How to Study

1. Read the question in full before you look at any of the
answers. Come up with your own answer before examining
any of the choices. 
2. Be careful you don’t read too much into questions. Don’t try
to second-guess the test preparer and look for patterns or
tricks that aren’t really there. 
3. Underline the key words in a reading selection. 
4. A positive choice is more likely to be correct than a negative
one. 
5. Don’t go against your first impulse unless you are sure you
were wrong. (Sometimes you’re so smart you scare yourself.) 
6. Check for negatives and other words that are there to throw
you off. (“Which of the following is not....”) 
Chapter 8
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How to Study for Tests
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7. The answer is usually wrong if it contains “all,” “always,”
“never,” or “none.” I repeat, usually. 
8. The answer contains a great chance of being right if it has
“sometimes,” “probably,” or “some.” 
9. When you don’t know the right answer, seek out the wrong
ones. 
10. Don’t eliminate an answer unless you actually know what
every word means. 
11. Don’t seek out answer patterns. Just because answer “C” 
has appeared three times in a row doesn’t mean “C” isn’t the
correct answer to the fourth question. Trust your knowledge. 
12. Read every answer before you pick one. A sneaky test-maker
will place a decoy answer that’s almost right first, tempting
you before you’ve even considered the other choices. 
13. On a standardized test, consider transferring all the answers
from one section to the answer sheet at the same time. This
can save time. Just be careful: Make sure you’re putting each
answer in the right place. 
14. The longest and/or most complicated answer to a question 
is often correct—the test-maker has been forced to add 
qualifying clauses or phrases to make that answer complete
and unequivocal.