10 Test-Taking Strategies To Help You Prepare for an Exam 

Prepare your physical surroundings  To give yourself the best chance of doing well on a test, it's important to prepare your environment. Study in a place where you know you can stay for long periods of time and where it might be quiet, such as your home or in a library.

Attend practice courses Some universities offer entire courses for certain exams. Consider attending one of these courses to better prepare. These courses often include helpful reviews of material that may be on the final exam. You might also take a practice exam during the course.

Take a practice test  Taking practice exams can be a useful test-taking strategy before taking the real exam. Practice exams give you insight into the questions you may encounter on the actual exam. They can help you determine areas where you can spend more time.

Ensure you get enough rest and nutrition Ensuring you get enough rest and stay healthy is another strategy. Treating your body and mind in the best way possible allows you to be at your peak performance level when studying for and taking an exam. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep each night.

Arrive early  Taking an exam can provoke anxiety even when you feel confident in your preparation. Arriving early is a way to settle down and get yourself into a healthy mindset. It may also help you get used to the environment where you're taking the test.

Save the challenging questions for last Before answering questions on the test, browse the exam to create an outline of how you want to answer the questions. This allows you to recognize sets of questions you're confident about answering.

Read questions two or three times before answering them Before writing your answer, make sure to read the question several times. An exam has many types of questions, and some questions can appear in a misleading manner. Reading a question several times ensures you know exactly what it's asking.

Look for keywords   Keywords are words or phrases that can provide you with a framework for answering questions. Identifying keywords may help you understand the question and what it's asking of you. Understanding exactly what the question is asking may help you provide the correct answer.

Use scrap paper  Scrap paper is a blank piece of paper you can use to write notes to help you finish the exam. Every exam has different rules regarding the use of scrap paper. Some exam proctors don't allow you to use it, while others allow it for specific portions of an exam.

Ask questions when permitted  While completing an exam, you may encounter a question that's challenging to understand, because of the formatting or strange phrasing. It's helpful and often permissible to ask questions of your teacher or professor to better understand a question.

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