Exams can be stressful. Once again, having a planned strategy can help alleviate some anxiety and guide you in the forward direction necessary to complete your test/exam.

1) Listen- Make sure that you listen carefully to all of the instructions the professor gives before the exam begins.


2) Affirm- Affirm that you understand all of the rules and procedures for the exam. For example: can you have bathroom breaks? Can you use pen and pencil? Etc.


3) Scan the Test- Go through the test and scan the different sections. Make a note of how many points each section is worth. Make sure you understand how many points each question is worth.


4) Make a Plan of Attack- Now that you have scanned the test, decide the order that you will complete the sections (Essay, Multiple-choice, etc) in. I think that starting at a section you know you are strong in always helps boost confidence for the rest of the test.


5) Time Guidelines- Even if you have to work it out on paper, decide how much time you will allot to each question. A good rule of thumb is to give a question the percentage of time equal to the percentage of points it is worth. For example, if an essay question is worth 50 out of the 100 possible points, it should receive 50% of your total allotted time.


6) Clear Your Mind- Any random information you may have jammed into your head before the test, WRITE DOWN on a free area on the test. This will let you stop rehearsing that information, and allow you to focus on the exam. Because you wrote it down, you can refer back to that information any time during the test.