Counseling Center

Test Taking Skills

Test-taking is often the source of a great deal of anxiety for college students. Yet, with proper preparation, most students will find that they can reach their academic goals and do well. At least part of your preparations skills should include being familiar with a good overall method of studying, such as SQ3R or similar variation SQ4R. There are also many useful test taking strategies you can make use of. See Links to Additional Resources below for some especially helpful links for improving your test taking and overall study skills. (Also, see study skills section)

Yet, the best skills will not help you unless you set aside the time for study. This allows you to avoid the anxiety and poor results that often come from cramming at the last minute. (See time management section.) Proper preparation involves planning for the kind of exam you will be taking. The strategies for studying for a multiple choice test are very different than the strategies you will need to prepare for fill in the blank, short answer, and essay tests. Likewise, studying for a problem solving test requires a different set of study strategies. Finally, there are a variety of different tutoring opportunities to you as an SIU Student.

Help at SIUC

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a program that coordinates peer assisted study sessions that are offered free of charge to our students. SI is currently offered in a select number of Core Curriculum courses. The SI leader attends class just as regularly enrolled students do, so he/she knows exactly where students are in the course material. SI sessions normally occur in classrooms near the course classroom. For best results, students are encouraged to attend at least one study session per week throughout the entire semester. Special study sessions are offered prior to exam days in each course. Check their website to see which courses are currently involved.
Student Support Services. If neither of your parents have 4 year degrees or you meet the federal income guidelines, you are eligible for peer tutoring services at C313 Woody Hall, 453-6973.
Disability Support Services recruits and is often able to match students with tutors. Students must notify DSS if they need help locating tutors. Usually students or their state/federal vocational agency pays tutor fees, which range from minimum wage to several dollars more per hour depending on the course and tutor's qualifications.
For a listing of tutoring help in specific areas, click here.

Links to Additional Resources

The Unabridged Student Counseling Virtual Pamphlet Collection

The above web site offers a wonderful collection of helpful links. For some particularly good links go to their index and click on Test-Taking, then click on any of the following buttons in that section:

Test Taking Strategies
Some General Rules About Exams
Conquering Your Finals
Answering Essay Exam Questions
Answering Multiple-Choice Exam Questions
Strategies For True-False Questions
Taking Objective Tests
Strategies For Matching Columns
How to Keep Calm During Tests
A Classic Method for Studying Texts: SQ4R

Feel free to visit other links that sound interesting or useful to you under the Test-taking section.

Comments: Webmaster