1. Arrive early.

2. Bring all the materials you need to write the test/exam to the proper location. Leave your coat in your locker.

3. Listen carefully to your instructor's directions and comments.

4. Instructors frequently announce changes in the text/exam or emphasize instructions you may overlook, pay attention to what they have to say.

5. Look over the text/exam, reading the directions carefully, that tell you what to do.

6. Highlight the words.

7. Read the whole paper first, marking off the questions for which you know the answers. Do these first.

8. Budget your time. Budget according to the marks given per question and the total time available. If a question is worth 2 marks, ensure you have 2 important points.

9. Write down key facts or formulas in the margin forgetting key information if you get nervous. This is a safeguard against forgetting key information if you get nervous.

10. Answer easy questions first.

11. Answering the easy questions first will reduce anxiety, build confidence, trigger recall of other answers and the material you studied, and give you points immediately. You will be able to say to yourself, "This isn't so bad after all; I'm going to do well," and you'll approach the exam with more vigour.

12. If you don't know the answer, make a mark next to that question and try to complete it later.

13. Guess at answers you don't know

14. On true-false questions, you have a 50 percent chance of guessing right; on multiple choice questions, you often have a 25 percent chance of being correct. Don't pass up potential points by leaving the questions blank.

15. Change answers only if you are sure they are wrong.

16. Most sources say first instincts are usually correct; however, sometimes you will recall information that will lead you to believe your first answer was incorrect. If so, make the change.