Acing Your Exams in Graduate School

Good test-taking strategies begin well before your exam paper is handed to you, and they continue long after you turn in the exam. Follow these tips to do your best on your graduate school exams.

Before the test

• Attend all classes, listening attentively, taking good notes, and participating in classroom activities and discussions.

• Complete all assigned reading.

• Study and review your notes regularly.

• Meet with other students for a study group.

• Ask your professor for specific information about the test so you can create appropriate study guides.

• Use relaxation techniques to reduce test anxiety.

• Get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet.

During the test

• Read all the directions and test questions carefully.

• Answer all test questions unless you know there is a penalty for guessing.

• Keep an eye out for test questions that give you hints at the answers to other questions.

• Use your time wisely. Keep an eye on the clock so you don't run out of time before you finish the test.

After the test

• Think about which parts of the exam you found to be the easiest and the hardest. Does this indicate a study technique you should use differently next time?

• Think about which study techniques helped you the most as you prepared for the exam.

• Think of how you could study differently for future exams.