If you are reading this, it’s probably safe to assume that you’re not taking an exam at this very moment, so the first thing to consider is what to do before you actually sit down to take an exam.

如果你正在看这个，那么我们可以大胆的预料到你此刻很可能还没有考试，所以首要的事就是在考试之前想想该做些什么。

Sure, it may sound obvious, but the most important thing you can do to prepare well is start early. You need to practice working math problems many, many times and you need to reinforce terms and definitions many times in order to perform well on exams.

当然，这是显而易见的。但你要做的最重要的事就是提前做好准备。为了考试理想，你需要一遍又一遍地练习数学题，并巩固那些术语和定义。

That means you should preparing start at least a week before your test.

这意味着你至少要提前一个星期开始准备。

Prepare with the right materials. The night before you have a test, be sure to gather the materials you need. Don’t forget to pack something to let you keep track of time, like a watch. Timekeeping is an important part of good test performance, but many students rely on phones for telling time – and phones will not be allowed on your desk during the exam. You may need to borrow a watch from a parent or friend.

使用和合适的材料备考。考试前晚，你要确保准备好了所有需要的材料。不要忘了准备计时工具，例如手表。计时是考试理想的重要组成部分，但许多学生都依赖手机来计时，而手机在考试时是不允许携带的。你可能需要从父母或朋友那借来手表。

Survey the exam questions. As soon as you receive the exam, look over all of the questions. Some of them will look easy, so tackle those first.  Answer everything you know for sure, and answer thoroughly.

研究考题。只要考试，就得总览一下所有的问题。有些题比较简单，可以先解决。将你确定的内容都写上去，回答得要详细。

Create a time management plan for the rest. Once you’ve answered the easy questions, you will need to come up with a time management plan for the rest of the test. This sounds like a lot of work, but what it really means is that you need to plan how much time you can afford to spend on each question.

为考试制作一份时间管理计划。在你完成了所有的容易题后，就得规划时间来完成剩下的题这样听起来任务量挺多，但重要的是你需要计划好每个题需要花多少时间。

If you have lots of true and false questions, for example, you know that you can answer those pretty quickly. Be strategic if you don’t know the answers right away.

如果你要做很多的判断题，例如，你知道自己可以快速完成这些题，但如果你无法迅速得出答案的话，就得采取策略。

If you have several terms to define or if you have an essay question to answer, be sure to give yourself ample time. Do a quick calculation in your head to give yourself a time limit for each remaining questions.

如果你需要对几个术语下定义或者有问答题要完成，就要保证给自己留足时间。在你脑中快速地估计一下，给每道题都定一个限定的答题时间。

Read the questions very carefully. Short-answer and essay questions will contain very special instructional words.

仔细阅读每一道题。简答题和问答题可能会包含非常特别的教学词语。

You must read over your question carefully and be certain that you understand what the instructor is asking.

你必须仔细审题，确保你明白出题者的意图。

One common mistake that students make on exams is answering half of a question. A teacher can put multiple question into one essay or short-answer question, so make sure you break down the question and understand exactly what information you should provide in your answer. Include lots of details!

常见的一个错误是学生们只答了一半的题。老师可能会在问答题或简答题中设置几个问题，所以你要确保将题目都分解好，并明白你应该在答案中加入那些信息，其中也包括许多的细节。

Make notes and outlines. If you are allowed to use a scratch paper during the exam, do some brainstorming before you jump in for your essay answer. Write down everything you should include in a “mind dump” on your scratch paper, and be sure to work in as many new terms and vocabulary words as you possibly can.

做笔记，写提纲。如果在考试时允许使用草稿纸，你可以在正式答问答题之前来个头脑风暴。在草稿纸上写下脑海中所有的内容，并确保尽可能多写一些术语和词汇。

Once you’ve done this mind dump, you can quickly number your thoughts in an appropriate order. This should only take a few seconds. Then, start writing your essay!

一旦你将脑海中的内容都写下，你可以迅速将你的观点按照合适的顺序进行编号。这应该只会花去几秒钟时间。然后，开始做问答题吧！

You probably don’t have to worry too much about formatting your essay in a formal way or creating a thesis statement. Teachers usually expect essay answers to be more in the form of a flow of information. However, it’s a good idea to make your essay as organized as possible!

你不用太过担心将问答题答案的格式过于正式化，或者提炼出一个中心思想句来，老师们通常都喜欢问答题的答案能有条理地列出信息来。但是，尽可能地好好组织你的问答题答案是个不错的主意！

Make sure that your writing is readable. Don’t be sloppy, or you could find that your bad handwriting costs you a few points here and there.

确保你的字迹清楚。不要草率了事，或者发现你因为卷面不好而导致几处都失分。