General Practices for Taking Exams

• Pick a good time for the exam: Keep in mind that you can take the exams at a testing center or from home. It appears that the fewest people are at test centers on Monday and Friday mornings. Consider scheduling during these times. Otherwise, schedule a time that works well for you, when you don’t have to worry about anything else. Keep in mind that Saturdays can be busy. Oh, and don’t schedule the exam until you are ready. I understand that sometimes deadlines have to be set, but in general, it’s best not to register for an exam until you feel confident you can pass it. Things come up in life that can sometimes get in the way of your study time. Keep in mind that most exams can be canceled as long as you give 48 hours’ notice. (To be sure, check that time frame when registering.)

• Don’t overstudy the day before the exam: Some people like to study hard the day before; some don’t. My recommendations are to study from your cheat sheet and maybe run through some quick Q&A, but in general, don’t overdo it. It’s not a good idea to go into overload mode the day before the exam.

• Get a good night’s rest: A good night’s sleep (seven to nine hours) before the day of the exam is probably the best way to get your mind ready for an exam.

• Eat a decent breakfast: Eating is good! Breakfast is number two when it comes to getting your mind ready for an exam, especially for a morning exam. Just watch out for the coffee and tea. Too much caffeine—especially if you are not used to it—can be detrimental to the thinking process.

• Show up early: The testing agency recommends that you be present 30 minutes prior to your scheduled exam time, regardless of whether you are taking the exam at a testing center or from home. This is important: Give yourself plenty of time. If you are taking the exam at a testing center, make sure you know where you are going. Know exactly how long it takes to get to the testing center and account for potential traffic and construction. You don’t want to have to worry about getting lost or being late. Stress and fear are mind killers. Work on reducing any types of stress the day before and the day of the exam. By the way, you need extra time prior to the exam because you need to show ID, sign forms, get your personal belongings situated, and be escorted to your seat. Have two forms of (signed) ID ready for the administrator of the test center. Turn off your cell phone or smartphone; they’ll check that, too.

• Bring earplugs: You never know when you will get a loud testing center or, worse yet, a loud test-taker next to you. Earplugs help block out any unwanted noise that might show up. This can help at home as well. Just be ready to show your earplugs to the test administrator. Also, if you do plan to use earplugs, consider doing a test run with them beforehand, so that you can become accustomed to them.

• Brainstorm before starting the exam: Write down as much as you can remember from your cheat sheet before starting the exam. The testing center is obligated to give you something to write on; make use of it! Getting all the memorization out of your head and on “paper” first clears the brain somewhat so that it can tackle the questions. (I put paper in quotation marks because it probably won’t be paper; it could be a mini dry-erase board or something similar.)

• Take small breaks while taking the exam: Exams can be brutal. You have to answer a lot of questions (typically anywhere from 75 to 90 of them) while staring at a screen for an hour or more. Sometimes these screens are old and have seen better days; older flickering monitors can cause strain on your eyes. I recommend taking small breaks and using breathing techniques. For example, after going through every 25 questions or so, close your eyes and slowly take a few deep breaths, holding each one for five seconds and then releasing it slowly. Think about nothing while doing so. Remove the test from your mind during these breaks. This technique takes only about half a minute but can help get your brain refocused. It’s almost a Zen type of thing; when I have applied this technique properly, I have gotten a few perfect scores. It’s amazing how your mind-set can make or break you.

• Be confident: You’ve done everything you can to prep: You have studied hard, gone through the practice exams, and created your cheat sheet. These things alone should build confidence. But actually, you just have to be confident for no reason whatsoever. Think of it this way: You are great… I am great… (to quote Dr. Daystrom from Star Trek). But truly, there is no disputing this. That’s the mentality you must have. You are not being pretentious about this if you think it to yourself. Acting that way to others… well, that’s another matter. So build that inner confidence, and your mind-set should be complete.

Smart Methods for Difficult Questions

• Use the process of elimination: If you are not sure about an answer, first eliminate any answers that are definitely incorrect. You might be surprised how often this approach works. This is one of the reasons it is recommended that you not only know the correct answers to the practice exam questions but also know why the wrong answers are wrong. The testing center should give you something to write on; you can use it to write down the letters of the answers that are incorrect to keep track. Even if you aren’t sure about the correct answer to a question, if you can logically eliminate anything that is incorrect, the answer will become apparent. The character Sherlock Holmes expressed this well: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” There’s more to it, of course, but from a scientific standpoint, this method can be invaluable.

• Be logical in the face of adversity: The most difficult questions have two answers that appear to be correct, even though the test question requires you to select only one answer. Real exams do not rely on trick questions. Sometimes you need to slow down, think logically, and compare the two possible correct answers. Also, you must imagine the scenario that the question is a part of. Think through step by step what is happening in the scenario. Write out as much as you can. The more you can visualize the scenario, the more easily you can figure out which of the two answers is the best one.

• Follow your gut instinct: Sometimes a person taking a test just doesn’t know the answer; it happens to everyone. If you have read through a question and all the answers and used the process of elimination, sometimes following your gut is all you have left. In some scenarios, you might read a question and instinctively know the answer, even if you can’t explain why. Tap into this ability. Some test-takers write down their gut instinct answers before delving into the other answers and then compare their thoughtful answers with their gut instinct answers.

• Don’t let one question beat you!: Don’t let yourself get stuck on one question, especially a performance-based question. Skip it and return to it later. When you spend too much time on one question, your brain may get sluggish. The thing with these exams is that you either know the content or you don’t. And don’t worry too much about it; chances are you are not going to get a perfect score. Remember that the goal is to pass the exams; how many answers you get right beyond passing is irrelevant. If you have gone through this book thoroughly, you should be well prepared. You should have plenty of time to go through all the exam questions with time to spare to return to the ones you skipped and marked.

• If all else fails, guess: Remember that the exams might not be perfect. A question might seem confusing or appear not to make sense. Leave questions like this until the end. After you have gone through all the other techniques mentioned, make an educated, logical guess. Try to imagine what the test is after and why it would be bringing up this topic, as vague or as strange as it might appear.

Wrapping Up the Exam

Review all your answers. If you finish early, use the time allotted to you to review the answers. Chances are you will have time left over at the end, and you should use it wisely. Make sure that everything you have marked has a proper answer that makes sense to you. But try not to overthink. Give the exam your best shot and be confident in your answers. Don’t second-guess yourself.