Preparation:

• Begin preparing early. Pay attention during class: every minute you daydream in class is many more minutes of studying later. Do assigned homework problems: math is a building process and in order to understand the next step you need to comprehend the present, and previous, steps.
• Simulate test conditions. After you have studied and think you know the material, practice it under test conditions. Solve unassigned homework problems and see if you can finish them in the allotted time for the exam.
• Know your professor. Study a copy of the exam of a previous class if available. Talk with someone who has taken the professor before, preferably someone who has succeeded in the same class. Meeting with a campus tutor may help.
• Form a study group of 3-4 dedicated students. 
  Not only will other students be able to help you with problems, but by helping others you will better learn the material. If you are unable to teach another student a topic you believe you know, chances are you may know that topic very well after all. If you can't teach it, you don't know it!

Testing:

• Read through the exam. Reading through the whole exam will help you prioritize items on the test, know how to pace your answers, and know what your professor is expecting during this assessment of what you have learned.

• Carefully read the instructions. Make sure you are answering the question that is being asked. Often students know how to solve a problem, but they misread or misinterpret the question itself.
• Check that you have correctly rewritten the problem. If you use a scratch piece of paper, make sure that you correctly rewrite the problem. Do not skip steps. Start from the beginning.
• Clearly write each step of the solution. Be neat and do not rush writing numbers down. Keep checking your solution as you are working. Neatness makes it easier to recheck your work.
• Double check your math, especially your calculator entries. Double check your calculator work immediately. The chances of hitting a wrong number are high, but the chances of hitting the same wrong number are not.
• Do Not Dilly Dally. If you get stuck on a problem, move on and come back to it later. When you are finished, recheck all your work.

Multiple choice questions usually include a phrase or stem followed by three to five options:

Test strategies:

• Read the directions carefully. Know if each question has one or more correct option. Know if you are penalized for guessing. Know how much time is allowed (this governs your strategy).
• Preview the test. Read through the test quickly and answer the easiest questions first. Mark those you think you know in some way that is appropriate.
• Read through the test a second time and answer more difficult questions. You may pick up cues for answers from the first reading, or become more comfortable in the testing situation.
• If time allows, review both questions and answers. It is possible you misread questions the first time.

Answering options: Improve your odds by eliminating answers you know to be incorrect. Think critically.

Cover the options, read the stem, and try to answer. Select the option that most closely matches your answer.

Read the stem with each option. Treat each option as a true-false question, and choose the "truest" option.

Strategies for answering difficult questions:

1. Eliminate options you know to be incorrect. If allowed, mark words or alternatives in questions that eliminate the option.
2. Give each option of a question the "true-false test." This may reduce your selection to the best answer.
3. Question options that grammatically do not fit with the stem. An option that does not conform to the question's grammatical structure likely can be eliminated.
4. Question options that are totally unfamiliar to you. If you do not recall any information in a particular option, it is likely an incorrect answer.
5. Question options that contain negative or absolute words. Try substituting a qualified term for the absolute one. For example, frequently for always; or typical for every to see if you can eliminate an option.
6. "All of the above" If you know two of three options seem correct, "all of the above" is a strong possibility.
7. Number answers. Toss out the high and low and consider the middle range numbers
8. "Look alike options" One is probably correct; choose the best option but eliminate choices that mean basically the same thing, and thus cancel each other out.
9. Double negatives. Create the equivalent positive statement.
10. Echo options. If two options are opposite each other, chances are one of them is correct.
11. Favor options that contain qualifiers. The result is longer, more inclusive items that better fill the role of the answer.
12. If two alternatives seem correct, compare them for differences, then refer to the stem to find your best answer.

Guessing:

• Always guess when there is no penalty for guessing or you can eliminate options.
• Don't guess if you are penalized for guessing and if you have no basis for your choice.
• Use hints from questions you know to answer questions you do not.
• Change your first answers when you are sure of the correction, or other cues in the test cue you to change.

Remember that you are looking for the best answer, not only a correct one, and not one which must be true all of the time, in all cases, and without exception.

Every part of a true sentence must be "true"
If any one part of the sentence is false, the whole sentence is false despite many other true statements.

Ex. Rattlesnakes live in North America, have fangs, feed on small rodents, and crush their prey. (F)…one part of the sentence is false (they don’t crush their prey).

Pay close attention to negatives, qualifiers, absolutes, and long strings of statements.

Negatives can be confusing. If the question contains negatives, as "no, not, cannot". Drop the negative and read what remains.

Ex. Since penguins cannot fly, they cannot swim well either. (F)…penguins can swim.  Since there was a “cannot” the answer is opposite or false.

Qualifiers are words that restrict or open up general statements. Words like "sometimes, often, frequently, ordinarily, generally" open up the possibilities of making accurate statements. They make more modest claims, are more likely to reflect reality, and usually indicate "true" answers.

Ex. Most coniferous trees (evergreens) have needles throughout the year. (T)…the qualifier “most” refers to almost all coniferous trees.  There are a few coniferous trees that lose their needles during winter months, but the qualifier excludes these and makes the statement true.

Absolute words restrict possibilities. "No, never, none, always, every, entirely, only" imply the statement must be true 100% of the time and usually indicate "false" answers

Ex. Every mammal gives birth to live young. (F)…Not all mammals give birth to live young, which the word “every” implies.  The platypus lays eggs.

Long sentences often include groups of words set off by punctuation. Pay attention to the "truth" of each of these phrases. If one is false, it usually indicates a "false" answer

Ex. Lions are native to Africa and Asia. They often live in prides and are carnivorous predators. Lions in South Africa have white fur due to a recessive gene. Lions will also eat berries if hungry enough. (F)…Even though most of the phrases are true, the phrase about lions eating berries is false.  Thus, the entire statement is false.

Guessing:

Often true/false tests contain more true answers than false answers.  You have more than 50% chance of being right with "true". However, your teacher may be the opposite. Review past’s tests for patterns...

Prepare for the test. Develop summary sheets of the course material information. Focus on key words, events, vocabulary, and concepts. Organize and categorize the material. Then review.

When taking the test:

• Respond directly to the question or directive. Focus on keywords and ideas called for within the question. Eliminate those that do not directly address the information requested in the test item.
• Respond and write concise answers. Connect key facts into short sentences according to the test instructions.
• If you can think of several answers, let the instructor know. The instructor may give you a clue to the correct answer they are requesting.
• A guess made with common sense could get you more test points than if you leave an answer blank.

Organization and neatness have merit.

Before writing out the exam:

• Write down the key words, listings, etc., as they are fresh in your mind. Otherwise these ideas may be blocked (or be unavailable) when the time comes to write the later questions. This will reduce "clutching" or panic (anxiety, actual fear which can disrupt thoughts).

Set up a time schedule to answer each question and to review/edit all questions

• If six questions are to be answered in sixty minutes,
  allow yourself only seven minutes for each question.
• If questions are "weighted", prioritize this fact into your time allocation for each question.
• When the time is up for one question, stop writing,
  leave space, and begin the next question. The incomplete answers can be completed during time reserved to review your answers.
• Six incomplete answers will usually receive more credit than three, complete ones.

Read through the questions once and note how you will need to answer the questions

• Pay attention to how the question is phrased, or to the directives (words such as "compare", "contrast", "criticize", etc.).
• Answers will come to mind immediately for some questions.

Before attempting to answer a question, put it in your own words

• Compare your version with the original. Do they mean the same thing? If they do not, you may have misread the question. You may be surprised how often your version and the exam question may differ.

Think before you write: Make a brief outline for each question and number the items in the order you will discuss them

• Get right to the point. State your main point in the first sentence. Use your first paragraph to provide an overview of your essay. Use the rest of your essay to discuss these points in more detail. Back up your points with specific information, examples, or quotations from your readings and notes.
• Teachers are influenced by concise, complete, and clear, organized answers.
• Writing in the hope that the right answer will somehow turn up is time-consuming and usually futile.
• Knowing only a little and presenting the material well is typically superior to knowing a lot and presenting it poorly--when judged by the grade received.

Writing & answering:

Begin with a strong first sentence that states the main idea of your essay. Continue this first paragraph by presenting key points.

Develop your argument

• Begin each paragraph with a key point from the introduction.
• Develop each point further with a complete paragraph.
• Use transitions, or enumerate, to connect your points.
• Be aware of your time allocation and organization.
• Avoid definite statements when possible. A qualified statement suggests a philosophic attitude, the mark of an educated person.
• Qualify answers when in doubt. It is better to say "toward the end of the 19th century" than to say "in 1894" when you are not certain whether it is 1884 or 1894. In many cases, the approximate time is all that is wanted; unfortunately 1894, though approximate, may be incorrect, and will usually be marked accordingly.

Summarize in your last paragraph. Restate your central idea and indicate why it is important.

Review:

Complete questions left incomplete, but allow time to review all questions.

Review, edit, and correct misspellings, incomplete words and sentences, and miswritten dates and numbers.