Q&A for How to Manage Time for Tests

After you get to the test center, it would be beneficial to look through the test questions -- at least skim them -- to get an idea of how to budget your time on the test. This will give you the best opportunity to let your studying take over and get a good grade!

There are several techniques you can use to increase your recall and retention for an exam. 1. Try reading your materials out loud. Reading out loud commits the information to a different part of the memory than just reading, which increases your retention. 2. Teach the materials. Teach what you've studied to a friend, a parent, or even a stuffed animal. The idea is that you will both demonstrate mastery and find gaps in materials you've learned if you teach them. 3. Draw diagrams of more complex ideas or, for example, all the muscles in the human body. Recalling information this way not only helps you further commit it to memory, but will show you what you need to brush up on.

Getting nervous is one serious problem many of us face. Before entering the exam, drink enough water and try to relax. If you are thoroughly prepared, then there is nothing to worry about.

Before you ever take the exam, practice your handwriting. As with anything, the more you practice, the quicker and better you'll become. An excellent tip is to practice writing a paragraph from the materials that you're reading - this will help you study and also help you improve your speed and legibility. When you get into the exam, it's helpful to make an outline of what you're going to write. Because you have a tentative structure laid out, you should have a bit more time to make sure that your writing is legible. Your writing utensil matters too. Rollerball pens have less friction than gel and ballpoint pens, and less friction means they glide across the paper faster. Pencils have more friction than pens altogether.

Remove anything from your desk that you might be tempted to mess around with during the exam. Keep your eyes on your paper and try not to look around too often.

You should prioritize the sections of the exam worth the most points. If everything on the exam is worth the same point value, just divide the minutes you have by the number of questions that you need to answer. Your example of three hours and 100 questions would be 180 minutes divided by 100 questions, which equals roughly 1.5 minutes per question.

Do as much as you can in the time given and don't rush the first because if you do the first one very well and only slightly attempt the second one, you'll get more marks than if you had done two rubbish essays.

Try previewing the test beforehand. If you see a question that you might have trouble on, save it for the end. Once you've answered all of the questions you know how to do, you can go to the one you might have trouble with, without much fear of messing up other questions. If you end up with multiple questions that you don't know, take a moment to close your eyes and breathe deeply. Remind yourself that you probably know something that can help you. Then just do your best to answer them.

If you find yourself stressing, stop for a moment and take a few deep breaths. Focus on reading the question you're on thoroughly so you really understand it, and try not to think about how much time you have left or the rest of the test.

One of the best ways to get better and faster at taking exams is also one of the simplest ways: take practice tests. If you train for taking tests, you'll do much better when it comes time to take the real one. Ask your instructor ahead of time if there are any practice tests that would be helpful. Then, work through the practice test exactly how you'd take an exam during class—don't use your notes, and set a timer. That way, you'll have some practice taking timed tests, so you might not get as nervous during your exam. If you'll have essay questions, practice answering timed sample questions as well. You can also look online for sample tests on the subject so you can try taking a bunch of different practice tests.

Believe it or not, you can actually study too much. If you overload your brain with information, you may not be able to remember it all while you're taking the test. That's also why cramming the night before doesn't actually work. Your best bet is to spend a few hours each day studying all of the material. Choose a specific section that you're going to review and break it up into 30 minute chunks and stay super focused while you're studying. Take short breaks to take a walk, stretch, grab a drink, or a snack. Then, get back to it. Breaking up your studying into more manageable chunks will help keep you from feeling overwhelmed and also help you actually retain the information you're reviewing.

One of the best ways to manage your time and get off to a good start on a test is to knock out the easiest questions first. That way they're out of the way and you're feeling confident as you take on the rest of the test. Not only will this boost your confidence, but you'll likely be able to answer the question in this section more quickly, leaving you extra time for a section you might need to think a little more about. This is especially helpful for reading tests that ask questions about a specific passage. If you do the easy questions first, chances are, you’ll have more information to answer the tough questions later on. However, if you'd rather take on the questions that carry the most weight on the test, such as an essay question that counts for half of your total score, it may not be a bad idea to take it out first. That way, you can spend the rest of your time answering the shorter questions.