· Take your classes and your homework assignments seriously from the very first day.

· Read, read, read. Newspapers, magazines, fiction, nonfiction, hardback, paperbacks.

· When you study, focus on facts, comparisons, and relationships.

· Outline a study plan in which you decide which material you will cover, how much time you will spend, and how you will use the time.

· Don't rely solely on class notes or you're own intuition.

· If possible, find out specifics about the test, including its format.

· Learn to read and translate tables and charts using the key or legend provided.

· Learn to read graphs of all kinds.

· Practice problem-solving to get used to space

· In preparation for a true/false test, commit to memory facts such as names, dates, places, rules, and principals. Think about relationships between facts.

· Choose a study method that is appropriate for the amount of time you have. Study time for a major test takes at least a week. Intense study takes about three days.\

· Practice as much as possible answering test questions that are out of the ordinary such as analogies

· When it's time for the test:

· Get a good night sleep.

· Eat wisely.

· Wear clothing that is comfortable.

· Wear a watch. Be aware of time, but not overly conscious of it.

· Take several sharpened pencils and a good separate eraser.

· Be punctual.

· When you arrive:

· If possible, select a seat away from friends who might distract you.

· If arm chairs are used and you are left-handed, ask for a left-handed chair or make other arrangements that are comfortable for you.

· Don't let anxiety overwhelm you.

· Remember that the test taker that relies on luck usually gets low scores.

· Believe in yourself.

· Listen carefully to directions that are read to you. Test directions are important, so it is necessary to understand what you are to do.

· Ask questions immediately if you do not understand directions.

· Don't make the question harder than it is.

· Break up long questions or difficult math problems into manageable parts.

· Don't skip around on reading comprehension passages since they usually progress from easy to difficult.

· If it is permitted, underline or circle names, numbers, places, and definitions in a passage.

· If you change an answer, erase the previous answer completely.

· Check to make sure that all answers are recorded exactly as the instructions stipulate.

· Work out all calculations as a check on the accuracy of your answer choices.

· Check your math calculations by doing the problem on another piece of paper.

· Draw and label a picture or diagram if you feel that it will help you.

· Use accurately labeled pictures as diagrams to bring to mind a procedure for dealing with a problem.

· To avoid thinking in abstractions, substitute simple numbers for symbols.

· Check your math calculations by doing the problem another way, including backwards, if possible.

· When doing a math problem, write down the numbers correctly and copy carefully.

· In doing math problems that call for calculation, remember that you are looking for one correct answer.

· On a test of your numerical ability, note carefully key word terms in the data. Include questions.

· Practice estimating answers when using practice materials. This keeps you in the ball park of the right answer.

· If you know a second language, use it to make sense of unfamiliar words in English.

· Guess if you don't know the answer you have more to gain than loose.

· It is possible to make quantitative comparisons even though actual numbers are not given because the partial information is enough to compare.

· Guess when you can eliminate enough answer choices to put the odds in your favor.

· If you have only a small bit of information about a specific question you should make an informed guess after eliminating as many answer choices as possible.

· Because there is rarely a penalty for guessing on true/false tests, always guess if you do not know an answer.

· IF you are still undecided two or more answers, always guess instead of leaving the question blank.

· Know the specific characteristics of multiple choice tests.

· Look for the clues and giveaways, especially in non-standardized tests.

· In reading and vocabulary tests, if you don't know the word, make an educated guess.

· Be alert to contextual clues in sentence completion questions, using such words as however, nevertheless, furthermore, on the contrary, m conclusion, finally, and consequently.

· Become familiar with commonly used prefixes and suffixes.

· Look for overlapping questions in which one choice automatically includes another.

· Look for verbal cues.

· Look for patterns m non-verbal questions.

· When you are dealing with ranking and ordering, there is usually a spread on either side of a correct answer.

· A matching test is a recognition test that calls for associating or matching one fact or concept with another.

· Most matching questions do not include trivia, so it is important to concentrate your study on important topics and facts.

· There is usually a common theme between the question list and the answer list in a matching test, so it is often helpful to eliminate answers that do not fit the theme.

· It is important to clearly understand the directions for matching the items on the two lists.

· Matching tests usually deal with such things as dates and events, people, and contributions, terms and definitions, authors and titles.

· Short answer tests usually measure recall, so they focus on important facts, events, dates, names, concepts, and so on.

· In preparing for an essay test, it is important to review the major ideas emphasized by the instructor.

· Finding what criteria will be used to grade your answers is helpful for deciding your approach.

· Budgeting your time when writing essay test answers help you allot time in proportion to the value of each question.

· Looking for key words in essay questions can helps focus your answers.

· Check your answers to an essay question for content, organization, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure. This can turn an essay into an excellent one.