GETTING READY FOR A MIDTERM OR EXAMINATION

Check-off List for Test Preparation

Did you

ú Attend all classes (lectures and labs)?

ú Complete all assignments on time?

ú Preview reading assignments before lectures and labs?

ú Review notes from the last lecture just before the current lecture, to refresh your memory about important terms and concepts?

ú Take careful notes during lectures and labs, giving yourself a lot of room on the page to capture the organization of, emphasis on, and connections between ideas?

ú Review notes after lectures and labs, writing a short summary of main ideas and questions you had about the ideas, for future reference?

ú Seek answers to your questions by rereading the text and/or lab manual, talking with others in the class, and /or talking with the instructor?

ú Go over any study guide or sample examinations as soon as they were available, and learn the terminology and concepts covered in those study aids?

ú Find out the format, length, and topics to be covered by the exam?

ú Form a study group with other serious students, in which you took turns teaching or explaining concepts to each other, thinking of questions that might appear on a test, and answering those questions?

ú Study a little (30-60 minutes) each day or several times a week, rather than cram one or two days before the exam?

ú Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam?

ú Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, and eat before the exam?

ú Arrive in class a little early, to get comfortable and relax (e.g. by stretching, breathing deeply, and picturing yourself answering questions correctly) before receiving the exam?

ú Write your name on the exam?

ú Briefly jot on the exam any notes you have in your head that you don’t want to lose through stress?

ú Quickly look over the whole exam when you receive it and get a rough idea of how much time your will have to spend on each page?

General Strategies to Use During the Exam

· Go through the exam once, answering questions that are easy for you, and marking in the margin questions you need to come back to. [Don’t panic if some questions look difficult at first; often something you see in another question will trigger the memory of a key fact or connection.]

· Read each question thoroughly and follow the directions for answering the question. Underlining important words may help you focus.

· If you need clarification, ask the instructor. If you do not have time to seek clarification, jot a note to the instructor in the margin, explaining how you interpreted the question.

· Go back to answer the questions that had at first looked difficult.

· Do not pay attention to what others seem to be doing, but keep track of your own pace and time available.

· If you have time, go back over the whole exam and check your answers.

Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions

ü Read the directions and know if there is one correct answer or more, and whether you are penalized for incorrect answers.

ü As you read the stem (the part given before you make your choice) try to think of the answer yourself, and then see if any of the choices match yours.

ü Try to see how the question relates to main concepts you have learned.

ü Read all of the choices before marking one.

ü If you do not recognize the answer, eliminate the choices you know to be wrong; then see if any of the remaining answers fits logically with what you do know.

ü If you are sure that at least two answers are correct, select “all of the above.”

ü If two answers are very similar and there is only one correct answer, the answer is probably one of those two.

ü If two answers are opposite to each other, the answer is probably one of those two.

For Short Answer and Essay Questions

ü Pay special attention to the verb directing you to answer the question appropriately. Below are some examples, taken from the website http://www.soutwestern.edu/academic/acser-skills-teststr.html;

more examples are available at that site.

Analyze: define the parts and interpret how they fit together

Explain: discuss the reasons for an event or the evidence leading to the idea

Compare: describe the similarities and differences between two or more things

Contrast, Distinguish, Differentiate: identify the differences between two or more things

Summarize: Provide the main points in your own words

Discuss: Write about different sides of the concept and the evidence for them

Illustrate: Give a specific example of the concept

Define: Present the meaning in the context of the subject matter

Describe: Provide a detailed picture of what the parts look like, and how they fit together to form the

whole picture

ü Pay attention to the subject matter of the question and relate it to the main concepts and terms that were emphasized in class.

ü Briefly outline your response in the margin before starting to write.

ü Do not write overly long or off the topic; be sure you address the question.

ü Write as neatly as possible, in complete sentences, with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation (unless your instructor says to do otherwise).

For Problem-Solving Questions

ü Read the question thoroughly and identify the following parts:

Asked for: what you need to find out

Givens: what information has been provided; be aware of units attached to numbers also.

ü Think about the relationship between the two parts and decide what pieces of information or what operations you need to perform to link them (e.g. use a formula or apply steps in a process).

ü Record your approach as logically and neatly as possible; even if you do not finish, show the instructor how you were thinking about the problem.