Test Taking Tips – The Best Way To Ace Your Finals

Test Taking Tips – Education through Covid has been nothing if not something we all want to forget. We are so close and almost there. Before we get there, we have 1 tiny thing left to do. That’s right, ACE YOUR FINALS.

A Final exam play a very important role in your GPA and therefore your college admissions. Seniors — REMEMBER — this semester’s grades absolutely do count, so make sure you ace those finals. Let’s get into some of the common issues and how to go about dealing with them.

Listen to this podcast on test taking tips before reading this article.

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Test Taking Tips # 1 – Dealing with the Pressure

Many people have test anxiety when it comes to a final exam test. While there are many causes for this, there is one way to deal with it best.

Simulate the test. What’s the best way to prepare for a test? Take one just like it. Actually, take a whole bunch. Simulation experience is a proven method to calm your nerves and avoid stress when studying for a big test. Gaining experience acclimates you to the real thing. So, by the time you get into test day, you will feel like you’ve taken the final exam before, and succeeded. This will give you the confidence you need in order to remove anxiety during the real thing.

Effectiveness here requires some planning. Try to take your first simulation 1 week (2 – 3 days at the minimum) before your actual final exam. The reason being you want to give yourself enough time to review and take another sim if your first test result was below your goal. For example, if you get a B on the sim test but you were aiming for an A, then that means you should take another sim test. Try to take as many as you need until you get an A.

Tip # 2 – Know the material

This may seem obvious, but in order to do well on your test you have to know the material. While it may be possible to take shortcuts a few times, that’s not a sustainable in test taking strategies nor conducive to actual learning.

Remember results aren’t optimal when you procrastinate. We’ve noticed that students who procrastinate usually end up with a result that is only satisfactory, be it an A- or a B. We try to give ourselves credit by saying, “Well, I did pretty good for the time I was given.” To be honest, you didn’t. You did pretty okay for the time you gave yourself. Truth is, you knew there was a final exam coming at the beginning of the school year, and you chose to procrastinate because it was easy.

Tip # 3 – Sustainability in learning

Same goes for sustainability in learning. More and more tests are cumulative, meaning it depends on your prior working knowledge. So if you cram for a final this semester, and then you need to take another final that’s cumulative next semester, you probably won’t remember the stuff from the first semester because you didn’t actually learn it. You just crammed it for a test. As a result, we see a lot of students tanking in the 2nd semester, getting borderline A’s the 1st and then a B in the 2nd.

Okay, so how to get knowledge even if you don’t feel like you’re learning enough from the teacher?

Tip # 4 – Create a Study Schedule

One of the best test taking strategies is to first, create a study schedule! Despite sounding cliche, it actually works. Just count back at least 2 weeks prior to your test date, and outline which subjects or chapters you want to cover each day. We generally recommend clumping subjects that you already understand well together, and reserving more time or days even for subjects you’re less familiar with.

Test Taking Tips # 5 – Get some help

Next, get some help! The earlier you recognize you need help understanding a concept, the earlier you need to ask for help. Be it your teacher or a trusty friend group (that actually knows what they’re talking about), or a tutor who can help you. Don’t be ashamed that you need help with a subject. This is YOUR future that you are cheating if you become worried at what others may think.

Test Taking Tips # 6 – Gathering Intel

Chances are you don’t know everything you need to know about this final exam test. As a rule of thumb, ask your teacher about the format of the test 2 weeks prior to test day. Gathering as much intel not only prepares you for the real deal, it also boosts your relationship with your teacher, who likely will perceive your asking as proactive.

If your teacher responds with vague answers, like “I’m not sure yet” or “it’ll be multiple choice”, push for more details:

How many questions will there be?
Is the test multiple choice or is there also free-response?
- If both, how many questions will there be of each?
What exactly will be covered on the test?
- Will it include any material from the book?
- What about class notes?
- Will there be anything included on the test that wasn’t covered in class?
Are there any practice tests or similar material that I should be using to prepare?
Typically, what do students do well on? How about not so well on?

You might think that by asking teachers all these questions you are being nosy. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Remember that teachers want to see you succeed. They will see that you are interested in doing well and will give you as much information they can without being unfair. This includes information they may have forgotten to mention earlier or pre-emptive clarifications that will give you a benefit. This is the biggest action you can take to try and improve your chances at a better grade.

Test Taking BONUS TIP — Start Learning

The best students never study, or very rarely study. They’re learning, dedicating themselves to understand the material no matter what it is. So by the time test day comes, they don’t need to study, because they’ve put in the time over time to properly learn the material.

That’s it for this week. We hope that this has helped you approach your finals a little bit better. Good luck on all your finals. If you need any help with this or looking forward to next year, please reach out! For a full feature and even more detail, check out our YouTube video about it.

We specialize in youth mentorship and college counseling. From 8th grade to 12th, we have you covered for any stage in your high school career. Schedule a free consultation with us here.

We are always posting more helpful tips and tricks to help reduce the stress of college application season. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

See you soon!

Sarah Gooch

Essay Editor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: I have five years' experience in coaching student writing, but this is my first year with ReadyEdgeGo.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love helping students find depth and meaning in their own stories—but I also just love it when they make me laugh!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In theory, I enjoy painting and writing poetry, but these days I actually spend most of my free time socializing or watching movies with my husband.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't just focus on achieving top grades and credentials because they look good on applications, or your education will be meaningless. The numbers and awards have their place, but stay connected to your sense of curiosity, discovery, excitement, and wonder so that the content you're learning is constantly transforming you—it's something you care about, something you remember after the final exam. Work on the aspects of yourself no one can measure, like integrity, wisdom, kindness, and compassion, so that you're not only developing your academic and career potential but also investing in the type of adult you're going to be, the person you'll have to live with after you clock out every day for the rest of your life.

Doing the hard inner work of building your character and learning deeply instead of just earning grades will set you up for a satisfying, well-rounded life. Strange as it sounds, it will also put you ahead in your academic and career goals, because colleges and hiring managers aren't looking for an empty set of data on a spreadsheet; they want a fully fleshed-out person marked by passion, creativity, and a story no one else has lived.

So go on studying hard for tests, but also spend some time asking yourself what matters in life and who your role models are. Read up on topics that amaze you, and build something incredible just for fun. Cultivate that spark of joy you feel when you're immersed in a subject that fascinates you. If you can hit that balancing act of doing your homework and meeting deadlines but also investing in the kind of person you want to be, then trust that all the rest will follow: schools will recognize you as a dynamic, all-star person, and you will also build a life of happiness, close relationships, and peace.

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