Test Taking Tips
In my opinion, the difference b/w a pass and a fail can often come down to test taking strategy. If you don’t have a good strategy, then you are a serious disadvantage. The first thing to realize is that all questions count the same. That means answering the easiest question correctly on the exam is worth just as much as answering the hardest question on the exam. For that reason, it is imperative that you get to attempt every problem on the exam. You must not run out of time and force yourself to guess on any questions without first having a chance to devote a few minutes to solving them.
What does this mean? You must be willing to skip a problem. If you read a problem and don’t have a clear picture in your mind of how to solve it, then skip it. If you read a problem and you are confused on the wording of even a single sentence, then skip it. If you read a problem, but can’t think of an elegant solution and the one you have outlined in your head is a long a tedious one, then skip it. If you start to get frustrated with a problem, then skip it. Please do not be scared to skip a problem. You are not required to work them in order.
The key to passing the exam is getting all the questions you know how to do right. If you spend 10-20 minutes working on a problem that you likely wouldn’t get even if you had 30-45 minutes, then you made a huge strategical error. That means you have less time to devote to problems that you do know how to work. You will be rushed on the easy problems and could make a careless mistake b/c of it. Don’t fall into that trap.
When the proctor tells you there is 15 minutes remaining make, stop whatever you are doing and make sure you have an answer bubbled for every problem. There is no penalty for guessing and you do not want to find yourself with one minute and stressing over if you have everything bubbled in. (For 3L students I believe there is a guessing penalty, so at this point just make sure you have something bubbled for every problem you want to answer.)
Bring at least one extra calculator. Make sure it is the same model as your other calculator. You would hate to have to switch calculators and be unfamiliar with the 2nd calculator.