Tests are a reality. We can’t escape them, whether they are SOLs or SATs, midterms or finals you have to take them and you have to do well. Exams play a big part in determining your grades and some even determine whether you can go to a certain college or not. No matter what type of exam it is you need to know how to study. 

An important thing to remember when reviewing for an exam is that it is testing what you are already supposed to know. With that in mind, you should gather together all of your notes you have taken from that year up to the point when you take the exam. If you haven’t exactly been doing a very good job at taking notes, beg one of your friends to let you use theirs. Then you should go through and highlight key ideas, make flash cards, tape them to your ceiling or what ever else you usually do to study for regular tests and quizzes. 

Also, remember that most teachers do an exam review, give you a review packet, or both. During these reviews be sure to take pay good attention and take neat and concise notes. Make sure to do the review packets and if you get stuck on a certain problem just take the time to study that section extra hard. Your teachers do these reviews and give you these review packets to help you, so take advantage of them. If you are sick the day your teacher does a review make sure to get the notes from that class, as you should do any time you miss a class.

Another good thing to do is to gather all of your old tests and quizzes together (if you haven’t already lost them!) They were made to test the key aspects of the course, just like an exam. If you got some questions wrong, use your notes and textbook to correct them. If you can’t find the answer, ask your teacher to explain it, he or she will be happy to do so. This is very good practice. Also make sure you highlight the questions you got wrong because they are the things you need to study the most.

Probably one of the most important things you can do is pay attention in class in the first place. If you haven’t been paying attention so far this year, start now. It is better late than never.

When you are actually taking the exam make sure to relax. Some exams, like SOLs, are not timed so you can take all the time you need to do well. Most, however, are timed so make sure to set a fast enough pace were you can finish in time but an efficient enough pace so that you can do well. Sometimes it is hard to set yourself a good pace but it is something that gets easier with practice. If it is a test that is not timed and you get stuck on a question, spend as much time as you need on it. If the test is timed skip over any questions you have a hard time on and come back to it later, if you have time. If you have tried as hard as you can and you still can’t figure out the answer, just guess. The only test where you are penalized for guessing is the SAT.

If you have many exams a one time, like midterms and finals, make sure that you study for the most difficult one the most. Also, make sure that you don’t forget about the rest of them. Make sure that when you are done studying you go over the material for the most difficult exam again. That way you make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything. Make sure to take breaks too, but no longer than 10 minutes after at least a half an hour. That way you won’t drive yourself crazy. 

If at all possible, start reviewing for an exam way in advance. If for some reason you don’t find the time to study until the very last minute, just be sure that you cover the absolute essentials. This way you at least cover things that you are most likely going to be on the exam. When cramming, make sure you use all the time you have and avoid all distractions, including TV and radio.

If you follow these tips and start preparing well in advance, chances are you will do great. Just relax and pace yourself. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep the night before, and eat a good breakfast every morning that you have an exam. When you get to school you will be prepared, awake and ready for anything that is thrown at you. GOOD LUCK!