Some advice for the ISEB ISTQB Exam.
There are two parts to this exam
• Understanding the question & deciding what the right answer should be.
• Correctly communicating your answer on the answer grid.
The exam is a bit like taking your driving test
• You have to turn your head to look in the mirror, don't cross your hands on the wheel.
• The ISEB exam is about the theory of best practice, not what you typically do in practice.
Answer all questions
• There is no penalty for the wrong answer, therefore guess!
Come back to questions
• On your first pass, answer all questions you are sure of. Come back to the others later.
• If a question will take a long time to answer, come back to it later:
Spending 5 minutes on one question can gain you one point;
Spending 5 minutes on 5 questions could gain you 5 points.
Pace yourself
• If you spend one minute on each question, your first pass will take 40 minutes.
• Use the remaining 20 minutes to:
Have a 1-minute break;
Double-check the "mechanics" (see below);
Go back to any you have left blank and fill it in with something.
Mechanics
• Count that you have 40 answers – one in each row.
• Double-check that you have put your mark under the answer letter you want and in the row for the question it represents.
Useful Tips
• If you are tempted to change your answer, do so only if you are quite sure – it is probably best to go with your first instinct if you are unsure.
• If the question asks which is false (or true), mark them T or F first then it will be easier to see which is the odd one out (you are allowed to write on the question paper)
• Be careful with negative questions.
The questions are designed to have one correct answer
• But the other answers are intended to mislead those who don't understand.
• Read the questions carefully - make sure you understand the question before you decide on your answer.
• There will often be a "fog" answer (or two) to distract you away from the “real” answer.
Some questions may be ambiguous
• Choose the best answer based on fundamental principles of testing.
