General Tips:
•	Drink eight cups of water in the 24 hours leading up to the test
•	Do NOT cram the night before the test; just briefly review the material
•	Get a good night’s sleep
•	Eat breakfast the day of the test
•	Tell yourself that you will do well on the exam
•	Read all questions before you read the selection

Multiple Choice:
•	Read all directions carefully
•	Each item has only one correct answer; assume that you are smart enough to figure out the answers
•	Budget your time so that you can finish the test on time
•	Skip items you are unsure about and come back to them later
•	Try to answer the question before you look at the choices
•	Look at all the answers before making a choice
•	Eliminate answers that don’t make sense, then focus on the remaining choices
•	When choices seem equally good, choose the longest one
•	When all else fails, choose an answer that is NOT the first or last one
•	As time begins to run out, always guess; don’t leave any questions unanswered

True / False:
•	Read all directions carefully
•	Each item has only one correct answer; assume that you are smart enough to figure out the answers
•	Budget your time so that you can finish the test on time
•	If ANY part of the statement is false, the entire statement is false
•	The words “never” and “always” usually make a statement false, but qualifications like “almost always” and “almost never” may make a statement true
•	Long statements are more likely to be true than short statements
•	Read the statement as is; don’t read wild possibilities into it
•	As time begins to run out, always guess; don’t leave any questions unanswered

Essay Tests:
•	Read all directions carefully
•	Key words commonly used in test directions:

Enumerate
	
Name and describe one at a time	

Illustrate
	
Explain with examples	

Trace	Tell the history or development of something from the earliest to the current time	

Compare
	
Point out similarities and differences	

Contrast
	
Point out differences	

Summarize
	Give a brief version of the most important facts	

Evaluate
	
Judge the merit of something	

Justify
	
Give reasons for	

Critique
	
Summarize and evaluate (see above)	

•	Become familiar with these test direction words
•	Budget your time so that you can finish the test on time
•	Use words and phrases from the question in your essay
•	Use subject area terms when writing the essay
•	Always give some kind of answer, even if you don’t fully understand the question
•	Unless the directions say otherwise, never give a minimal answer
•	Proof your essay for punctuation, grammar, capitalization, spelling, and neatness

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