10 Avoidable Mistakes That Are Reducing Your Test Scores

We understand how tough it is to prepare for an exam and study according to a dedicated plan. Every student tries their best to prepare well for their exams. You might always be preparing well for your exams but still losing marks or are unable to achieve your dream test scores. In this article, we will talk about 10 common study mistakes that you might be making which lead to low test scores.

Starting late

The most effective way to prepare for an exam is to study regularly over a long period of time. But students often procrastinate and delay their studies and until high time. Then, at the end, when there are a few days left for the examination, they rush in order to complete the whole syllabus. One can imagine the level of stress and anxiety in a student's mind at that time which makes the learning process more difficult. Hence, students must plan early and start dedicating a fixed amount of time every day to prepare in a better way for the exams.

Using passive study strategies

Sometimes students follow a single strategy to study for their exams. They generally read the notes and think that it is sufficient to get good scores in the test. They should rather choose some active learning strategies such as reading aloud, using Flashcards, preparing their own notes and solving quizzes in order to make sure that they have got the key concepts of the topic. Remember the more you engage yourself in the study material the more you would understand.

Focusing on memorization rather than understanding

Do you understand or do memorize the concepts? Both the terms are different from each other. Students who focus on memorizing rather than understanding the concepts are often not able to answer the questions if the format is slightly different from what they have memorized. When you understand a topic it becomes easier for you to express it in your own words and apply the same to any kind of problem-related to that topic.

Studying without any breaks

Studying whole day for your exam might be a great idea but, sometimes it becomes difficult for our minds to concentrate for long hours. A goal of studying with full concentration for about 25 minutes is much easier to achieve than that of studying for 4 consecutive hours. This is what the Pomodoro Technique suggests. When you divide your study goals into small, actionable and achievable tasks and take breaks in between you can easily re-energize your mind and make the whole process of learning less intimidating.

Not doing enough practice

Many time students concentrate so much on learning the whole study material that they have no time to test if they have actually learnt something or not. Practice testing is an essential way to ensure that you are studying correctly. It helps you to prepare for the competition, enhances your memory, helps you in finding loopholes in your studying strategies and motivates you to prepare in a better way.

Ignoring the mistakes

Suppose you are answering a practice quiz and you got 8 correct answers and 2 wrong answers. Would you review those two wrong answers? Students often do not pay attention to their mistakes and thus increase the chance of losing a lot of marks in the exam. It is very important to go through the explanation of the answers and understand where you went wrong. Students can take assignment help to understand the topics that seem difficult.

Writing the answers without planning

Most of the students just start writing the answer as soon as they read the question in the test. They try and mention everything that they know about the topic. They might also include all the relevant points but their answer might lack a structure. When you have a structure in your mind about how to write the answer and what main points to include, it becomes easier for you to decide the flow of information in your answer. And so, your answer would definitely impress the examiner and fetch you good marks.

Leaving easy questions for the last

There might be some questions in the exam which are easier for you to answer. Students often leave such questions for the last and start with the tougher ones. They spent most of the time in answering the questions that they are not confident about. That means that they may run short of time in answering the easier questions that could have got them better marks. Hence it is advisable that you always start with easy questions first.

Not reading the questions properly

Many times students write an answer that they are not actually asked to write just because they misinterpret the question. Then, even if they have written the best answer, the examiner cannot give the marks for it. Many educators advise the students to read a question 2 times in order to understand and interpret what you are asked to write and then create a plan to answer the question in an effective way. You may also encircle the important words in the questions so that you do not lose track while you answer.

Forgetting to match the time

Keeping track of your time in the examination room is really important. You must be aware of the format of the question paper in advance. For example, how many sections will be there and what kinds of questions will be asked like descriptive or short questions. Then, you should decide how much time you need to give to each section and prepare for the exam in a similar pattern. Follow the same rule in the exam hall as well. In this way, you will never run out of time in the exam.

Do you make any of the mistakes mentioned above? Improving your test scores becomes easier when you start focusing on your mistakes and turn them to your strengths. Remember that you can always control your efforts, dedication and mentality. So, use them for making your study process an effective one and you will succeed for sure.