Test Taking

Essay Tests

An essay test measures your knowledge of the subject, your ability to communicate and your organizational skills. Study for an essay test the same you would study for any test. It may help to write out summaries as you study.
When you get the test, look over all the questions and set up a time frame to answer them. Give priorities to questions that carry more credit. Time yourself as you do each question, so you will answer some of every through. Read the question carefully and answer what is asked. Make sure that you follow the instructions and watch for words such as compare, criticize, and define. Put the question in your words in order to give yourself an idea of how to answer it.
Think about what you need to write. It may help to jot down a broad outline. Make sure that your main point is easily visible to your instructor. Write with clarity and with brevity. An essay test does not need to be cluttered with extra information or useless adjectives, adverbs or prepositions. State your point and your answer clearly.
Make sure that each paragraph in the essay test has a point and a clarification of that point. Use transitional devices to connect the paragraphs to each other. Be sure to have a summary or concluding paragraph wrapping up your main points.
Give yourself enough time to read back over your answer. Make any corrections that are needed. Check your spelling, punctuation, grammar, dates, formulas and tabulations.

Oral Tests

Oral tests become more common as your college career progresses. During an oral test, both your knowledge of a subject and your communication skills are being evaluated. Oral tests may take place in front of one person, a panel or a class.

Formal oral tests usually follow a list of questions. You know how to answer the question. You should not give out any extra information unless you have asked. During informal tests, you can give longer responses with more information. When you study for an oral test, be sure you are prepared. Ask your teacher for information as to what is expected on the test. Study what is suggested. Make sure you know the correct time, date and location of the exam. If you are using any visual aids, double check to be sure all the equipment is in place.
Dress for the test and act professionally. Be on time or early. Act as if the test begins when you walk into the room. Stay focused on the question, and do not give out too much information. If you do not know the answer, say so. It may help if you give an outline of the process you would use to find the answer. Do not acknowledge your nervousness.
When the test over, go over your strengths and weaknesses. Think about how you could improve your performance.

Math Help

Algebraic Problems

Algebraic problems become easy to solve if a simple system is used and followed. In order to solve the algebraic problem, you need to process functions in a certain order to arrive at the right answer. The functions that need to be in order are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
A simple acronym has been developed to help students solve algebraic problems. The acronym is as follows: B.O.D.M.A.S. This stands for the following: Bracket , of, division,multiplication , Addition, and Subtraction.
The first function to perform in an algebraic problem is to solve the operations listed in the parenthesis. Next settle the exponents. The next process is multiplication and division. You need to work from left to right. The last function is addition and subtraction. You need to work from left to right with these functions also. Always be sure to work from left to right.
Remember that you are working to get one answer on one side of an equal sign. All of the functions work toward this point. Derivative word problems are easily solved by going through the text and extracting the relevant numeric information. The purpose of finding the derivative in a word problem is so you will know the slope of the line on a graph, the point of inflection or the rate of change of the graph. Isolate out the equation in a word problem to get the derivative.

Math Exams

Taking math examinations can be made easier by keeping up with your homework. Do the problems as they are assigned. Math usually builds from one problem or chapter to the next. If you understand the first step, you can start to understand the next one. Be sure to pay attention in class. Not paying attention will lead to much more time spent studying.
Try to get into a study group with several other students. By talking about the problems, you can find out how well you know them. Have an idea of what to expect from your teacher. Either find old tests or talk to others who have had the professor. Time yourself while doing your homework to see if you are ready for a test situation.
When you get your test, look over the entire document. Get an idea of what is being asked so you can set priorities as to which problems need the most attention.
Make sure that you read the instructions. Not doing what is asked is one of the most common ways to miss test questions. If you write out your work on one paper then copy it on the test, recheck it to make sure that you have written out each step correctly. Make sure that you do not skip a step in solving a problem. When using a calculator, be sure to go back and redo the numbers. You can easily punch in a wrong number, but the odds that you will do it twice are not as high.
When taking your test, if you get to a problem or an area of problems that give you trouble, go on to the next section. You can always go back to the problem after you have completed the others. Never turn in a test paper without going over your work again.

Solving Linear Equations and Word Problems

A linear equation is defined as a mathematical component that uses linear expressions that perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with an equal sign. A variable, which represents a number you don't know, is present in a linear equation. Often the variable is represented by the letters "x" or "y".
In order to solve a mathematical linear equation, you must separate the variable to one side of the equation and solve the other side. To get the final answer, you may need to use several mathematical functions on both sides of the equal sign. Always remember to go back and check your work. In order to do this, you need to work the problem back through the same steps.
A mathematical word problem needs to be solved by translating the words into a numeric equation then by solving it. You need to be aware of key words that indicate if addition, subtraction, division and multiplication are needed. In order to solve a mathematical word problem, you need to read the problem carefully. Go ahead and list the information. Figure out the numeric expressions that you need and decide what to find.
It will help you solve the problem by working in an organized manner. Make sure that you track each step of the process. Don't skip any step and write down all your information. Mathematical word problems will contain certain words that are important to the solving of the problem. Some of the words include the following: per, "a", less than, quotient/ratio of, difference between/of.

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Quotes for Success

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"The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore."–Dale Carnegie

"Most successful men have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They have developed the opportunity that was at hand."–– Bruce Barton

"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success." – Thomas J. Watson

"The successful always has a number of projects planned, to which he looks forward. Anyone of them could change the course of his life overnight.” –Mark Caine

“There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning.” - Christopher Morley 

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