Some students prepare very well but they don't have good writing skills. Many times they are not aware of good test taking skills. Underachievement cannot always be attributed to strict checking, difficult question paper or syllabus. Students need to stop blaming and start accepting the responsibility of both success as well as failure. It has been observed that students give lot of emphasis on learning the concepts and completing the syllabus. Joining a coaching center doesn't guarantee success. Sometimes teachers and tutors are also in a hurry to finish the syllabus. Withdrawal from a class test is becoming a very common feature of students. They either don't want to appear or take it very lightly. As a result they fail to develop effective test taking skills. Evaluation is a very important feature of any education system. The level of learning can be inferred on the basis of performance of student on test. Effective test taking skills can be categorized as pre-test, during test and post-test taking skills.

PRE-TEST SKILLS 

• Be regular in completing your home assignments. This helps in developing answering skills.

• Study on regular basis. Learning at least one questions per day will amount to learning of at least 30 questions in a month. This helps in reducing your burden and anxiety during examination days.

   

• Regular revision is very important to learn any information effectively. Revision does not mean relearning.

   

• Train your brain to recall the answer after a gap of 3-4 hrs. Students are able to recall the answer as soon as they learn it, but fail to recall the same answer in the examinations. So always try to recall the answer next day by just looking at the question.

   

• Prepare flash cards for difficult formulas, definitions and points to remember. You can even stick them near your study table. This will also help you to review before exam.

   

• Choose a place of study free from all distractions. Never study on bed. Always study on table and chair. Whenever you sit down to study always make sure that you have - water bottle, all the books you need, pen, pencil, markers, rough sheet etc.

   

• Mobile phone-either switch off or keep in the silent mode.

• Your study goal should be pasted on the board, which you have, so that it keeps reminding you. You can do a simple calculations. Divide the number of days by total number of chapters of all subjects. This will give you an idea of the minimum course to be covered each day.

Today's date - 20th Dec. 2006

Exam starting on 1st March 2006

Number of days for the exam - 69 days (assume 60 days keeping in mind any emergency or last few days for the preparation of first exam). Subtract any other day for any other activity if you have e.g. Board practical etc.)

ÂTake a sample paper and analyze it carefully on following criteria:

 Pattern of question paper

ÂRead the directions

 Marks distribution for each chapter

 Expected answers

 Time to be spent on each question

ÂPractice some mock tests. Then try to strengthen your weak points.

 Always take specific guidelines from your subject teachers in order to attempt question paper more effectively.

  Reach 10-15 minutes before time.

ÂYou should always carry 2-3 pens, pencil, scale, eraser etc., whatever you need for the exam.

 Don't try to cram everything before entering the examination hall. This may lead to confusion.

ÂEspecially for board exam the student has 15 minutes to go through question paper. So read directions carefully and make points in your mind while going through the questions.

 Take a few deep breaths before you start to avoid any anxiety or nervousness.

  Keep telling yourself "I will do my best."

 Start with the answers you know well but do all the questions of one part at one place. This is important from board exam point of view.

 Always draw margin on both the sides. If you don't have sufficient time then at least fold the sheet to mark margins.

 Focus on your paper rather than observing othe students.

 Don't get upset if others are taking more extra sheets.

  Don't try to hurry up because others have finished early.

  Don't discuss much with your friend before you enter the examination hall. This may arouse anxiety in you. So avoid it.

  Sleep well before you come for the exam.

  You should eat something before you leave for exam to avoid any unpleasant situation later. This will give you energy to be focused. Avoid heavy food.

ÂDo every question according to the time limit, which you have practiced earlier. This helps you in doing all questions.

ÂWrite legibly.

  Read every question carefully and organize your answer rather than just writing what you know.

  Come back to difficult questions after you finish the rest of the test. Try to write whatever you understand rather leaving it blank.

 Always keep 5-10 minutes for revision and underlining main points. If you don't have time to use a scale then do it with free hand using a pencil.

 Bring a watch with you so that you manage time for completing your question paper.