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If one question is worth 5 marks and another is worth 2 marks, consider spending more time on the 5-mark question. GUESSTIMATE how much time you should spend on each question and KEEP to that time. Stop and go to another question once you’re past your time.
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Take breaks & use relaxation strategies to manage anxiety, if this is part of your accommodations. See Managing Testing Anxiety for strategies.
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Read each question carefully. Look at the verb in the question if it is a short answer question– is it asking to contrast, compare, evaluate, list AND give an example, etc.?
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Have a strategy for the question type. See the rest of the Exam Preparation and Test Taking Section for strategies specific to different types of questions.
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In-person exams
Work on the easier questions first. Consider looking at all the questions before starting so you can answer the questions you KNOW first. This helps to make sure you get that knowledge out first. This also helps build your confidence and motivation to keep writing! Work on the difficult questions afterwards.
Mark questions you pass over. Go back afterwards while monitoring your time alloted. Once you’ve completed the test, go back to the questions you’ve passed over. Sometimes other questions will remind you of the answers. You can highlight the questions you’ve missed or mark a “?” beside what you’ve passed over.
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Take an educated guess and answer ALL of the test questions. There’s no harm trying to answer questions unless there are penalties for wrong answers. Take an educated guess.