Are you worried
about taking and passing the contractor's license exam? Many
Americans suffer from test anxiety even when they know the material
well and do great in class. So, how can you boost your odds of
success on the exam despite being nervous? Here are a few simple
test-taking tips to maximize your results.
Plan to arrive at
the testing facility at least 15 minutes before your scheduled
appointment. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot by being
rushed. And if you're late, you will generally only receive the
remaining allotted time to complete the test, further damaging your
morale and score. So get a good night's sleep, check the route for
traffic, and have a light meal before heading to the testing center.
Check with the
testing facility's posted rules about what to bring - usually a
specific type of calculator and pencil - and what to do with your
belongings during the test. The more you understand the process going
in, the less it will fluster you as you start the exam.
One of the easiest
ways to miss questions is to read them incorrectly. Even when you
believe you know immediately what the question is asking, read it
carefully. Look for particular words, such as always, never, must, or not. These words can easily and
fundamentally change the answer, sometimes making it the opposite of
what you expect if you aren't reading carefully.
Likewise, read the
answers carefully. Answers may be very similar to one another, so you
may want to compare or contrast them with each other. They may also
have tricky keywords like always
or not, so read
each one silently to yourself (more than once) if they seem similar.
Taking the questions
in the order in which they're presented is a natural tendency.
However, if you don't know the answers, you can easily get stuck on
one or a few questions and waste precious time. Instead, go through
the exam and answer all the questions you feel confident about.
Answering questions will give you a quick psychological boost
that helps build confidence for tackling the others.
As you go, write
down a list of questions that you're not sure of and a separate list
of those you couldn't quickly answer at all. Remember that you can go
back and revisit all the questions once you've answered the majority
of them, so don't get bogged down on your first time through the
section. Save it for another pass or two. You may even find that
another question will help you answer an earlier one.
If you're not sure
about any particular question, dismiss the obviously wrong answers.
You should often be able to mark off two of the answers, leaving you
with a 50/50 chance of choosing the right one. Purposely eliminating
incorrect options visually (on paper) or mentally will help you focus
on the remaining options and choose the most logical between those
alone.
Don't leave any
questions unmarked as you start to run out of time. Even if you have
no idea what the answer may be, you will still have a one in four
chance of choosing a correct answer by accident. If you don't try at
all, you have zero chance of getting it right.
When marking answers
you aren't confident about, listen to your gut instinct. Many times,
test takers overthink questions and answers - leaving them
second-guessing what were correct answers.
If you're really
stuck on a question and running short on time, look for the answer
that seems the most reasonable or more correct than others. For
instance, if the question involves fines or penalties, the heaviest
penalty is often the more correct choice.
The best way to
approach the contractor's license exam is with thorough preparation
from experienced instructors. At Golden
State Contractors School, we can help you prepare for and pass
the exam quickly and with less stress. Visit today to learn more.
