How to Increase Test Performance

One of the most common questions students ask is, “How can I increase my test performance?” Every student encounters several tests during a school year, and this can be a source of continuous stress, Test performance reflects your content knowledge and concept knowledge of a topic and topics studied through the year.

In the article, I will introduce you to the top 3 strategies for how to enhance your test performance.

Strategy #1: How to Manage Time during a Test

When the timer starts on a test, begin by carefully reading the test instructions. For example, if the test prompt asks you to “Answer with 3 examples,” you must pace yourself to answer with THREE examples (not two, nor four, but exactly THREE). Do not misread or misinterpret the test instructions because this will cost you points on the test.

Time management during attest is crucial. Increase your test performance by dividing your time up. Take 60 seconds at the beginning of each test to make a plan of how long you will spend on each part of the test. Then make sure you stick to it! Students who do well on tests always know how they are going to approach a test, and how to portion out their time so that they don’t run out.

Here’s how to structure your time for the entire test:

  1. Start by looking to see what parts of the test carries the most number of points, and how long you’re going to need to get those points. For example, if you write 3 essays and 30 short answer questions in two hours, you don’t want to spend ages on a difficult short question at the expense of the essays. Spend 20 seconds looking at the point distribution in the test.
  2. Before a test, try out a few different approaches to answering questions on practice tests, and see which plan of action works best for you.
  3. Be sure to leave some time at the end of the test to come back to unanswered questions or check over other questions.

Here’s a simple 3-step summary for remembering how to allot time on testing. I call this the *Triple A Method: Allow-Allocate-Allot*:

  1. Allow sufficient time at the beginning to read through the test, decide which questions you’re going to answer first, and how you’re going to approach them.
  2. Allocate time for each question based on the number of points its worth.
  3. Allot time at the end to check your work and fill in the gaps.

For one week before the test, try to practice writing quickly. If you don’t practice writing essays before a test, you may be (unpleasantly) surprised at how difficult it is to write quickly and legibly. Messy handwriting can annoy the person grading your test, and you don’t want to undersell your knowledge and thinking by not finishing your answers because you write slowly. Choose a specific type of pen or pencil that you know you can write comfortably and quickly with. Then the week before the test, write out an old test quickly and neatly.

Keep reading and visit for Stratedy #2 and Stratedy #3