Like essays, teachers, and schools, tests come in all shapes and sizes, types and times, and preferences and methods. Some people love tests more than essays, while others would rather spend hours writing an essay than thirty minutes taking an exam.

The following are the main types of tests given in school and by the education testing centers:

• Multiple Choice
• Fill in the Blank
• Essay
• Matching
• Mixed
• Standardized

Given the numerous amount of tests and style of tests, you will inevitably discover your favorites and your strengths. Because of your persona insight to the testing style, you will study more or less for a specific type of test.

Here are some general guidelines on how to prepare to take a test in each style:

• Multiple Choice

With multiple choice tests, there is a method behind all testing techniques. It is important to remember that the correct answer is always within the answer choices. It is up to you to find that answer. Consequently, you prepare for multiple-choice tests by going over as much information as possible. Multiple choice tests allow for a wide variety of information to fall in the questions. You must be careful not to be tricked. Therefore, process of elimination is the best outlet.

• Fill in the Blank

Fill in the Blank tests are exciting, but less widely used passed high school. In these types of tests, you will not be given any information for the answer. Rather, you must know the information and put it in the blank space on the paper. The positive side of this type of testing is that it is not designed to trick you. The negative side is that you cannot simply "guess" and pick a random answer with a 25% chance of certitude. The best way to study for this type of test is by using flashcards.

• Essay

Essay tests are the favorites style of testing for writers, humanitarians, and more verbose students. They allow you to describe and explain the information you know as best you can. If you forgot a specific word or phrase, but still understand an idea or technique, you can write the explanation in an essay. However, be wary of writing around the subject. Writing around the subject in an essay is when you are unsure of the specific answer/topic, and consequently write a lot of other words just to fill in the space, hoping that the teacher will find something important within the essay. However, the problem with this style of essay writing is that teachers and graders can recognize a student's essay as knowing information or sort-of-knowing information. If you write thirty sentence about a subject and only one of them hits the bulls eye target, then your essay will not be scored well. The best way to practice for this type of an exam is to write practice timed essays. Sit down and write an essay about a single topic so that you have practice with the structure of the essay and the timed format. Nothing is scarier than sitting down on a test day and writing an essay for the first time.

• Matching

Matching tests are favorites of many people as they tend to be on the easier side. Like multiple choice tests, all answers are in front of you. You do not have to create information in your head or write a dissertation on a topic. You simply have to choose from the information given to you to see if it is correct. Be careful in matching tests because they are often designed to confuse the test-taker. Usually, one column has more options than the other, tricking the test-taker into selecting incorrect answers. Practice, again, is the best way to study and prepare for this type of test. Practice on old multiple choice tests and practice with flashcards.

• Mixed

Mixed tests combine all of the above styles of assessment. Review the previous techniques and combine them in order to find preparation aid in a mixed style of test. Mixed testing is a growing trend in schools today, as it allows all students to find success in at least one method of study.

• Standardized

Standardized tests are multiple choice tests, however, they come in an entirely new category. BookRags has several guides on each type of standardized test that can help you in your process of testing.

Remember, testing is a vital element of assessment and comes in various forms. Trying all of them will give you the opportunity you need to find your best method of assessment. Regardless of your strengths, you will inevitably need to develop the skills in each of these categories. Testing is a part of education. You will need to take and pass tests in order to advance to the next level.