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Do you remember when you learned your spelling lists in primary school? You probably followed a method. It may have been to:
1. familiarize yourself with the word - have I heard this word before? how does it sound? what does it mean? how is it spelled?
2. study the word - does it remind me of another word that is spelled similarly? is there something unique or tricky about how it is spelled?
3. cover up the written information about the word and repeat the information to yourself without looking
4. repeat the 3 steps above until you are able to spell all of the words correctly
Here-in lies the first strategy of exam taking - Preparation.
What's next? Is preparation enough?
In many cases, exams are timed. If you rush your way through, you may find later that you've been careless. Don't let concerns over time distract you. On the other hand, mind the time so that you don't overspend time on one question at the expense of another.
This leads us to the second strategy - Pace yourself. Learn to judge how much time has passed, know what you know well, and know what you don't.
A third strategy - Be careful. Look for key words in the questions and answers. Read the question very carefully. Answer it correctly and completely. Follow your well-practiced, most reliable, applicable, and quickest method.
And yet, a fourth strategy - Be neat and organized, with efficiency in mind.
Fifth, consider using divide-and-conquer, process-of-elimination, or organization-of-knowns-and unknowns. In some cases, jot down short notations, reminders, and lists. Use what you know to figure out what you don't. Ask yourself questions that can lead you to the answer.
And finally, check your work. Did you answer the question that was asked? Does your answer make sense? With regards to math, if you were to quickly estimate an answer, is that answer close to the actual answer? Do you get the same answer using another proven method?
