How to Prep for (and Ace) an Open-Book, Open-Note Test
COVID-19 Series The Princeton Review
Hi, everyone.
I’m Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, and today we’re going to discuss
how to prep for and ace an open-book test!
(You’re likely to have more of those than usual during these virtual-school times.)
Unlike closed-book exams, in which you have to rely entirely on your memory, open-book
tests typically allow for the use of notes, books, and reference guides—during the test.
Sounds pretty sweet, right?
But there’s a catch!
(You knew there would be.)
Often the material being tested on open-book tests doesn’t consist of facts you can memorize.
That tends to be the stuff of closed-book exams.
Open-book tests tend to require more critical thinking and analysis.
Expect to answer questions that will require you to synthesize sources and course topics.
Because open-book tests are different from closed-book ones, the approach you take to
prepare for an open-book test will also need to be different.
Here are 5 strategies you can deploy to ace your open-book tests.
Number 1: Study!
I can’t stress this enough.
While it’s true that you may not need to remember every single historical date or mathematical
formula for an open-book test, you should not be discovering any of those things on
the fly while taking your exam.
You should ideally be familiar with the material so that you can spend your limited exam time
synthesizing information and solving problems—not figuring out the basics.
Have a firm grasp of the test topics, so you’re able to reference your reference materials
on test day!
Number 2: Speaking of reference materials, you should carefully select those.
Folks, sometimes less is more, and that couldn’t be any more true for open-book tests!
Just because you can bring a variety of notes, textbooks, and other resources to the test,
doesn’t mean that you should.
In fact, this can quickly become overwhelming and negatively affect your performance.
Be selective about what you bring to the exam.
Focus on quality over quantity.
Number 3: Make sure your reference materials and notes are organized.
Once you’ve got those high-quality notes and reference materials, you’ll want to
be able to access them in a snap.
You should spend as little time as possible finding information on test day, so that you
can spend as much time as possible synthesizing it.
You can create an outline of your materials to quickly find pertinent information or create
a “best of” compilation that only includes the information that you are most likely to
need.
If you are preparing for a math test, create a formula sheet and list the most commonly
used formulas first.
This will help you save precious time during the test.
You might also consider using visual aids — such as post-it notes, highlighters, or
colored tabs — to help you find information more quickly.
Try out different systems when you’re practicing (more on that in a moment), and see what works
best for you.
Then practice using that.
This brings me to...
Tip number 4: Practice!
And I don’t mean merely “study”; I mean practice how to use your book and reference
materials in an open-book-test situation.
Try solving problems from your homework, or practice test questions, or analysis questions
from your textbook, or whatever you have — and practice doing timed analyses and problem-solving
using your reference materials.
Get yourself familiar with referring to those when you’re in the midst of solving a challenging
problem, when you’re also dealing with time constraints.
And last but not least, tip number 5: Manage your time effectively.
Once you receive the test, do a quick scan to see how many questions there are and determine
how much time you can spend on each question.
You should also prioritize the questions.
Answer the questions you are familiar with first, before moving on to more difficult
questions that will require a greater investment of time.
If you're stuck on a question that you absolutely don’t know the answer to, don’t waste
time trying to hunt for the answer.
Leave it blank and return to it if you have time at the end of the test.
And if you do indeed have time at the end, double-check your answers and make sure you
haven’t forgotten a question.
Throughout your prep and test-taking experiences, try to take steps to center and focus yourself.
Remember that you have everything it takes to ace your test!
And we are cheering you on every step of the way!
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See you here next time.