How do I become a better test taker?

<p>I know there are other threads on this. I'm finally going back to college, and I'm doing whatever I can to succeed or get A's. Now I've seen the errors of my ways, and I want to end this "bad testing curse"</p>

<pre><code> Just yesterday I took my first test, and I felt like I didn't do too well on it. Really studied, even answered all the questions in the text book. Even rewrote the information twice, and compressed it all on one page. I even created a list of my own questions, along with more questions. Drew pictures of how I would understand the concept.

For my professor he emailed a simple studied guide the day before the test. I took all that material, and studied every detail of it. I even created a list of my own questions, along with more questions. To me I felt all the hard work I've done was pointless because of this study guide.

I felt no anxiety when I took the test, and felt confident. I studied intense to pass this test I deserve something. I went through the test answered the ones I was sure of, and then other questions I started to contradict with myself or narrow it down two answers. Then I ended up being the last person in the room, and rushed when time ran out.

It was a damn disaster, and I couldn't believe it. What the hell went wrong or what am I doing wrong?
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<p>So no one willing to reply can the mods just delete this thread.</p>

<p>Is there a student study center that can help with test-taking skiils at your U? Many Us have them and they can help work with you to strengthen your test-taking skills, including time management. Part of what makes testing stressful for some is figuring out how much time to allocate to each question so they don’t run out of time at the end. There is a maximum amount of points or credit that can be gained from each question, so it often does not pay to agonize over a few questions and run out of time for the rest.</p>

<p>You can also go to your instructor during office hours and talk with him/her about how to better prepare for exams. S/he can help you prioritize your material so you can devote appropriate amounts of time to the different material.</p>

<p>Many people often find studying with a study group to be another helpful tool. They can share study tips and answers and figure out why some of the info may seem contradictory and how to resolve those issues. </p>

<p>You should also try to be a bit more patient–you just posted your 1st post 12 hours before you expected answers–it can take time for folks to frame answers or decide whether to respond. Your question is pretty difficult to respond to because it doesn’t provide all that much info about what you’re having problems with–essay questions, multiple choice, calculations, etc., nor what your areas of strength & weakeness in testing may be.</p>