• Follow us on Twitter
  • Join our Facebook Group

University Survival

  • Student Success Skills
    • Picking a College
    • Financing Your Education
    • Choosing a Major
    • Preparing for College
    • Managing the Personal Side of the Transition to College
    • Developing Discipline to Do Well
    • Managing the Social Side of College
    • Being an Efficient Learner
    • Taking Tests
    • Ensuring You Receive The Grade You Want
    • Managing Group Projects
    • Becoming a Campus Leader
    • Student Athletes
    • Navigating College Practices
    • Succeeding on Internships and Co-ops
    • Making Critical Decisions
    • Overcoming Challenges for Specific Types of Students
    • Setting Goals
    • Being an International Student In The United States
    • Using Resources
    • Communication Skills for College Graduates
    • Building a Professional Network
    • Using LinkedIn to Develop Your Network
    • Preparing for a Career
    • Understanding Job Protocols
    • Developing Essential Career Skills
    • Becoming a Leader
    • Overcoming Career Challenges
    • Planning for your Financial Future
  • Parent Connections
    • Parent Topics
      • Being a Supportive Parent
      • Making Critical Decisions
      • Financing Your Student’s Education
    • Parent Emails
  • Teacher Resources
  • Resources
  • Community
  • About
You are here: Student Success Skills » Taking Tests » Dealing with an Impossibly Difficult Test

Student Success Skills

Dealing with an Impossibly Difficult Test

by jennifer
May 9, 2014

Some faculty take perverse pleasure in giving tests that are impossible for all, but a few students.  In most cases, you will know if a teacher gives impossible tests by looking at RateMyProfessor.com or MyEdu.com.  Whenever possible, you should try to avoid these teachers.

What do you if you can’t avoid such a teacher? Here are some things you can do:

  1. See if you can find any old tests of this teacher.  Look for trends in the tests.  See if you can find any patterns that could help you prepare for the tests.
  2. Also look at how the grading was done on the test.  Where were the most points lost? What was awarded the most points.  Try to do whatever you can to maximize the partial credit you receive.
  3. You know the test is impossible so don’t panic.  What you need to do is perform well in relation to your classmates.
  4. Try to respond to every question in some manner
    • For problem questions show the setup of the problem, but don’t carry through with the calculations until you have some answer for every question on the test.
    • For true/false and multiple choice questions, fill in an answer for every question even if you don’t have time to read the question.  Generally choices b or c are best on multiple choice tests and false is best on true/false tests.
    • For essay questions, answer every question with at least some facts that are relevant.

In most cases, teachers who give tests that are impossible also have a generous curve.  In some cases, there may be opportunities to earn back points.  The key to succeeding in these classes is to be better than the average student in the class..

← Dealing with an Impossibly Long Test
Missing a Test →

Suggest a Topic

Looking for a topic and can't find it? Why not submit one...

Suggest a Topic

Share This

Rate This Topic

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Testimonials

  • This semester I have made some big improvements to not only my school work, but to all aspects of college life.  I have become a lot more time efficient.  I have learned a lot of better ways to study, such as making flash cards and using new note taking strategies.  I have also started going to class 15 minutes before it starts so I have time to get all of my stuff organized and ready for class.  I also plan on using my agenda more effectively.  I have really struggled with my time management skills this semester.  They are slightly better this semester compared to last, but not as good as I would have liked them to be at this point.  I have done a lot better with classes this semester though.  I have gone to allmost all of my classes this semester.  I have also done really well with homework..

Sign Up For Student Emails

Enter your email below to get weekly student emails.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Suggest a Topic

Looking for a topic and can't find it? Why not submit one...

Suggest a Topic

Share This

Sign Up For Parent Emails

Enter your email below to get weekly parent emails.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Suggest a Topic

Looking for a topic and can't find it? Why not submit one...

Suggest a Topic
© Copyright - University Survival