College exams get a bad rap. They’re notorious for being stressful, overwhelming, and sometimes even scary. But most of that angst actually comes from the way students approach exams, not from the exams themselves. Catch the difference? It means that if you want to change the way you see exams, you have to change your approach.
This is where we come in. In this guide, we show you how to Prepare for, Take, and then Process college exams. Use these tips on your next exam and watch your stress go down and scores go up!
Phase 1: Prepare for the Exam
The battle starts here. To prepare for your next exam, take the week before to Get Ready, Study, and Review. Use a daily planner to fit everything in and stay on track.
Get Ready
Before you study, gather up:
- Exam Details: date/time, coverage (units, modules, chapters), format (multiple choice, essay), number of questions, number of attempts (for online exams).
- Exam Study Materials (all that apply): course textbook, study guide/review sheet, lecture notes, videos, homework, and available practice exams.
Study
These study tips, while all proven to work, are not one-size-fits-all. Browse, digest, and experiment to find what works best for you.
- Find a go-to study spot, a place where you can focus and avoid distractions. Do you prefer the silence and solitude of a library or the stimulation from a busy coffee shop? Need a desk or enjoy studying outside?
- Study potential exam topics. For study topics, consult your study guide/review sheet (provided by instructor), syllabus, course schedule, or your instructor. For study materials, use all that apply: textbook, study guide/review sheet, slides, videos, lecture notes, and homework.
- Study for open-book exams like they're closed-book and proctored. Bring in exam notes as a safety net, not a crutch.
- Wrestle with confusing topics. Read these section aloud (using multiple senses strengthens neural networks). Learn them well enough to teach to others, then try to. Get help from the instructor or a tutor. Test yourself with questions from the textbook or study guide/review sheet.
- Join or form a study group, a fun and accountable way to study for exams.
- Remember information more than once, or at different intervals. Each time a memory is recovered, it becomes more accessible in the future.
- Make flashcards to drill important and straight-forward concepts, definitions, and facts.
- Create Outlines, Charts, Mind Maps, and Flowcharts to process more complex information.
- Study when alert, or the time of day when you feel most awake and productive. You’ll study more effectively and for longer periods of time without getting bored or burned out.
- Break up study sessions into short sessions with regular breaks. For every 30 minutes of studying, try a 10-minute break. Stand up, stretch, walk around, get fresh air.
- Space out study sessions to help memory formation. Three 2-hour sessions over a week beats one 6-hour session the day before an exam.
- Learn concepts by teaching them to classmates. You master information by processing it for others. The same goes for making Charts, Mind Maps, and Flowcharts.
- Practice the types of questions you'll get. If essay, practice writing your answers. If multiple choice... you get the point. Click here for tips on answering various questions types.
- Reward yourself. After a productive study session, treat yourself to your favorite snack, coffee, show, or scroll through your socials. Get creative!
- When ready, take a practice exam in simulated exam conditions: timed, alone or around others, and without items or behaviors not allowed during the exam. Use a practice exam offered by your instructor or create one from information in your book, notes, or study guide/review sheet.
- Take care of yourself throughout. Exercise, sleep, and eat well. Junk food has the opposite effect of brain foods, like fruit and vegetables.
Phase 2: Take the Exam
The hard part is over. Time to execute! There's more to taking an exam than meets the eye, however, but welcome to the next level!
The day before...
- Make sure your car works (starter, gas, battery, tires)
- Make sure your laptop works, including charger, and that all software updates have been completed.
- Gather supplies (pen/pencil, scantron, bluebook, scratch paper, calculator) and place them in your car or school bag so you won't forget them.
The day of...
In-Person Exams:
- Arrive at least 15 minutes early to get set up and settled in.
- Sit where latecomers won’t bother you, and away from friends who make you nervous or tend to finish earlier than you.
- Get in the right headspace: Practice positive self-talk (positive, calming statements). Relax. Control breathing. Get focused. Then get your game face on!
Online Exams:
- If given a window of time to take an exam, do it when the following stars align: most alert, least stressed, minimal distractions, and friends, places, and instructors are available in case issues arise and you need them. (FYI: these stars never ever align at the last minute.)
- Find a quiet exam-taking spot with minimal distractions. Silence your phone or turn off notifications. Let roommates know you'll be taking an exam or, if allowed, use ear plugs or noise-reducing headphones.
- Set up your computer early enough to find exam links and fix issues.
- Get in the right headspace: Practice positive self-talk. Relax. Control breathing. Get focused. Then get your game face on!
Beginning of the exam
- Write down key information you don't want to forget, like formulas, processes, definitions, and dates.
- Read exam directions carefully and underline key words and instructions.
- If possible, flip or scroll through the exam for info that'll help you budget your time. Considering question quantity, difficulty, and weight, plan which sections and questions you'll tackle first and how much time you'll spend on each. Tips: (1) Try to plan this out beforehand. (2) Stick to your plan and use a timer to monitor pacing. (3) If possible, start with easier questions to leave more pressure-free time for harder ones.
During exam
- Work at a comfortable pace. Ignore early finishers or perceived progress of others (fast page-flippers). It’s a trap!
- Slow down when reading questions. Not having to double back to re-read saves time and increases your odds of success.
- Use different strategies for different types of question, like essay, multiple-choice, short answer, and true/false.
- Expect tough questions. If you get stumped on a question, flag it and move on to easier questions. By the time you circle back, your confidence will be replenished, your memory will be restored, and you'll see the question in a new light.
- If you start feeling anxious or freeze up, put out the fire. Relax tense muscles. Take, hold, and slowly release deep breaths. Say positive things to yourself, like: This is just one test, This test doesn't reflect my worth, I prepared for this, I can do this. Calming yourself down gets you back on track and reactivates your problem-solving powers! Click here for more ways to battle test anxiety.
- For online exams: If you experience technical problems, immediately email your instructor a screenshot of the error message and explain what happened. If your computer is the problem, borrow a friend's or check one out from the campus library.
End of exam
- Don't finish early. It's usually false confidence and it wastes an opportunity for extra points.
- Use the last 10 minutes to review your work: fix grammar and punctuation, complete unanswered questions, or settle answers you're unsure of. Only change answers if you remember something (or learned something in the exam) that contradicts your previous answer.
Phase 3: Process the Exam
When your exam is over, don't forget about it. Look back on the whole experience for lessons learned. This exercise, while often overlooked or avoided, will no doubt make you a better exam taker.
Review your approach. What do you like and dislike about the way you prepared for and took this exam? What will you repeat, change, and avoid the next time?
Review your exam. A returned exam is a gold mine of information...if you know where to look.
- Know the questions you missed and why. Did you misread the directions? Misunderstand the question? Miss a key word in the answer option? Totally blank or not understand the content well enough? Freeze up or overthink it? Or did you just run out of time? Learn your tendencies in time to address them.
- Find out if exam content was in your notes. Use the exam to dial in your note-taking.
- Find out where exam questions mainly came from: lecture, textbook, quizzes, study guide or review sheet, or homework? Next time concentrate more on that source.
- Search for patterns in questions. Look for key words, clues, and tricks your instructor likes to use. Knowing your instructor's exam style puts you at ease.
- Correct missed questions because they might reappear on your midterm or final.
- Review your instructor’s comments. If they're confusing or you need help following the recommendation, reach out to your instructor.
One more thing...
If something else is holding you back—ADHD, a learning disorder, autism, a vision or hearing impairment, mental health, physical mobility—the help you need probably goes beyond this resource. Contact UTSA's Student Disability Services to learn more about how they can help you through class and exam accommodations.