biggest problems in the wonderful world of math (where I was sitting when I wrote the first draft of this column) is that I'm bad at taking tests. Not because the material is hard, or because I don't study, but because I always feel like I'm rushed. And when I'm rushed, I make those awful stupid mistakes.

It's not just math in which I'm pressed for time. Global Studies tests take forever, and I never seem to get the change to check over the multiple choice before the bell rings. Have you ever tried to finish an English essay in 45 minutes? That my friends, is NOT easy. Sure, there are some easy quizzes which anyone could tear through in 5 minutes flat, but when was the last time I saw one of those? It seems like it's been ages.

But I've learned to deal, thanks to some tricks I've picked up along the way. Some are endorsed by teachers, and some aren't, but whatever I write here has helped either me or my friends through a multitude of honors courses. I figure that with standardized tests looming on the horizon, this little list might just turn out to be a lifesaver. Enjoy! :)

1. Pay attention, and take notes!
-If you have good notes from class, then you shouldn't run into any problems when you study. Just memorize and . . . voila! Easy 100.

2. Study
-Yeah, you're going to have to study if you want to pass the test. I'm not talking about hours upon hours of obsessing over your notes; sometimes a simple read-though will do. I do recommend compulsive studying for midterms and finals however . . . believe me, you'll be glad you did.

3. T-Note or Outline
-When you get a reading assignment in a textbook, t-note or outline what you're reading. Writing things out really helps me remember the material, and you won't have to refer back to your textbook every time you want to look something up.

4. Index Cards!
-Over the past school year, index cards have become my newest best friend. I get about 250 vocabulary words for just about every book we read in English, so homemade flash cards with the word and definition on each of them have proved to be invaluable. It's thanks to the index cards that I can memorize about 50 words in a period :)

5. Do Your Homework!
-Yeah yeah, I know, homework sucks. In fact I'm being quite hypocritical because I usually wind up doing my homework during lunch. But I get it done! A lot of quiz and test questions come directly from homework problems.

6. Copy Down the Question
-I know it's a pain when you're doing HW out of a textbook to rewrite the question that's in the text, but come two months from now, your assignment will be useless because you won't know what question you were answering!

7. Extra Help
-If you really don't have a clue what you're doing (and your friends just can't make it understandable), then set up an appointment for extra help with your teacher. In most schools, teachers are required to give extra help if a student asks for it. Just . . . don't expect them to always be free the day before a test. Ask in advance.

8. The Multiple Choice Thing
-Usually, when taking a multiple choice test you can eliminate all but two choices. If you have no clue what the answer is, and don't recall ever learning the material, then there will always be two very similar answers (the correct answer is one of these two 95% of the time). If you're checking over your test, DO NOT change an answer unless you realize you made a stupid mistake. Your gut answer is nearly always right. If you're filling out a scantron, make sure that you didn't skip a question or fill in the wrong bubble (stuff I do all the time) because it will throw off your ENTIRE test.

9. Definition Tricks
-Learning vocabulary is among the most despised assignments we are given. You can use index cards to get the definitions straight (I love those things). If you draw a blank and just can't remember what the word is, break it down to see if you recognize the root or any other part of the word. (pre means before, photo means light, geo means earth, etc.) This is especially helpful on science exams. If you take a foreign language, examine the word for any familiar ones. English has borrowed a lot of Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, and Italian words.

10. My Favorite Memorization Techniques
-I, a poet by nature, like to make up my own little rhymes. I'm sure all of you know what it's like to have lyrics stuck in your head. This we can use to our advantage! Change the words to your favorite song so that they explain everything you need to know for an upcoming test. It sounds stupid, but believe me, it works. I memorized the preamble to the constitution by making up a song that went with the words. My other personal favorite memorization technique is making up dances! I made up an amoeba dance for my bio test a few months ago . . . and just recently my entire bio class got this one question on flower parts right because of one of my little dances :)

So those are my top ten favorite study tips! I hope they serve you well sometime in the future, 'cause they sure worked for me!

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