Need Test Taking Tips

[GoodEarth]

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Seems like no matter how much I prepare for a test and no matter how confident I am going in I always understand the problems in the wrong way or answer the question in a way that is wrong. Anyone had success with fixing this or any test taking strategies you use that help you. Thanks.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Seems like no matter how much I prepare for a test and no matter how confident I am going in I always understand the problems in the wrong way or answer the question in a way that is wrong. Anyone had success with fixing this or any test taking strategies you use that help you. Thanks.

Which subject?

 

[GoodEarth]

Biochemistry/biology classes

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Biochemistry/biology classes

Those classes are pretty straight-forward to me. It's pretty much straight memorization. There was never too much critical thinking for me. I don't know what else to say besides memorize which I know isn't going to be helpful. Maybe someone who majored in bio can offer more in depth advice.

 

[mediskwid]

if you don't have a high aptitude for memorization, consider another career

 

[GoodEarth]

if you don't have a high aptitude for memorization, consider another career

Very Helpful thanks... What are you a freshman? get out of here lol

 

[DiamondBar]

Seems like no matter how much I prepare for a test and no matter how confident I am going in I always understand the problems in the wrong way or answer the question in a way that is wrong. Anyone had success with fixing this or any test taking strategies you use that help you. Thanks.

I may not be of much help, but how about considering a study group? Use the white-board and draw diagrams, and teach each other about what is going on maybe? Sorry if this isn't very helpful, just a suggestion!

Not much you can do while taking the test, except answering the questions to the best of your abilities; perhaps, a better way to improve is by studying more efficiently?

 

[AllDay24]

I've had success with biology at a top school, and I have some advice for you:

Multiple-Choice: Take an aggressive approach. Don't be fooled into thinking, "Well, A looks right, but maybe B is too." Just read all of the choices, get rid of ones you know are definitely wrong, and then pick the answer fits in with all that you know. This strategy is useful in that it saves a lot of time---each question should not take more than a few seconds. Be sure to read the question in its entirety though.

Essays: First, go buy a set of gel pens that are comfortable to you. They help you write faster, and although this seems trivial, oftentimes, people do not score well on essays in my school because they do not finish them. For a biology essay, there is no reason you should be clueless about a question because it is usually just regurgitation with some analytical thinking. So, quickly think how you will organize the essay (paragraphs, bullets, or phrases), and then start writing immediately. And don't stop until they are ready to pull the exam from you. This strategy works well because biology essays are usually graded by awarding points based on topics discussed, and writing a lot gives you the best chance of hitting all of them while also impressing the grader with your knowledge. Don't give me that, "Oh, you can lose points too by writing wrong stuff" because you should have studied and learned the material correctly. I don't see how you can learn incorrectly...

 

[mitl]

Ok I had a similar problem when I took physiology..I studied really hard but ended up getting questions wrong because I missed things like
this receptor always and this receptor sometimes although I did know every thing it was really frustrating...

Also I had the problem of over-thinking..

The ways I brought up my score up to 95 range were

1) Go to class and take notes (professors tend to test students on things they emphasized on in lectures) take note of the small hints they pass on
"this is really important"/"this will be on the test" etc.. also keep a note on what they say will not be on the test (don't waste your time memorizing useless information like diameter of microtubules..etc)

2) Try to finish all your prep two days before the test an revise everything a day before

3) Best advise I got from my bio professor. If your professor gives you access to tests from last semester sit down go through each question and each option and beside it write down the reason an option is right or wrong on the practise test you should exactly know which option is right or wrong. (This really helps because you can only do this if you understood the material and these options most-likely cover all the important topics on the test)

Let me know know how your next test goes

Good Luck 🙂

 

[once]

Isolate yourself and don't reintroduce yourself to civilization until you can picture every single sheet of notes in your head.

For all of my exams I have every page so that I can visualize it and where certain points and facts are on that page. That definitely helps on essays and stuff to be able to say like "this on page 47 in my book" and then be able to see what is on that page.

 

[dmurp]

With bio you just gotta buckle down and look at the material as long as it takes to memorize it. I'm pretty sure people think I live in a cave and only crawl out on test day.

 

[Janieve]

Isolate yourself and don't reintroduce yourself to civilization until you can picture every single sheet of notes in your head.

For all of my exams I have every page so that I can visualize it and where certain points and facts are on that page. That definitely helps on essays and stuff to be able to say like "this on page 47 in my book" and then be able to see what is on that page.

Aren't you the same one who started a thread asking if grades or friends were more important? The one who studied so much her freshman year that she made no friends and had no social life?

OP, take this advice with a grain of salt. If friends are important to you, this is not the advice you wanna take.

My advice is to analyze the questions first. Figure out exactly what it's asking. Then check the answers to see which seems to be the best answer. You may not think it's the best possible answer to the question, but if it's the best there, it'll be it.

If you get stuck, skip it. There might be a question later that inadvertently gives you the answer, or that reminds you of something you forgot.

And make sure you eat well and sleep well the days leading up to the test. This should be a no-brainer, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen people complain of feeling lousy during a test after a few nights of pizza and a lack of sleep from staying up to study. You wanna be on the top of your game.

As an example of a question that a lot of people might miss (courtesy of my biology instructor):

Why do herbivores have larger molars than carnivores?
a. Herbivores tend to have larger mouths and jaws
b. Molars are adapted to grind up plant material
c. Carnivores do not depend as much on molars given their diet
d. Herbivores are rapacious and must absurate their radulas.

Most people pick 'b' because it gives an explanation of what molars are. However, what is the question asking? It's asking why herbivores have larger molars compared to carnivores. 'C' is the answer that best explains this.

'A' is also incorrect, as it gives a physical trait consistent with herbivores and close in proximity to molars, but not a reason. And 'd' is a completely ridiculous answer for obvious reasons. What do radulas have to do with herbivores? Is 'absurate' even a word? Ask yourself these things.

Get a clear idea of what the question is really asking, then try to answer it. It'll do you wonders.

 

[huskerdye]

Isolate yourself and don't reintroduce yourself to civilization until you can picture every single sheet of notes in your head.

For all of my exams I have every page so that I can visualize it and where certain points and facts are on that page. That definitely helps on essays and stuff to be able to say like "this on page 47 in my book" and then be able to see what is on that page.

Worst advice I have literally, ever heard.

OP, everybody has different study habits, but sitting in your dorm room and studying from sunrise to sunset attempting to MEMORIZE every single note you've ever written down is the most pointless thing in the world. That's only going to make you stressed out, you have to go out and talk to people and have a little fun.

Also, as you said, studying isn't your problem, it's the actual test taking. Your post however was very vague, you say you enter with confidence, but you don't understand the problems. Why is this? Do you have anxiety, nervous? Or is it that you just haven't studied as much as you needed.

It sounds to me like you might not understand sometimes what the question is exactly asking. I approach a test with time management, first go through the test and answer all the questions you know with almost certainty. First off this will (hopefully) give you some motivation and usually in biology tests, other questions give answers to other questions. Go back through and READ every question that you didn't quite understand as well. If there are any problems that you honestly just don't understand, don't be afraid to ask the professor. More often than not they'll give you some support, if not they'll say no and life will go on.

Some people just have problems taking tests, I know I did for awhile, as I got older and took more and more I just got more comfortable and understood what was going on.

Good luck

 

[sphun65]

Isolate yourself and don't reintroduce yourself to civilization until you can picture every single sheet of notes in your head.

For all of my exams I have every page so that I can visualize it and where certain points and facts are on that page. That definitely helps on essays and stuff to be able to say like "this on page 47 in my book" and then be able to see what is on that page.

This is awful advice. If you can actually do this, you are wasting your life away. Life isn't about memorizing page 47 of your stinkin' notes.

The best advice I can give is get to class. I always went to my difficult classes. For example, I found intro to molecular biology to be particularly difficult. I went to every class and focused, took good notes, etc. On the flipside, I found general chemistry to be very easy, and rarely went. This way, I was able to spend more of my "brain energy" on topics that were more difficult to grasp. I could teach myself gen chem the night before the test, but I needed to be familiar with the molecular bio material before studying. Having familiarity and then studying the material will be like studying twice for the exam.

For the bio-related classes, you will have one of two types of professors. One will give you everything you need to know in class, making your notes essential and your book worthless. This professor will also likely telegraph what is important for the test. The other type lectures right out of the book. This makes notes worthless, IMO, and you should focus in class instead of taking notes. Obviously, you should also make sure you read the book in this case.

If your class size is relatively small (for a science course, at least), get to know the professor. Stop in during his office hours to ask a question... Let him know when you won't be able to make it, and ask what he'll be going over in class. If your professors know and like you, this can sometimes be the difference between an A- and an A. Gotta do the little things.

Sorry if my advice is completely worthless to you, I tried. Good luck 👍

 

[sciencebooks]

If you get stuck, skip it. There might be a question later that inadvertently gives you the answer, or that reminds you of something you forgot.

As obvious as this is, it definitely helps get me through. I know that I tend to be a little flustered at the beginning of exams (for absolutely no reason) and all it usually takes is circling the number of the question I don't get and coming back to it later. Once I'm a little more confident from getting other questions, I can almost always figure out the ones I didn't get before.

 

[IvyHopeful20]

Here is what helps me. Get a friend, and explain a topic to them. Nothing uncovers your weakness and lack of mastery as having to explain something to someone else. I've found that I learn more than the poor sob (thanks honey) who has to listen to me drone on about a subject.

 

[Janieve]

Here is what helps me. Get a friend, and explain a topic to them. Nothing uncovers your weakness and lack of mastery as having to explain something to someone else. I've found that I learn more than the poor sob (thanks honey) who has to listen to me drone on about a subject.

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." -Albert Einstein

Guess who I turn to when I need to see how well I understand things? 😉

 

[sonia1177]

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." -Albert Einstein

Guess who I turn to when I need to see how well I understand things? 😉

👍 exactly simplify things. And if you follow Einstein's advice, you really can't go wrong 🙂

 

[Slowpoke]

anybody who is giving the advice of pure memorizing is encouraging you to establish a system of short-term reward.

instead always look at the broader picture,

Why are you learning this?
Do I have any intuition on how it works?
What is it's importance relative to this class and in-general?
What are the key features?
What happens if I do this, or this?
How could I explain this to my little brother?

If you memorize, you remember for a bit. Instead, if you learn to integrate what you learn into an intuitive based network, you'll be able to retrieve it farther down the road and eventually come to the realization that all the sciences are connected.

 

[IvyHopeful20]

Yea, some things must be memorized, but even in biology, I find that many students vastly overestimate how much they need to memorize vs. understand. Details are secondary to the big picture, even on detail oriented classes.

Many times, with an intuitive understanding, you can figure out many of the problems without knowing the details (yes, even detail oriented questions). I mean you may want to memorize the products of glycolysis because you don't want to go through the whole cycle in your head every time a question asks, but those things aren't as common as many think.

 

[Vulcan]

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." -Albert Einstein

Guess who I turn to when I need to see how well I understand things? 😉

Does that mean your grandmother is gonna be applying too? 😛

 

[Janieve]

Does that mean your grandmother is gonna be applying too? 😛

God, I hope not. Her ECs are so much better than mine, and I bet she gets better letters of recommendation too!