Before you can decide howto study for a particular test, it’s impera-
tive that you know exactly what you’re being tested on. Preparing
for a weekly quiz is far different than preparing for a final exam.
And the biggest final of your life is child’s play compared to “monster
tests” like the oral exams I faced before they allowed me to graduate
college—which covered everything I was supposed to have learned
in four years.
Studying for a standardized test like the PSAT, SAT, ACT, or GRE is
also completely different—you can’t pull out your textbook and,
knowing what chapters are being included, just “bone up.”
The structure of the test is also of paramount importance, not nec-
essarily in terms of how you study, but how you tackle it once you
get your test book.
What Are You Afraid Of?
Tests are scary creatures. So before I start doling out test-taking
techniques, let’s tackle one of the key problems many of you will face:
test anxiety, a reaction characterized by sweaty palms, a blank mind,
and the urge to flee to Pago Pago on the next available cargo ship.
What does it mean when someone proclaims they don’t “test well?”
For many, it really means they don’t study well (or, at the very least,
prepare well). For others, it could mean they are easily distracted,
unprepared for the typeof test they are confronting, or simply unpre-
pared mentally to take anytest.
We all recognize the competitive nature of tests. Some of us rise to
the occasion when facing such a challenge. Others are thrown off
balance by the pressure. Both reactions probably have little to do
with one’s level of knowledge, relative intelligence, or amount of
preparation. The smartest students in your class may be the ones
most afraid of tests.
172 How to Study