Who Needs Tests? You Do.
Lessons from a nerd who learned a thing or two about them.
Tests suck, definitely suck.
But they are part of life.
Since you can’t escape tests, you’d better learn how to deal with them.
First of all, not all tests are created equal
Some tests can be life-altering, but the vast majority aren’t.
Nobody cares if you got a C or an A+ on History in high school.
Now guess what: 95% of the tests fall in this “nobody cares” category. So, no need to fret about them. Save your worries for the 5% that matter.
For the 5% that matter, use all you’ve got
One of the tests I took had the power to define where I would work and live. Pretty important, don’t you think?
I and my competitors had 3 hours to take the test. The questions were pretty simple, but there were some pitfalls.
What happened? Some people handed in their answer sheets after 1 hour. Me? I was the last one. I used every minute I had. I handed in my answer sheet later than a guy who had physical disabilities. Picture that.
Not only I used all the time I had, but I also applied these proven techniques:
- The first thing you wanna do is to know your enemy. So, take a look at all pages to have an idea of what awaits you.
- Do the test in waves. First wave, the easiest questions. Second wave, the not-so-easy ones, and so on. Leave the hardest questions to the very end.
- If a question you thought would be easy turns out to be difficult, skip it immediately.
- Drink coffee before the test. Caffeine boosts cognitive capabilities. It’s legal doping.
- During the test, rest for a few minutes every hour. Put your head down, close your eyes, and breathe, man, breathe.
- Bring high-energy drinks and food. You’re gonna need a lot of fuel to feed the furnace in your head. Dark chocolate has the added bonus of having a small amount of caffeine.
The result? I was the second best among 200 competitors, which allowed me to choose where I wanted to work.
Some people, on the other hand, were complaining about the silly, perfectly avoidable mistakes they did. All of them had plenty of time to review their answers before handing in their answer sheets, but they didn’t, and now they are living in cities they don’t like.
So, learning how to take tests is an important skill. After all, you don’t just wanna play the game, right? No, you wanna beat it.
For the remaining 95% that don’t matter, remember why you are a student
To learn, my friend, that’s why you go to school.
And tests? Well, tests are just an imperfect way of evaluating your learning. But hey, besides Kim Kardashian’s legs (my wife is probably going to read this, so let’s stick with the legs, OK?), what’s perfect in this world huh?
Honestly, since the days of mentors and pupils are over, I can’t think of a better way for a single teacher to evaluate 50 students. If you have an idea, I’m listening.
So, tests provide the teacher an estimate of how much you learned. But you know better. Deep inside, you know what you learned and what you didn’t.
Then, instead of cursing the gods about the B that could’ve been an A, ask yourself: “Did I learn what I was supposed to?”. If the answer is NO, try to understand what you missed. If the answer is YES, mission accomplished. The B? Let it be.
Finally, remember that tests are PART of life. Part.
Life is so much more.
Cramming may have worked in school, but life is different, at least for the important things.
Your marriage is falling apart? Sorry, but acing a “Good Husband” test won’t magically put everything into place.
Wanna learn how to speak in front of an audience? Learn the basic techniques and get on the stage. Practice, gather feedback, improve. Repeat a thousand times. No test can replace that.
Forget cramming. Embrace hard work.
Wrapping up
Tests are inescapable, but the good news is that only a few really matter.
Take those few seriously. Learn the techniques of good test taking and apply them like a pro.
For the rest, don’t fret. Focus on learning.
Finally, life will not apply tests for important matters. For those, you’ll have to work hard.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: they suck.
