How to make the grade on high school tests
These Top 10 Test Tips will help you keep your grades up in your high school classes.
#1 – Take a deep breath.
Let it out. Take another. Keep going. It seems silly to waste time just breathing, but stress can “reversibly decrease specific elements of memory performance in otherwise healthy individuals” (Newcome, Selke, Melson, Hershey, Craft, Richards, & Alderson, 1999). That’s a fancy way of saying that when it comes time to take a test, if you’ve spent the preceding week in a haze of stress-fueled studying, you’re less likely to be able to recall all of that information you’ve been cramming into your skull. So, take a walk, eat healthy food, get enough sleep; in short, take care of yourself if you want to do well.
#2 – Don’t wait until the last minute.
This leads back to #1. Start studying early; you’ll have less stress. In fact, why not try studying every week? Take 20-30 minutes at the end of every week to review what you’ve learned in class: copy your notes over neatly (or type them), read them aloud, create flashcards – whatever works to help you retain information. Then you’ll already have seen the information at least twice before you even crack open your book to study for the test.
#3 – Don’t make more work for yourself.
Trying to study every single thing covered in 150 pages of textbook and eight weeks of lectures is an inefficient use of your time, especially if you have more than one course to study for, a job, or anything else to do besides study. Don’t study harder; study smarter. Go to your instructor and ask what topics are covered on the test and if there’s a study sheet you can use. Review your syllabus for hints as to which topics might make an appearance. The fewer topics you have to cover in your studying, the more time you’ll have and the less stress.
#4 – Stop, collaborate, and listen.
If you have trouble understanding the material, more studying won’t help, so put down the textbook and reach out to those who can help. Form a study group with your classmates, and the sharing of information will help everyone. You may get a new understanding of material that troubled you, and you get a boost to information retention from teaching the topics that you are confident in.
#5 – Just say ‘No’ to distractions.
Silence your phone, turn off the music, and go to a quiet place. You don’t have to lock yourself in a quiet room for days leading up to exam, but short, distraction-free sessions (about an hour), will better prepare you than one 12-hour marathon session constantly interrupted by phone notifications.
#6 – Mix it up.
Generally, accepted wisdom says you should study completely one subject before moving on to the next. But Kornell and Bjork (2008) found that mixing subject matters, perhaps by studying information out of order or studying for two different courses in one session, actually deepens understanding of the material. This happens because it causes you to draw comparisons between different topics, making it easier to recall information.
#7 – Make your studying work for you.
If any of these tips don’t work for you, don’t use them, and try different things! Everyone learns in different ways, so it makes sense that the way you study won’t look like the way I study. Once you do find something that works for you, stick with it! Don’t find that reading material aloud works for you? Then go back to reading the textbook silently. Take every advantage you have.
#8 – Check yourself.
Don’t just read over material – apply it! You may have memorized how to factor a polynomial, but unless you practice it, you might not be able to do it on the test. If your teacher gives you a practice test, use it! Make flash cards, or if you’re able to study in a group, make quick tests and quiz each other on the information. Just reading over material can give you a false sense of confidence. You need to practice actually producing and using the information.
#9 – There’s no magic wand, but there are tricks.
Scent is the sense most closely tied to memory. For example, the smell of fresh-cut grass might take you back to the summer before ninth grade when you mowed lawns for spending money; you may viscerally remember the heat pouring off the lawnmower and the smell of gasoline. You can use this trick to provide a small boost on the test. If you spray a new scent while you’re studying (or eat a candy like peppermint/Lifesaver/Starburst), you’ll associate that scent with the information. Do the same thing during your test, and it might just help your recall! (Note: this is only for use in addition to all the rest of the studying you’re doing.)
#10 – Use all the resources at your disposal.
There is so much help available. Go to your instructor or your school’s library staff for help with content and study skills. Take advantage of the study rooms in the libraries for a quiet place. Do anything you can to get the help you need.