Retention is the goal, so the quicker you can get through the material and get to the exam, the better, especially with large sums of material to cover. Study every day for a few hours each day. Don’t let long periods of no studying go in-between days of studying. Eliminate distractions. Turn off your phone, tv, and take a 10-minute break about every 45 to 50 minutes.
Take notes while going through the material. Writing = retention. And when I say writing I don’t mean typing. I mean handwriting. At the end of each chapter, go back through the material and rewrite short facts that you have a hard time remembering. Concentrate on the learning objective of the chapters. Create your own flash cards.
Don’t let the math scare you. Focus on the simply math, then really focus on the rest of the non-mathematical topics. If you know the remainder of the non-mathematical topics you will not fail on math alone.
There is research that has found that the aroma of peppermint could improve memory, reasoning, concept formation, attention span and problem-solving. A middle school in Maryland handed out small pieces of mints during testing. Others suggest a jolt of caffeine is helpful.
One of the most important things you can do to is to complete all the practice questions that are provided with the course materials. Any questions you could not answer with ease, go back to the materials from which that question or topic was covered. If you are still not comfortable with your preparation, purchase an Exam Prep course containing additional practice questions and a review of the topics.
A week before the exam, begin your study review, not studying, as that should have happened along the way.
The second most important thing is to get in the habit of reading the question twice, maybe 3 times. Look for words like EXCEPT, NOT, NEVER, ALL, or ALWAYS, as these words require careful reading of the question. The words Except and Not are typically looking for the answer that is not correct. If answers have the words “Never, All, and Always,” think about when does an answer of “Never or Always” happen?
Eliminate answers – especially those you have never heard of. Elimination will typically get you down to two choices which puts you at a 50% chance when guessing of getting it correct, which is better than a 25% chance.
If you are allowed multiple attempts at an exam, it might be worth trying one to get a feel for the topics, and how the questions are worded. The questions are not likely to be the same when multiple exams are offered, however, it will give you a feel for the questions.
Answer the questions in which you are confident of the answer first.
Use all the time allotted.
Don’t change your answers.
Take a trip to the testing site in advance of your testing date.
Make sure you have had a good night’s sleep, are well-hydrated, and eat brain-boosting food prior to the test.
