I'm horrible at taking tests. Any tips?

Question

I'm in Adv. Algebra II. I understand what we cover in class perfectly, but when time comes for the test, I'm doomed. I have yet to make an A in this class, and my last test resulted in a D. I'd LOVE to raise my 79% up to a higher B by report card time in 5 weeks. Does anyone have tips for my horrible test taking skills?

Answer 1

Also, it's easy to understand what's happening in class because the teacher is explaining it to you.

1. Do the homework and don't work in groups. It's easy to help one another when working in a group when you're stuck. Also, when you do homework, write down all the steps and don't skip. When you go back and review you won't remember how you got from a to b, if you skipped steps.

2. Ask yourself if you understood what you just did or were you going through the motions?

3. Ask questions in class especially if you didn't get the point.

4. Read the chapter... and reread so you're sure you understand.

5. A day or two before the test, review your homework to make sure what you understand what was done. Review a couple times.

6. On the day of the test, RELAX. Have confidence in yourself and just don't worry about it. When you put pressure on yourself, it's easy to make simple mistakes. Pretend you're doing homework and you've seen this problem before.

Answer 2

You understand everything at your class, but do you study what is covered in advance to the test? I am not talking about the night before. The longer you study, the most confident you will feel.
If you do study even though you understand, maybe your problem could be either fear to fail or nervousness.
If you are afraid to fail, try to think of what would be the worse that could happen if you fail, and what your possible solutions would be. Wouldn't you have the opportunity of taking the course again? Would you loose a scholarship? What if your report isn't good? Will you be kicked out of the school, and what you would do? The idea is, after any failure, there is ALWAYS a way out, and doesn't look so terrifying if we already know it.
If you are so nervous that forget everything at the time of the test, you should try some relaxation techniques. Focus on deep breath before the test, imagine that you are taking somebody else's test, or even think it isn't a test but a class exercise, don't take any caffeine one hour before the test and depending on your personalty, you may prefer either talk to some friends or being completely alone before the exam.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi:

Here some things to help you:

1) Don't let the math test intimidate you.

2) Read the question and find out what it is asking you to solve
look for what is known { see the the example below}

3) Write the problem in the way you are taught to setup the problem

4) write down the variables in the problem

5) write the formula down and rearrange the formula if necessary to get the answer the question is asking you

6) Plug in the numbers and take the problem step by step, lable what operation your doing at each step of the way { VERY IMPORTANT THING: watch the signs on the problem, They will mess you up, if your not careful here }

7) when you get your answer; write down your formula again and plug in the numbers and start solving it to see if your answers match or equal each other if not go back the the problem and see where you went wrong and go from that point and resolve
problem and do # 7 again until they equal or match { see the example}

8) Move on to the next problem and do # 2 again until you finish all the problems

Example:

A girl need a square box to put a ring in. the volume of the ring is 9.424 cubic inches, how big does the side of the box needs to be in order hold this volume { remember a square box volume formula is V= s^3 (s= lenght of side)}

1) what is the question asking you?
answer the lenght of the box's side

2) What are the knowns

Answer: V= 9.424 cubic inches, the formula for volume is V= s^3

So I write down the the following:

Known:

V= 9.424 cubic

V= s^3

do we need to rearrange the formula?
answer yes

(V)^ (1/3)= (s^3)^(1/3) - taking a cube root of a cube

So plug in some numbers

9.424= s^3

(9.424)^ (1/3)= (s^3)^(1/3) - taking a cube root of a cube

2.1123 = s Answer

proof:

s^3= V - orginal formula


2.1123 ^ 3= 9.424 - substution

9.424 = 9.424 - solving of terms

Does it equal?

answer : Yes

move on to the next problem

Answer 4

You'd be surprised at what a GOOD night's sleep can do, on top of a good breakfast. Spend a week beforehand going to bed at a good, certain time. Stick with it, strictly, and you will wake up feeling very refreshed and full of energy. Eat a good breakfast, like egg whites and whole-grain cereal (complex carbs, energy lasts longer than simple carbs), and some orange juice. As for the test itself, don't stress out if you don't immediately know the answer to the question at hand. Don't spend more than 60 seconds on each question. If you don't know it, skip it and come back at a later time. Try taking 3-5 slow, deep breaths to relax yourself. When they let you take a break, get up and walk around to stretch your legs out and get your blood flowing again. Good luck!

Answer 5

Try to bring your book home and let someone quiz you. Then practice the formulas and stuff like that... I'm only in fifth grade so... I only know a little bit of this knowledge because of my brother.
When your taking a test, make sure you don't rush. There's no point of doing it because you'll end up getting a bad grade. I don't want to sound like an adult, but make sure you go over your test because you might of missed a question or didn't do a problem right. DO NOT PANIC WHEN YOUR GETTING A TEST! You might daydream for the rest of the time and the teacher will say the test is over when you barely started!
I hope this helps you and good luck! ^^

Answer 6

I always had trouble taking math tests, too. The best tip I can give you is to create yourself a practice exam and test yourself over and over until you get all the questions right. This may not get you a perfect score on the real thing, but it will help you drill yourself on the formulas and examples of questions you may see on the real thing. Practice makes perfect! Good luck!

Answer 7

If you get 1 week 2 study, than u need 2 start the 1st day. Do it in sections. On the last day, just take a quick review. Study a little when u eat breakfast. Get a study buddy or do it with an adult.

Answer 8

Relax, in my experience even the most prepared person can blank out on a test if they are worrying about it. Second, practice practice practice.

Answer 9

study, i know its really hard to study for math, but just go over formulas, and ways to work out equations and such. If you're up for cheating and have a graphing calculator, i usually write notes that i need in the "y=" part in case i forget anything.

Answer 10

practice and dont rush. once you are done with the exam, sit and dont do anything for about 10 mins and then look over. m sure you'll find the mistake.