Some tips

  • See if your Careers Service runs practice test sessions.

  • Reach the test location in good time, well rested, and in a positive frame of mind.

  • At the start of the test, quickly work out how much time you have for each question. Put your watch in front of you, jot down the finish time, and work with 'quiet urgency'. Keep aware of the time as you work through the questions.

  • You need to be both quick and accurate. The faster you go, the more errors you may make; the slower you go, the fewer questions you have the time to answer.

  • If you get stuck on a question, don't spend too long on it, but move on to the next one. However, don't abandon a question prematurely, if with a few extra seconds you might have solved it. You have to get 1the balance right and achieve a rhythm where you don't get bogged down. On the other hand don't skim over questions in too superficial a way.

  • Resist the temptation to check each answer thoroughly until you are absolutely convinced it is right: you will waste too much time if you do.

  • If you aren't sure of an answer, bear in mind that you won't have time to come
    back to it later, so put down your best guess and move on. However, avoid wild guessing - in some tests marks are taken off for wrong answers.

  • Sometimes the questions get harder as you work through them. Later questions might therefore take longer to answer than the earlier ones. So it's important not to fall too far behind the clock: time lost on the first few items is almost impossible to make up, Of course, early on you are getting the hang of the questions, but don't dawdle.

  • If calculators are allowed, use your own - you are familiar with how it works.

  • The test will have some practice questions at the start. Make sure you understand these thoroughly before the test itself begins.

  • Finally, try not to be overawed by the formal nature of the test, or to be panicked by the time pressure.

 

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