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Here are six tips that will make taking tests easier!

1. BE ORGANIZED. This is key. It is impossible to figure out how much you should study every day if you do not know how many chapters you need to read. Also, you need to have supplies on hand all the time. You don't want to be finishing an essay at ten o'clock at night only to realize there is no paper in your printer. An effective way of managing your study time is after you learn of the date of your test, figure out how many pages you need to cover and divide the number by how many days there are until the test. (Keep in mind days that you know you will not be able to open your books and don't count those days), also leave the night before the test for skimming over all the chapters, reinforcing the ideas and not for learning new material.

2. ASK QUESTIONS. This may seem obvious, but there are a lot of people who don't ask questions because they don't want other students to think they are stupid. Chances are if you do not understand a concept then there are other students as well that don't understand. You might even come up with a question that no one else in the class has thought of yet. The more questions that are asked the more variations of answers the teacher will be required to give which helps reinforce ideas in everyones' minds. Everyone wins in this situation.

3. USE YOUR TEXTBOOK. The textbook is a wealth of information. Look carefully at how the sections are divided and what items are written in capital letters. The most important ideas that you should grasp are normally separated for you to notice. Try to answer any questions at the end of the chapters - if you can't answer them after you read the chapter you will not be able to answer them when they appear on the test! Keep your textbook handy so that you can read sections whenever you get a few extra moments. Short study periods are easier on your mind than long ones.

4. FLASH CARDS. Sometimes you have no choice but to memorize lists of material. When this is the case, flash cards are very helpful. Write a question on one side of the card and write the answer on the back. The shorter the answer the better as it will be easier to remember. Flash cards work very well when someone is going to help you study but you can also use them by yourself.

5. MAKE YOUR OWN TESTS. Make your own tests by writing out questions that you think will be on the exam. Then take the test and check your answers against the textbook. Your test can include definitions, diagrams or anything you think might be on the exam. If the textbook has questions at the back of each chapter you could use those on your test as well.

6. TEACH SOMEONE ELSE. If you can't find anyone to teach, then just pretend that you are. Speak as if you are giving a presentation and as if you are explaining the ideas to people who are not familiar with the topic. You will quickly realize what you don't know about the topic so you can refer back to the textbook to learn more. This is a great strategy to find out what you don't know or understand yet.

These tips should make your studying more effective. It is important to remember that it is easier to write a test if you don't just memorize everything but you actually understand the materail.

Learn more about this author, Melanie Harvey.
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