Test-Taking Skills

Before Test-Taking
Skills
Overcome
Anxiety
Worrying over the
results of the
examination can lead
to failure.
Take time to
review

Reviewing involves
remembering past
lessons that may have
been forgotten due to
the passage of time.
Relax and don’t
Panic

A relaxed mind is
prone to think
appropriately.
Have A Good Rest. Have A Good Nutrition

- A tired mind cannot process - A Stomach aching due to hunger

ideas correctly. or indigestion is a negative factor
in taking tests.
Take Good
Notes

There is no substitute
for well-recorded and
updated notes because
these are the notes
used for reviewing
purposes.
Organize Notes
and
Assignments

Notes and assignments are

organized well principally
because these are helpful in
reviewing for a graded
recitation or a written
examination.
Join a Study
Group

There is truth to the saying

“Two heads are better than
one.”. One who studies with
a group enjoys the
assistance of his/her
groupmates in all respects.
Draw up a
Schedule

Scheduling the review is

also important because a
schedule serves as a
student’s guide in
determining the time
he/she has to spent for
studying a certain course or
topic.
Test yourself

Self-assessment is a
good way of knowing
whether a student will
pass or fail in a given
test.
Finish your
review/ Studying
before the exam
day

The reviewing or
studying must be done
in the study room
before the day of the
examination, not in
the classroom minutes
before the test.
During Test-Taking
Skills
Arrive early

Coming to the
examination room
late causes tension
and, at times,
failure.
Be comfortable,
but alert

An examinee
must feel at ease
when taking the
test.
Be confident
and relaxed

Self-confidence is a
big factor in
succeeding in test-
taking.
Focus on the
test once it
starts

A student must
not be affected
by all sorts of
distractions.
Browse the
questionnaire to
have an
overview, and
analyze the test
quickly
Once a student gets hold of
the examination paper,
he/she has to go over the
test questions to find out
which items are easy and
which ones are difficult.
Read instructions
carefully and
follow them
rigidly

Instructions are a
vital part of an
examination.
Answer the question in
this order: From easy
to difficult questions,
from questions
requiring short answers
to those requiring long
ones, or from questions
with more points to
those with fewer
points.
Check answers
and change
them if there is
a need to
Once a student completes the
test-taking, he/she has to
check his/her answers to find
out if he/she has not missed
out any item or he/she has
not committed a mistake in
answering any item.
Don’t leave any
question unanswered;
Try to guess if there is
no penalty

As much as possible, a
student has to write
an answer on the
blank, in the box or
circle, or on the space
provided.
Types of Tests
1. Objective Tests
a. Eliminate and cross out incorrect multiple-
choice answers.
b. Read with concentration and focus
c. Change true-false statements to read the
opposite way to help you make a judgment.
d. Cross out matching items as you use them.
2. Essay Tests
a. Read, underline, and number the parts of the question.
Make a brief outline, only a few words.
b. Come right to the point in the first sentence.
c. Use plenty of details and examples, but don’t pad.
d. Make the answer easy to read: write legibly, use clear topic
sentences and transitions, and, at the end, summarize or
conclude.
e. Check to see if you have answered all parts.
f. Proofread and insert corrections.
3. Quantitative Tests

a. Careless errors are the biggest problem. Read

the question well, use all the data, check to
see if the answer is logical.
b. If you are unsure of an answer, work the
problem again to check your answer.
4. Take-Home Tests

a. Create the necessary time and place to

work.
b. Proceed as you would for any other
exam with focus and concentration and
without interruption.
5. Open-Book Tests

a. Turn your textbook into a reference book before the

exam.
b. Label passages you will need with self-adhesive
stickers.
c. Write other material on fact cards and summary
cards for fast reference.
After-Test-Taking
Skills
The work of a student does not end
with the completion of a test. When
the test is over, he has to review those
items that he fail to answer during the
test. He does this so that the next time
he encounters the same questions, he
can confidently answer them. He may
also add new information (the ones he
has missed out) to his notes in his
study sheet or notebook.
Spelling Skills
To avoid misspellings, a student has to do
the following things:
1. Use a dictionary;
2. Use electronic aids (electronic typewriter, computer with a
spell-checker, electronic spell-checker)
3. Keep a personal spelling list;
4. Learn key words (technical terms) in major subjects.
5. Study a basic word list; and
6. Learn basic spelling rules (I before e, final e, y to I, doubling
consonant)
Punctuating Skills
Full stop or Period (.)
mark commonly placed at the end of several different types
of sentences.

 Example: I go shopping every day.

 Example: Leave me alone.
 Comma (,)
is used in many contexts and languages, principally for
separating things.
Rule 1. To avoid confusion, use commas to separate words and
word groups with a series of three or more.
Example:
 My $10 million estate is to be split among my husband,
daughter, son, and nephew.
 Omitting the comma after son would indicate that the son
and nephew would have to split one-third of the estate.
Rule 2
Use a comma to separate two adjectives when the word and
can be inserted between them.
Examples:
 He is a strong, healthy man.
 We stayed at an expensive summer resort. You would not
say expensive and summer resort, so no comma.
Rule 3. Use a comma when an -ly adjective is used with other
adjectives.
NOTE: To test whether an -ly word is an adjective, see if it
can be used alone with the noun. If it can, use the comma.
Examples:
 Felix was a lonely, young boy.
 I get headaches in brightly lit rooms. Brightly is not an
adjective because it cannot be used alone with rooms;
therefore, no comma is used between brightly and lit.
Rule 4
Use commas before or surrounding the name or title of a
person directly addressed.
Examples:
 Will you, Aisha, do that assignment for me?
 Yes, Doctor, I will.
NOTE: Capitalize a title when directly addressing someone.
Rule 5a. Use a comma to separate the day of the month from
the year and after the year.
Example:
 Kathleen met her husband on December 5, 2003, in Mill
Valley, California.

Rule 5b. If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the
comma.
Example:
 They met in December 2003 in Mill Valley.
Rule 6
Use a comma to separate the city from the state and after the
state in a document. If you use the two-letter capitalized form
of a state in a document, you do not need a comma after the
state.
NOTE: With addresses on envelopes mailed via the post office,
do not use any punctuation.
Examples:
 I lived in San Francisco, California, for 20 years.
 I lived in San Francisco, CA for 20 years.
Rule 7

Use commas to surround degrees or titles used with

names. Commas are no longer required around Jr.
and Sr. Commas never set off II, III, and so forth.

Example:

 Al Mooney, M.D., knew Sam Sunny Jr. and Charles

Starr III.
Rule 8
Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt
sentence flow.

Example:
 I am, as you have probably noticed, very nervous
about this.
Rule 9

When starting a sentence with a weak clause, use a

comma after it. Conversely, do not use a comma
when the sentence starts with a strong clause
followed by a weak clause.
Examples:

 If you are not sure about this, let me know now.

 Let me know now if you are not sure about this.
Rule 10

Use a comma after phrases of more than three words that begin a
sentence. If the phrase has fewer than three words, the comma is
optional.

Examples:

 To apply for this job, you must have previous experience.

 On February 14 many couples give each other candy or flowers.

OR

 On February 14, many couples give each other candy or flowers.