1. Make a copy of the test provider’s (e.g., AMP, PearsonVue, PSI, or other) national and state test content outlines. Outlines are contained in the provider's candidate bulletin and list the areas covered on the license exam.
Some outlines are detailed; others are skimpy. In either case, they alert you to the topics that may be tested, and in many cases give the number of exam questions within each topic.
Often, students will call after they have taken a license test to communicate to us subjects on the test that they had not remembered seeing in their course. Generally, the subject had been listed in the content outline and was covered in the course. If they had reviewed the outline before the test, they would have been better prepared.
The content outlines also may help cut down the number of subjects you study prior to the test. Courses are designed to satisfy state requirements, and include content which is beyond the exam content.
2. Do not count on seeing the questions from the course showing up on the license exam. They will not be there. This means you need to review lessons with the intent to master the information. Instead of studying so you can pick out the definition of “easement appurtenant” from multiple choice options, study so that you are able to explain the term to someone over the phone.
3. Better than highlighting, making flashcards or filling page after page with notes, read items you want to remember out loud. Close your eyes and paraphrase out loud. You will eventually find that you are remembering what you say out loud much more easily than if you were writing down or just reading the material.
4. Do not try to learn everything the first time through your lessons. Do not get bogged down. Do not get discouraged. Terms you do not understand initially will probably get cleared up when they are used later in the course (OR they were not very important, so they never appear again). Move through your first time through the lessons quickly (but stop to read important points out loud). Anticipate rereading the lessons when you are done. When you reread, the content will be much clearer.
5. Practice these effective test taking tips as you go through the course. Do not wait until just before you take your license test.