Helpful Hints for Taking Tests

1.                   Investigate the test before the test day.

a.      How long will you have to test?

b.     What topics will be tested?

c.      Examine sample questions.

d.      Are calculators allowed?  If so, what types?

e.      How is the test scored?

f.      Is there a penalty for incorrect answers?

2.                 Get enough sleep the night before the tests.

3.                 Get a healthy breakfast on test day.  Don’t fill up on foods with high sugar  
   contents.

4.                 Take a jacket or sweater to wear if the testing room is cool.

5.                 Listen carefully to instructions and follow them.

6.                 Read the question and all answer choices before deciding final answers.

7.                 Do scratch work in the test booklet.

8.                 Mark through answer choices you know are incorrect.

9.                 Don’t use a calculator every computation.  Simple calculations can often be
   performed faster without a calculator.

10.              Keep your answer document free of stray marks.

11.               Erase carefully and complete.

12.              After every five items, verify you are marking your answers on the correct line.

13.              Skip items that require a long time to solve.  Come back to them as time
    permits.

14.              The correct answer is rarely “cannot be solved” or “no solution”.

15.              Familiarize yourself with 3-4-5 and 5-12-13 triangles.

16.              Remember the “difference of squares” formula.

17.              When answering “found in line #” questions, the clue is generally just above or
    below the referenced line in the passage.

18.              Decide if words that should fill in blanks should be positive or negative in
   meaning and look for those in the answer choices.

19.              On a test with no penalty for guessing, it is best to answer all questions.

20.             On test day, RELAX and do your best.