On the day of your exam make sure that you are well rested. Experts tell us the the best thing we can do is get a good night’s sleep. Fatigue is one of the main barriers to successful test performance. Get a full nights sleep and eat a good breakfast. And remember get there early! Give yourself plenty of extra time to get to the test center and to park.

Once inside, listen to the test monitors and follow their instructions carefully. They will be providing you with important information about taking the test. Listen specifically for information about how to fill in your answer sheet. If you fill in your identification number incorrectly on your answer sheet, the computer will not be able to assign your examination score to you. If you do not complete your answer sheet according to the directions, the computer may have difficulty reading your answers. Ask your proctor if you have any questions about the exam. They are there to help you.

Listen for instructions about how much time you will be given to complete the examination and what to do when you are finished with it. Knowing how much time you have to complete the examination, you can figure out roughly the amount of time that you can spend on any one question. Use your watch or the clock in the room to keep track of your time during the test. Answer the easy questions within each subject first, then tackle the more difficult items. It’s to your advantage to answer as many questions as possible, even if you must guess. Mark your answers on the answer sheet and NOT in the test booklet. Only answers clearly marked on the answer sheet can be given credit. Try to save some time at the end of the examination to review your responses to the more difficult questions and to check your answer sheet to be sure that you have not missed any questions

Next time we will cover specific strategies for taking Multiple Choice tests, as well as the topics covered on the exam.