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Taking Notes
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Essay Tests
If your teachers acts like something is important, it probably is.
If your teacher asks a question, it is probably something important.
Stay focused. Make an effort to ignore any distractions.
Write the date and topic at the top of each page of your notes.
Keep your notes organized and in a notebook.
Be brief. Write in short phrases and use a shorthand method of abbreviations.
After you've taken the notes, go back and type them on the computer.
Create pictures, lists, charts, or anything else that will help you visualize - and remember - the information.
Don't let your notebooks sit until it's time for a test. Look over your notes every so often to refresh your memory and read the textbook.
Watch for main ideas and key definitions. Mark them carefully.
Keep an eye out for the topic sentence of each paragraph. They're often important clues to the meaning of the paragraph.
Use special symbols - stars, asterisks, check marks, and so forth - to emphasize important information.
Avoid highlighting too much. The point of highlighting is to allow you to quickly see a few things that are very important. If everything is highlighted, nothing will stand out.
Be sure to read the questions carefully. Be sure you know whether you are to find the correct answer or the best answer.
Try to answer the question in your head before looking at the choices.
Read through ALL the choices before deciding which answer is correct.
If you can't narrow down your answer to one, eliminate as many answers as possible.
If one of you choices is "all of the above," "none of the above," or "more than one of the above," proceed with caution. These options usually signal a tricky questions.
If you get stuck, skip the question, put a mark next to it (to remember that you skipped it), and come back to it later.
Read the entire question before answering.
Pay attention to names, dates, numerals, and questions with negative words like "not" and "never". They can be confusing.
Don't mark a statement true unless the whole statement is true. If half is true and half is false, mark the entire statement false.
Think carefuly about questions that use an absolute: always, never, all, and every. Most absolute statements end up being false.
If you get stuck, skip the question, put a mark next to it (to remember that you skipped it), and come back to it later.
Quickly read through both lists or columns before you begin.
Be sure you know whether an answer can be used more than once. If not, then cross out each answer when you use it.
Make your letters or answers legible. You don't want to confuse yourself - or the person correcting the test.
If you get stuck, skip the question, put a mark next to it (to remember that you skipped it), and come back to it later. By then, you might have eliminated some of the possible answers.
Read the essay question carefully several times. Be sure you understand what you are being asked to do: that is, explain, evaluate, compare, classify, and so forth.
Come up with a one-sentence answer - a thesis statement - to use as your main idea. (It helps to reverse the test question sometimes: How has the President's power increased? The President's power has increased...)
Make a brief outline of what points you'll want to cover and in what order.
Begin with your thesis statement. If you're planning on more than one paragraph, start new paragraphs for each new point.
Be sure to include at least one or more supporting detail for each paragraph.
Avoid abbreviations, slang, and nonstandard language (like 'till or awesome).
Proofread what you've written. Leave at least three minutes at the end to read over your answer. Make corrections neatly. A brilliant answer won't mean much if a teacher can't read it.