Pre-Test, and Test Tips.

[bridgedragon]

Yo.
So, I was dozing off in Social Studies/ Science Humaines again (whats new) and I remembered that I had a science test tomorrow. Now, majority, not all of Minecraft players tend to be in the maybe 9-14 years old category, which means a lot of them go to school. So, if you've been to school before, you know you have to take tests. Now, I honestly hate tests. I don't know anybody who likes tests, if you do, good for you! But when taking tests, which are very important I may add, there are things that are gonna effect you. So, here some things to help you before, and when taking tests.

You need sleep. Going to sleep at 1 am, and waking up at 4 is pretty stupid. Not only is it bad, and not very healthy for you. Your literally gonna like, doze off in the middle of the test. This is one reason why sleep is important. If your like dozing off during the test, your gonna get a bad mark. So, sleep is a pretty big and necessary requirement, as it allows you to stay focused, and not fall asleep during the middle of the class. Which is not only quite embarrassing (social status bruh) but also won't help you from passing.

Studying. Now, depending on the test, and how smart you are, this is gonna be different for some people. If it's a very big, important, extreme, test that has 5 questions, you're gonna need to most likely study for it. One thing I don't recommend is studying the night before the test. You're gonna wanna study for it on separate nights, don't overwork your brain though. You'll just get frustrated, annoyed, and discouraged to do anything else.

Be prepared. This is pretty straight forward, but be prepared for the test, or just class in general. There's people in my grade that forget binders at home like everyday. So make sure your prepared, bring a pencil or two, maybe three, four isn't necessary but if you wanna be extra careful, go for it.

Pay attention in class. This you've hopefully been doing. It's pretty straight forward, but you need to pay attention. Like, if you have no clue on what to do. What're you going to do?

If you come across a question you don't know, temporarily skip it. Question 1, 2+2= 19, got it! Question 2, 9+0=71. Okay! Question 3, 1+1! Oh no, you've come across a question you can't get immediately, that looks scary and looks like it may take time! If you can't do it immediately, then skip it, and come back to it. You don't wanna spend like 30 minutes answering 1 question, when there's like 28 other questions in the test! Do what you know, and come back to it and solve it later.

There are many more tips that come to taking a test. I can't think of many more right now. So feel free to add on to this. Share your own tips. And uhm yeah. Later alligators.

If this is in the wrong section, please move it. Also, I'm not at fault if you read this thread and didn't do well. That is your own fault.

 

[Miner9823]

Firstly, no worries, it's in the right section of the forums. c:
Also, I would definitely recommend on...
Do NOT procrastinate.
Seemingly straight forward, however procrastination is one of the main reasons and causes for a majority of these sort of situations listed in this helpful guide. Procrastination would make you wanna stay up all night, pretty much because there's so many distractions you really wanna go for instead of taking on the horrific revision of the deadly tests. Procrastination will distract you from studying and sleep as well. Procrastination will definitely make you lower your skills of concentration as well, from what I've heard. Also, due to the lack of studying then a lot of trouble will be on the tests, and will lead you to being unprepared. Imagine skipping every single question, and then you have that sudden, nightmarish realization that you do not know any of these question nor how to answer them.

Last but not least...

Never be afraid to ask for help.
This kind of thing is pretty big, especially when studying, either at school, the library, or even at home. You should never feel too shy towards asking fellow peers, parents or teachers for any aid during revision, because they know what's what and can really help you out. Teachers especially, they are hired and work in your school because they are supposed to help you with studying, to help you learn, to help you reach success. If you have had any experiences with people lacking tolerance towards your troubles of studying, then it doesn't mean you should stop there. There are a lot of people around who can help you. Also, a little anecdote I would like to state is that every time I, or my brothers have troubles when studying or doing our homework, if we ask our father, he would give us half hour lectures on why we need to study more and ask people more often, as well as telling us we need to work harder. Yet again, we eventually go through one question within a whole hour, great help indeed. c:

Overall, to those who have to revise or study for an upcoming test, go for it. Get away from your computer and put both your hands in the air, now, get a hammer and smash it to pieces 'cause you got some more important things to do rather than sitting here and looking through some random guy's reply to a studying thread. Yet again, I too should study, dang, 10:25 pm. Last minute pressure work!

 

[BitoBain]

Here are some interesting tips I'm sure many of you didn't know. I've been a pretty good test taker in the past, and here's what I've learned.

1. Pay close attention during class: Class should be where the majority of learning happens. (The exception is AP history classes, where you read the textbook to learn most of it.) Make sure you are absorbing every word the teacher is saying. Take some notes, but keep them pretty minimal and straightforward. Writing will distract you from listening if you try too hard. Note that an example will be very helpful to include in your notes, especially for math and science.
2. Get help if you need it: Try to make yourself understand the concept as quickly as possible; don't wait until the night before to figure out how to do it. Ask your teacher during school, or better yet, a friend who understands both you and the material. If you make yourself understand during school hours, whether it be by coming in before/after school, during lunch, or at any other random time, your stress will go down and your success will go up. Your homework will be easier and you will accomplish more in a smaller time frame.
3. Don't procrastinate: This is a simple but surprisingly difficult concept for many teenagers. Don't wait until the last day to do anything! If you have a big project, do it early on a Saturday morning on a weekend. People might call you a nerd for being so on top of things, but just remember, popularity ends when high school ends, but success and knowledge never end.
4. Live a healthy lifestyle: Your mind runs much better when you are physically healthy. You may not have time for much exercise, but eating healthy and getting eight hours of sleep will greatly improve cognitive function. If you can exercise for thirty minutes every day, then you will be surprised how much that enhances your happiness, creativity, focus, memory, and even ability to sleep soundly. (And sleep is crucial is strengthening memory)
   
5. Don't make homework miserable for yourself: You may not like it, but if you can get immersed in it and trick yourself into enjoying it for a period of time, then you will be able to get it done faster and you will recall information better. Don't have a bad attitude about it. Also, don't drag out simple projects for hours on end; this will stress you out and cut into time that could be spent having fun and sleeping. Just get things done quickly and efficiently and focus. Don't try to do homework in front of a screen unless it is on the screen.
6. Remember information: To better recall information, repetition never fails. You can also try to make jokes or catchy phrases to remember key points. Remember to keep helpful papers from each unit of a class so that you will have something to look at later on. Moving while studying will activate your brain, believe it or not. (You probably don't need to jog in circles, but walking around helps.) The color red is the most effective color for remembering and recalling facts and hard data, while the color blue most heavily enhances creativity. Studying doesn't have to take hours, but it does take work; you control how effective your study is.
7. Don't make excuses: Just because you are tired, or because it is Monday, you shouldn't say that you can't focus or do anything right. Always have an attitude of "I will!" Rather than make excuses, make a way to make yourself effective. If you are tired, you can save that for later. Walk around and stretch out to reduce tiredness and increase focus. Don't think that just because you only got four hours of sleep you will do poorly on a test. In fact, I have found that getting less sleep can actually increase focus, but it unfortunately severely reduces your ability to recall information and solve problems. Just do your best regardless of your circumstances.
8. Don't let your friends distract you: Friends can be a great source of information, but don't let them convince you into thinking school is unimportant. Use them to learn, and help them learn along the way, but don't let any friends detract from your success. If they try to talk to you while you are working, show them or tell them that you want to be alone.Teaching your friends will help solidify concepts for yourself, and greatly increase your chance of remembering.
9. Test taking tips: Do whatever you can to get a good grade on a test, other than cheat. Do a combination of studying days in advance, as well as some studying minutes before, which will go nicely into your short term memory. Stay calm and collected as you answer questions. Instead of answering each question unsuredly and then going back and checking your answers, try to get everything right the first time, then only go back and check answers if you have time. If you take a one hundred question multiple choice test and get 90 right initially, going back and checking your answers will only cause you to get 1-3 more questions right. You may even second guess your right answers. When doing free response questions, make sure everything you did is clear and concise. If you are unsure, make a vague answer instead and throw in some key words that might get you points. For multiple choice questions, look out for key phrases that signify a dumb answer. Some of these include:

• Too (This word is usually too subjective to be included in the right answer)
• Opinions (In a history class, answers that degrade a single person or party without stating backup reasoning are wrong)
• Facts that can't be proven or shouldn't be proven (George Washington's ancestors were all strong federalists)
• Answers that are too short or too long (On history exams, the right answer is usually one of the two longer answers, while on the ACT the correct answer for English questions is the shortest answer 80% of the time. English should be clear, concise, and simple; history is expected to be nuanced, balanced, and aware of historical ideas.)
• Answers that stick out (The right answer usually has one or two similar answers; don't choose the oddball answer. This applies especially to math.)
• Answers that avoid stating ideas related to overall themes of the class (In a history class, an answer that talks about globalization or the demographic transition would be a good answer; an answer that includes a singular cause for a massive event or idea is probably wrong.)

Have fun! Try to enjoy school. If has been proven that we better remember things that we enjoy. Be engaged in school, and try to have fun competing with others and yourself. You may not like school, but there will come a time in life when you wish you could go back to school and take advantage of some of those awesome opportunities.

 

[MJM239]

Blaze through, barely read any of the questions, and turn tests in without a sweat.

Somehow this strategy has kept my grades at a solid B average. How, I don't know.

 

[Pearlyyy]

Yeah sleeping is important, I went into a test no sleep at all and after the test I just face-planted the floor .-.