Kenzie Snyderman grew up all over the country, moving with her parents as part of a ministry. “My parents were young and adventurous and willing to move wherever the ministry sent them,” she says. At age seventeen, she landed in Fairbanks, Alaska, and attempted to finish high school. Soon after the move, Kenzie gave birth to a daughter and found herself working to support herself and her child. For a while, college was the furthest thing from her mind, but eventually she realized that she wanted more for her daughter—and for herself. “Ultimately being a single mother is what motivates me, not only to provide a better life for both of us but also to set an example that was not always set for me,” she explains.

Part of going to college and raising a family involves finding that ever-elusive work-life balance in areas such as preparing for tests. Kenzie always thought that she just wasn’t good at taking tests or learning, and so she usually finished at the middle of the pack on tests and exams. “The first step to improving my test-taking abilities,” she says, “was changing my attitude about my ‘academic self.’” Once Kenzie had worked to improve her attitude, she began looking at the strategies that worked best for her. One thing she figured out was that note taking was integral to a good performance on tests. “I found that I remember things best by relating them to things that I already know,” she says. Now she knows to take careful notes during class, underline key terms, and make additional marginal notes so that when she gets home she can create associations to help with memory. She also knows that her brain works best when the rest of her body is well cared for and has plenty of rest, good food, exercise, and often meditation and relaxation. “It works better than cram studying, and I get a lot more out of my courses and do better on my exams,” she explains.

As with many things in life, Kenzie realizes that with test taking you sometimes have to get it wrong before you get it right. Her advice to other first-year students? “Go back over the questions you got wrong on a test and try to figure out what you got wrong and why.”

Tests and exams are the primary ways that instructors will evaluate your learning. In general, tests are shorter than exams and will count less toward your overall course grade. A course might have only a final exam, or it might have a midterm and a final. These exams generally take two or more hours to complete and comprise a major component of your final grade in a course.

You can prepare for tests and exams in many ways. Sometimes you’ll have to recall names, dates, and other specific bits of information. Many instructors, especially in courses such as literature, history, and political science, will expect you to have a good conceptual understanding of the subject matter. They often prefer essay exams that require you to use analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. They want you to provide the reasons, arguments, and assumptions behind your position. Even in math and science courses, your instructors want you not only to remember the correct theory, formula, or equation but also to understand and apply what you have learned. Knowing your preferred learning style will also help you decide the best study methods, no matter what kind of test or exam you are facing. Review the material in Chapter 4 that helps you link your learning style to strategies for exam preparation.