Test-Taking Strategies

Standardized tests are designed to measure skills under constraints: limited time, fixed formats, and high stakes. Knowing the material is essential, but performance often hinges on how well you manage the test itself. Effective test-taking strategies are not tricks. They are practical habits that reduce avoidable errors, protect your time, and help you think clearly when pressure rises.

This article covers core strategies that apply across most standardized tests, with a focus on time management, question prioritization, elimination techniques, and anxiety management.

Understand the Test You Are Taking

Before strategy comes awareness. Every test has a predictable structure: sections, question types, scoring rules, and time limits. Your approach should reflect those rules.

Know the constraints and scoring

Some exams penalize wrong answers, while many modern standardized tests do not. If there is no penalty, guessing strategically is usually better than leaving blanks. If there is a penalty, your threshold for guessing should be higher, and elimination becomes even more valuable.

Learn the question patterns

Standardized tests repeat patterns: common trap answers, typical wording, and familiar formats. The more predictable the exam feels, the less mental energy you spend interpreting instructions and the more you can devote to solving.

Time Management: Treat Time as a Budget

Time management is the backbone of strong test performance. A simple way to think about it is time-per-question. If a section has $T$ minutes and $N$ questions, your average time is $T/N$. You will not spend that evenly, but it gives you a baseline.

Start with a pacing plan you can execute

A pacing plan should be easy to remember and flexible under stress. Rather than calculating constantly, use checkpoints.

• Divide the section into thirds or quarters.
• Set target times for each block.
• Check the clock only at those checkpoints.

For example, if a 60-minute section has 40 questions, you can aim to complete 10 questions every 15 minutes. If you are behind at a checkpoint, you must adjust immediately by speeding up, skipping more aggressively, or reducing time spent on re-reading.

Use the “two-pass” method

The two-pass method is a proven way to protect your score.

Pass 1: Answer the questions you can solve quickly and confidently. Mark anything that is time-consuming, confusing, or likely to require multiple steps.

Pass 2: Return to the marked questions with your remaining time and focus. By then, you have already collected easy points and reduced anxiety because progress is visible.

This method also prevents the common failure mode of spending five minutes early on a hard question and losing the chance to answer several easier ones later.

Make time decisions, not just answer decisions

When you encounter a question, make two decisions:

1. Do I know how to solve this?
2. Is it worth the time right now?

Even if you could solve a problem, it may not be worth the time at that moment. Standardized tests reward points, not elegance. If a question feels like a time trap, postpone it.

Question Prioritization: Maximize Points, Minimize Risk

Prioritization is not about giving up on hard questions. It is about sequencing your effort so that you do not sacrifice easy points.

Identify “fast wins” early

Fast wins include:

• Direct recall questions
• Short reading comprehension items with clear evidence
• Math problems with straightforward setups
• Items where the answer is apparent after a quick scan

Answering these first builds momentum and gives you more time later for complex tasks.

Recognize time sinks and move on

Common time sinks are:

• Questions with dense wording that requires re-reading
• Multi-step calculations without a clear path
• Answer choices that are all plausible at first glance
• Reading passages where you feel lost in the first few lines

A useful rule is to set a soft limit: if you cannot outline a solution approach within 20 to 30 seconds, mark it and move forward. You are not abandoning it. You are choosing a better time to engage.

Don’t let perfectionism control the section

Many strong students lose points because they chase certainty. On a timed exam, “good and correct” beats “perfect but unfinished.” If you have narrowed a question to two choices and time is tight, make a reasoned pick and proceed.

Elimination Techniques: Reduce Choices, Increase Odds

Elimination is one of the highest-leverage skills on multiple-choice tests. It improves accuracy and makes guessing more rational.

Eliminate wrong answers aggressively, not timidly

Wrong answers often have identifiable flaws:

• They contradict the passage or prompt
• They solve a different problem than the one asked
• They include extreme language (“always,” “never”) that the evidence does not support
• They rely on assumptions not provided

When you eliminate an option, commit to it. Constantly second-guessing eliminated choices wastes time and increases anxiety.

Compare answers to the question, not to each other

A common trap is picking the most attractive answer rather than the one that directly addresses what is being asked. Re-read the actual question stem before you select. On many tests, the test-writer’s goal is to see whether you answer the question asked, not the one you wish had been asked.

Use “backsolving” and “plugging in” when appropriate

In quantitative sections, answer choices can be used as tools.

• Backsolving: Test answer choices in the problem conditions.
• Plugging in: Use simple numbers to represent variables if the structure allows it.

These methods can reduce heavy algebra and help you avoid calculation errors, especially under time pressure.

Guess strategically when you must

If there is no wrong-answer penalty, never leave a question blank. Even if you cannot solve it, eliminate what you can and guess. If you can eliminate two of four choices, your odds improve from $1/4$ to $1/2$. That is a meaningful gain.

If there is a penalty, guess only when you can eliminate enough choices to justify the risk.

Anxiety Management: Keep Your Thinking Online

Anxiety is not just an emotion. It affects attention, working memory, and decision-making. The goal is not to eliminate nerves, but to prevent them from hijacking your process.

Use a quick reset when you feel stuck

If you notice racing thoughts, rereading lines repeatedly, or panic at the clock, take a reset that lasts 10 to 15 seconds:

• Put your pencil down.
• Inhale slowly, exhale longer than you inhale.
• Relax your shoulders and jaw.
• Reorient: “Next question. One step.”

This short interruption can restore focus without costing meaningful time.

Normalize uncertainty

Standardized tests are built to include questions that feel difficult. Feeling challenged does not mean you are failing. Often, everyone is struggling on the same items. Your job is to keep collecting points and avoid spiraling.

Create a simple pre-test routine

A consistent routine reduces decision fatigue. It might include:

• Arriving early and settling your materials
• A brief breathing exercise
• A reminder of your pacing plan and two-pass method

The routine matters because it signals to your brain that you have done this before and you know what to do.

Practical Habits That Prevent Avoidable Errors

Strategy is also about not losing points you already earned.

Read actively, but efficiently

In reading-heavy sections:

• Identify the main claim or purpose first.
• Note transitions: “however,” “therefore,” “in contrast.”
• For detail questions, return to the exact lines rather than relying on memory.

Avoid highlighting everything. Mark only what you will use.

Check for what the question is really asking

Many wrong answers come from misreading. Watch for:

• “Except,” “Not,” “Least,” “Most likely”
• Changes in units or constraints
• Questions asking for a method, inference, or assumption rather than a fact

Save time for a final sweep

If you manage pacing well, you can reserve the last few minutes to:

• Fill in any blanks
• Verify bubbling and question numbering
• Revisit marked items that now seem approachable

A final sweep is also when careless errors are most easily caught.

Bringing It Together: A Repeatable Strategy

A strong, repeatable approach looks like this:

1. Start with a pacing checkpoint plan.
2. Use two-pass answering to protect easy points.
3. Prioritize questions by time and certainty.
4. Eliminate aggressively and guess strategically.
5. Reset quickly when anxiety spikes.
6. Finish with a sweep to prevent avoidable mistakes.

The advantage of these strategies is that they work regardless of the specific test, because they align with how standardized exams are built. When time and pressure are part of the challenge, managing them becomes part of the skill.