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.
如果你正在看這個，那麼我們可以大膽的預料到你此刻很可能還沒有考試，所以首要的事就是在考試之前想想該做些什麼。
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.
當然，這是顯而易見的。但你要做的最重要的事就是提前做好準備。為了考試理想，你需要一遍又一遍地練習數學題，並鞏固那些術語和定義。
That means you should preparing start at least a week before your test.
這意味著你至少要提前一個星期開始準備。
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.
使用和合適的材料備考。考試前晚，你要確保準備好了所有需要的材料。不要忘了準備計時工具，例如手錶。計時是考試理想的重要組成部分，但許多學生都依賴手機來計時，而手機在考試時是不允許攜帶的。你可能需要從父母或朋友那借來手錶。
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.
研究考題。只要考試，就得總覽一下所有的問題。有些題比較簡單，可以先解決。將你確定的內容都寫上去，回答得要詳細。
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.
為考試製作一份時間管理計劃。在你完成了所有的容易題後，就得規劃時間來完成剩下的題這樣聽起來任務量挺多，但重要的是你需要計劃好每個題需要花多少時間。
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斷題，例如，你知道自己可以快速完成這些題，但如果你無法迅速得出答案的話，就得採取策略。
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.
如果你需要對幾個術語下定義或者有問答題要完成，就要保證給自己留足時間。在你腦中快速地估計一下，給每道題都定一個限定的答題時間。
Read the questions very carefully. Short-answer and essay questions will contain very special instructional words.
仔細閱讀每一道題。簡答題和問答題可能會包含非常特別的教學詞語。
You must read over your question carefully and be certain that you understand what the instructor is asking.
你必須仔細審題，確保你明白出題者的意圖。
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!
常見的一個錯誤是學生們只答了一半的題。老師可能會在問答題或簡答題中設置幾個問題，所以你要確保將題目都分解好，並明白你應該在答案中加入那些信息，其中也包括許多的細節。
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.
做筆記，寫提綱。如果在考試時允許使用草稿紙，你可以在正式答問答題之前來個頭腦風暴。在草稿紙上寫下腦海中所有的內容，並確保儘可能多寫一些術語和詞彙。
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!
一旦你將腦海中的內容都寫下，你可以迅速將你的觀點按照合適的順序進行編號。這應該只會花去幾秒鐘時間。然後，開始做問答題吧!
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!
你不用太過擔心將問答題答案的格式過於正式化，或者提煉出一個中心思想句來，老師們通常都喜歡問答題的答案能有條理地列出信息來。但是，儘可能地好好組織你的問答題答案是個不錯的主意!
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.
確保你的字跡清楚。不要草率了事，或者發現你因為卷面不好而導致幾處都失分。
（編輯：何瑩瑩）