THE SMART WAY TO TAKE A TEST
1. Quickly scan the test.
Make sure you have the correct number of pages, no deletions or duplications.
Remove any data sheets.
Reassure yourself that the material is familiar.
2. Take the test
 Do the easier questions first. These are the ones that you know how to solve
soon after reading them.
 Skip the hard questions and do them later. These questions are the ones that
you may not know how to do, or may start and get stuck halfway through.
3. Take Your Time!
 Read the entire question 2 or 3 times before beginning to work, highlighting any
important words or data. Many people miss data at the end of a question or miss
phrases like "which of the following is INcorrect."
 Do the questions as you would a homework problem, don't rush through the
problem to try and get an answer that matches a choice. The problem solving
methods you developed for your homework will do you no good if you don't use
them for the test as well.
4. Code your answers.
5. Double-check the test
- Double-check the easy problems.
- Double-check the hard problems.
- Double-check the coding.
While Double Checking:
Is the answer reasonable?
For example, unreasonable answers are:
an atom weighing 31018g or,
10g of product from 8g of reactants.
Make sure you are using the correct numbers.
Recalculate.
Only change your original answer if you have a good reason. You usually think more
about the problem the first time you do it than during the cursory double-check.
Note about double-checking:
It is very hard to pick up simple mistakes while double-checking. You tend to rush more
and don't put as much thought into the problems. Because of this it is usually wise to
make sure your problems are free of mistakes while you are doing them the first time.
You are more focused on the task at hand. Because of this, it is usually better to take
more time for the first pass while sacrificing time for double-checking.
Source:
http://courses.chem.psu.edu/chem6/summer/Packet/part3_Lecture%204,%205_.pdf