Taking Tests in General

<p>Hi, everyone, I'm new to this forum and am still a freshman in HS. I recently shifted my entire courseload to rigorous honors courses, on top of the fact that my school is rather competitive to begin with. My first test of the semester was a Mythology Test in which i received a 94. This was conceivably a horrible grade, as most of the class was used to the teacher's testing format and most received 100's, hence the depression I was left in upon receiving my 94. On my biology test I scored 100 along with 6 other kids in my class; the rest scored above 90. The other honors track scored mostly 100's. I also did not do so well on my math final due to careless mistakes and received an 83. It is truly a horrid grade and left me feeling as an abject failure. On all of my finals I received 90's and higher and I had a 94 average which is also despicable (since my courses weren't honors yet). I was wondering if any of you genius CCers (sounds like sarcasm, so sorry) can give me any tips on how to compete with the upper echelon of my class and score higher more "certainly and definitely" on tests (in need of a better phrase, but typing this hastily). I am mainly an A student, but I need to get the A plus, the higher average, and whichever way one chooses to look at it, both positively or negatively, I have espoused to the harsh, competitive curriculum. Please advise me on how to do much better and be the top in my class.</p>

<p>Getting an A instead of an A+ is not the end of the world. However, there are some things that you can do. Get organized. The #1 thing that helps me is organization. I plan ahead and prioritize.</p>

<p>I’m a big fan of asking for help. Tell the teacher you’re struggling to do what you know is your best. Maybe they can explain it one more time to you after school. That one more time might bring your test grade up a few points. One on one is soooo different from a classroom setting.
Another thing I do is I talk to people who have had the class before. They can usually tell you what their tests are mostly like. For example, I have one teacher who is big on the main idea and another who is big on details. Knowing this can really help you when you’re studying. And I’d rather know before the first test than two to three tests in.</p>

<p>This is the same thing again…?</p>

<p>lol. I’m not fuming with anger at this post but this is the ACT preparation thread so… you may want to take this somewhere</p>