General Test-Taking Strategies for the Postal Clerk and Carrier Exams

Date: Jan 27, 2006

This chapter presents tips for preparing yourself mentally and physically for the Postal Clerk and Carrier Exams, but the pointers offered can be helpful in preparing for any standardized test.

Terms you'll need to understand:

Planning
Preparation
Focus
Test anxiety

Concepts/techniques you'll need to master:

Parts to the test-taking strategy
Getting a good night's sleep
Knowing your route to the test center
Arriving early to the test center
Listening to and reading instructions carefully
Marking your answers correctly
Avoiding cheating (or the appearance of cheating)
Paying attention and staying focused
Working as quickly and accurately as possible
Checking your answers
Tips to avoiding test anxiety

No matter how seasoned of a test taker you happen to be, there is no getting around the fact that even the best "cool and collected" test takers can get nervous. Actually, this can be to your advantage because sometimes a little case of the nerves can keep you alert and at the top of your test-taking game. On the other hand, if you get too inside your own head, so to speak, it can distract from your ability to do your best, and all the preparation and studying you have done can go out the window.

The good news is that you can keep your anxiety in check. The fact that you are reading this book and taking the time to prepare is going to really help you, perhaps more than you are aware. The bottom line is that if you take the time to prepare, your nerves are far less likely to get the better of you!

This chapter gives you not only some practical tips on how to beat test anxiety, but also good advice on general test-taking strategies. You can use this chapter to calm any nagging fears or concerns that you aren't a good test-taker. Indeed, within every person lies a great test-taker just waiting to come out. This chapter can put you in touch with that person!

A General Test-Taking Strategy

Some people think that the actual test day is the only real part of the test-taking process. In reality, there are two steps, with preparation being just as important as actually taking the test.

But what does "test preparation" really entail? Well, there is the obvious, which is understanding the exam questions and taking practice exams. But there are also some other very important elements to test preparation that go far beyond the work you’ll do with the practice exercises that compose most of this book.

What are these elements? They vary from person to person, but generally speaking, we can call them the "night before the test" preparations. They consist of such things as getting a good night’s sleep and being sure you have your route mapped out to the testing center. (Nothing like getting lost the morning of the exam to really get those nerves hopping!) We’re going to talk quite a bit about these special preparations in this chapter, through the introduction of your fictitious (but realistic) "test-taking partner," Bill Roberts.

The second component of the test-taking process is, of course, taking the test. You’ll have done lots of great preparation heading into the test, but you aren’t going to be able to refer to your notes (or this book, for that matter). That said, there are several tips and tricks you can use to keep your mind focused, and to help you achieve the highest score. Some of these are obvious (for example, don’t cheat). Others might seem obvious on the surface (for example, listen to and read directions carefully), but they are in fact more complicated than they might otherwise seem. This chapter looks at all these elements.

Test-Taking Process, Part I: The Night Before the Exam

Although we’re referring to this step of the process as "the night before the exam," it actually involves more preparation than waiting until the actual night before. You should be thinking of these things the night before the exam, but if you really want to be prepared, you also need to consider them well in advance of that night. After all, you’ll want to try and relax as much as you can the night before the exam, and not wait until the last minute to gather your registration materials, find a babysitter for the kids, and so on.

Okay, what are these "night before the exam" tips? The following sections focus on a few.

Night Before the Exam: Get a Good Night’s Sleep

You may recall the "all-nighters" you pulled in high school or college, waiting until the last minute to study for a big exam and then literally staying up all night. And you might fondly recall these all-night cram sessions: They were sometimes a lot of fun: You could study with friends and laugh about your situation as much as you did any actual studying.

But at the risk of sounding melodramatic and depressing, those are probably bygone days of youth (wow, that really did sound depressing, didn’t it?). More seriously and less depressing, the exam you are studying for is not for a grade, but rather will have a serious impact on your career. In other words, it is not something to be taken lightly, and not something to wait until the last minute to study for.

So although not everyone needs eight hours of sleep a night, the vast majority of people need at least six hours of sleep to really feel alert. Moreover, studies have shown that your ability to retain what you study is not going to be significantly aided by staying up all night and trying to cram everything in at the last minute. In fact, new research suggests that sleep helps you "sort out" what you have learned, so that if you get your studying done early and get a good night’s sleep, you will do much better on the exam than you will if you pull an "all-nighter." Therefore, this type of studying, in addition to making you tired, might actually be detrimental to your success on the test. Taking the time to prepare in advance of the night before the exam, then using the night to relax (a bit of advice we’re going to repeat many times in this chapter) is your best bet for doing well. Final words on the subject: Don’t feel compelled to go to bed at sundown, but at the same time don’t stay up for the late-late movie.

Night Before the Exam: Know Your Route to the Test Center

This might be a piece of advice where you say to yourself, "Wow, that is a really good point." And if you are saying that as you read this, then the purpose for including this information has been served: that is, you are thinking about it now, rather than waiting until the last minute!

I remember when I took the graduate record exam (GRE), which is the standard test everyone takes as part of the application process for graduate school. I was set to take the exam in my hometown of Indianapolis, and I was sure (or so I thought) of the exact route I was going to take to get to the testing center. Well, if you aren’t familiar with the Midwest, Indianapolis is a reasonably large city, and even if you grew up there, many places—although you think you know where they are—prove to be just a little more elusive when you get in the car and try and drive to them. As it turned out, I fell victim to not thinking about how I would get to the test center, and while I wasn’t late, I got there with only ten minutes to spare instead of my planned thirty. I also managed to dump a large cup of coffee in my lap that morning, as well as slip and slide in some unexpected (and not forecasted) bad weather.

There wasn’t much I could do about the coffee (except try not to be clumsy, which is something I’ve struggled with my whole life), but the other two things—knowing where I was going and planning for the unexpected—were definitely issues I should have considered. Although you probably don’t need to have maps and charts for the route you are going to take to the testing center, it might be a good idea to do a pre-test "drive-by" to ensure you not only know how to get to the test center, but have considered other issues as well: Is there free parking? Are there convenience stores nearby where you can grab some coffee? These are just a few things to keep in mind as you plan your route.

The Night Before the Exam: Plan to Arrive Early

Unlike the days you might have spent camping out in front of the box office window for front-row seats to your favorite concert, chances are quite good you won’t need to pitch a tent in front of the testing center the night before the exam.

All kidding aside, though, getting to the test center early can go a long way toward helping calm your nerves and generally putting you more at ease with the actual test-taking process. Consider the following issues that, although perhaps not parts of the actual test-taking process, can nevertheless go a long way in helping you to relax prior to the test:

Find a good parking spot—Parking probably will not be an issue at the testing center, but this is not a certainty. Arriving at the test center early gives you a better chance of finding a good spot. Distant parking isn’t an issue on a nice spring morning, but you don’t want to be in the position of having to walk a country mile in a torrential downpour or in bone-chilling cold.
Hit the restroom—An obvious one, but something to definitely keep in mind. When nature calls, it’s amazing how that call can very quickly become the single most important thing on your mind. Don’t let this happen to you, especially when you’re taking a test as potentially important to your career as this one.
Take a few deep breaths...and relax—If you can take care of the previous items in this list and still have several minutes before the exam is scheduled to start, you then will have time for another critical aspect of your test preparation, and that is taking a few relaxing deep breaths. Or, you can take a walk around the testing center, or call your spouse/significant other on your cell phone for a last-minute vote of confidence. (Use this tip in moderation, though—sometimes these conversations can end up making you more nervous.) The simple point here is that having a few extra minutes to spare will serve you well!

Test-Taking Process, Part II: Taking the Test

Imagine yourself on the morning of the test. You are rested, have made it to the testing center with no problem, have found a good parking space, and have a few minutes to spare to relax. And, because you’ve read this book, you already have experience with the types of questions you are going to see.

You are, in a nutshell, very well prepared.

So how do you make sure all this preparation doesn’t go out the window when the actual test begins? Again, every test-taker is going to react differently, based on previous experiences with tests of this nature, as well as general personality. Still, there are—just as with the night before the exam—some good "taking the test" tips you can follow. The following sections provide those very tips.

Taking the Test: Listening and Reading Carefully

After working through this book, you will be very familiar with the types of questions asked of you on the exam. That being the case, you still need to take time to carefully read the instructions for each section. Although you might be tempted to skip over the instructions out of familiarity, don’t! Take your time for this all-important component of the exam.

Taking the Test: Marking Your Answers Correctly

Knowing the right answer is one thing; making sure you mark it correctly on your answer sheet is another. This is one of those little tips that can save you a lot of time, frustration, and potential panic: Be sure you are marking the answer sheet for the question you are being asked (that is, don’t mark the answer for question #4 in the answer spot for question #5). Also, be sure you fill in your answer completely to avoid any confusion or scoring errors.

Taking the Test: Don’t Cheat

An obvious tip, right? You certainly are not going to cheat outright on your exam, but don’t put yourself in the position where it appears you are cheating when in reality you are not. Put simply, don’t let your eyes wander or do anything that would make it appear in any way that you are trying to look at another test taker’s answer sheet. You don’t want to be placed in a situation where you have to defend yourself against a charge of cheating. Best case, this takes away previous test-taking time. Worst case, your score is cancelled and your career options seriously jeopardized.

Taking the Test: Pay Attention

Just as you need to be sure you read instructions carefully, avoid letting your mind wander to anything other than the task at hand, which is taking the test and scoring as high as possible. Although some general "outside thoughts" are normal (thinking about how great it will be when the test is complete), don’t dwell on these things because you easily can become distracted.

Taking the Test: Focus on One Question at a Time

You may be tempted to read ahead and try to answer more than question at a time. Or you may fall victim to becoming overwhelmed by the number of questions and start to read ahead (and thus start to panic) as you think to yourself, "There is no way I can answer all these questions." Again, take a few deep breaths and keep your mind focused on the question at hand. The test is designed so that you have time to answer all the questions, so don’t feel you have to read ahead to finish on time.

Taking the Test: Work As Quickly and Accurately As You Can

Although you shouldn’t rush your answers, you shouldn’t—on the other hand—take an inordinate amount of time on each question. You do need to work quickly, but there is a difference between this approach and rushing. If you follow the tips in this section, including carefully following directions, you should be able to work quickly but at the same time feel confident you are giving each question a thorough read.

Taking the Test: Check Your Answers

This final tip is one that should be used with extreme caution. It is good (indeed, great!) to finish each section of the test with time to spare, but don’t put yourself in the position where you begin to second-guess yourself and, as a result, start changing all your answers. If you relax, read carefully, and work quickly (but accurately), there is no need to go back. Again, it’s a great idea to do some "spot checking" of your answers, but don’t go overboard with this, and don’t feel overly concerned if you have time to check only a few of your answers.

Overcoming Test Anxiety

This chapter has talked a lot about not falling victim to a case of the nerves, or becoming so anxious/nervous that you can’t utilize—to your maximum potential—all the great preparation and work you’ve put into studying for the test.

There is no guarantee you won’t be nervous, and remember that a little nervousness can be a good thing: It can keep you focused on the task at hand. Still, consider the following suggestions for overcoming test anxiety:

The best defense is a good offense—This is especially true when it comes to dealing with text anxiety. Make sure you are well prepared for the test. Study in advance, and don’t cram the night before. Bottom line: Walk into the testing center confident that you will perform to the best of your ability.
Avoid caffeine overdose—Unless you expect most of it to end up in your lap, take it easy on the caffeine, especially if you are not a morning person to begin with, or if you don’t normally drink lots of caffeine. Too much Mountain Dew/coffee/insert-favorite-caffeinated-beverage-here can make you very jittery. On the other hand, if you always have a cup of java in the morning, don’t risk caffeine withdrawal symptoms (translation: very bad headache) by not having it.
Don’t forget to breathe—Remember that breathing is a necessary component of that thing we call living (!), so if you find yourself panting or hyperventilating, take some deep breaths and relax. Stay focused on the task at hand, and remember how well prepared you are.
Mark some time to get nervous after the test—Yes, you read that right: Give yourself permission to be nervous/freak out/yell/scream/and so on...after the test. Seriously, if you make part of the test-taking process a "cool down" session, you’ll be surprised to find this might take away a great deal of your pre-test (and during the test) anxiety. One idea is to have a favorite CD loaded in your car, so as you drive away from the test center, you can rock out (or mellow out, depending on your preference) and release all that anxiety. Planning for this type of stress release can keep you from becoming overly nervous during the exam.

Introducing Bill Roberts, Your Test Partner

As you read through the book, you will see in many chapters a special element on your "test partner," who we’ve named Bill Roberts. The purpose of this element is to present you with a realistic (albeit fictitious) test-taker, who more than likely shares many of your concerns about taking the test. You can reflect on Bill’s experiences as potential examples of what you might be feeling/experiencing as you prepare for the test, and—ideally—draw positive reinforcement from how Bill deals with these concerns. The point of this special element is not to say you have to feel/react the exact same way as Bill does, but rather to give you a real world example of how someone might actually address typical concerns in both preparing for and taking the test. So, moving forward, look to this special element as a great way to review the specific information presented, and as an illustration of how you can practically synthesize the specific chapter’s information to best prepare for the test.

Exam Prep Questions

This chapter doesn’t really lend itself to practice questions. Nevertheless, the tips and suggestions presented here can significantly enhance your exam score, and you should practice (or think through, as they relate to your own specific situation) following these tips and suggestions so as to achieve the highest score possible.

Consider the following short (fictitious) vignettes that highlight test-takers who did not follow the strategies presented in this chapter and fell victim to the consequences:

Kathy Smith has always been a good test-taker, having scored well on her college entrance exams with very little preparation (not to mention very little sleep). Although she gets to the test center in plenty of time, she stayed up late into the night before the exam, watching movies with a friend. Given that this exam requires attention to detail, her lack of sleep causes her mind to wander, and as a result she misses several questions she otherwise would have easily answered correctly.
Kirk Jeffries lives in the northeastern United States, and is well accustomed to unpredictable weather, especially in the winter months. Moreover, he’s taking the exam in the city where he works, so he’s not worried about getting lost on the way to the test center. But the morning of the test, an unexpected winter storm blows into town, turning the streets into sheets of ice. Kirk, not "planning for the unexpected," must rush through bad weather to make it to the test on time. After he arrives, he is so anxious from barely avoiding sliding into another vehicle (and, in general, worrying about being late), that he has trouble concentrating on the questions at hand.
Jennifer Kirkpatrick has done everything right in preparing for the exam. From studying for several weeks in advance to learning (and practicing!) relaxation techniques, she is confident of her abilities to do well on the exam. The morning of the exam, she gets up very early and heads out to the testing center, arriving nearly an hour and a half in advance. She thinks this extra time will allow her a chance to do some last-minute cramming, but this strategy actually backfires: She becomes overly nervous about the impending exam and begins to second-guess her thorough preparation. Rather than feeling confident (and enjoying the benefits of a good night’s sleep), she begins the test with feelings of anxiety and insecurity as to about her ability to perform well. Long story short: Sometimes being too early can be a detriment, if you are going to use that extra time to worry!