Test Taking Tips and Strategies
Testing Tips for Parents
- Avoid scheduling appointments on test dates.
- Make sure your child is on time for the days of testing.
- Testing must finish on the day it is started.
- Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night prior to testing.
- Ensure a healthy breakfast, avoid high-sugar foods.
- Encourage your child to review concepts now.
- Keep a positive attitude about testing in general.
- Students cannot be checked out before 1:00 pm on testing dates.
Testing Tips for Students
General
- Be aware of the test time limits. Keep track of how much time you have remaining and try not to spend too much time on items that you are unsure of, as you can always come back to them once you have completed the items you do know.
- Answer the easy questions first and then move on to more difficult items.
- Answer all the questions, even if you do not know the answer.
- Mark in the test with the tools, circle key words in the question to keep you focused.
- Use all of the time allotted to you. If you have extra time, cover your answers and try reworking the questions.
Math
- On math problems, try estimating the problem before calculating (ex. make 32 X 21 into 30 X 20), as this will help you notice if your calculations are far off your estimate.
- Perform opposite operations. For example, if your problem involves multiplication, check your work by dividing in reverse.
- Look for key word operations in word problems.
Multiple Choice
- Anticipate the answer before looking at your answer options. Physically cover the answer with your hand to see if you can answer it first.
- Eliminate highly implausible answers (most multiple choice tests will have at least two “distracter” items that are unrelated to the questions).
- Be aware of words like “always,” “never,” “only,” “must,” and “completely.” Response options containing these words may be correct, but are usually distracters as there will usually be exceptions to extreme words such as these.
- Be cautious about changing your answer to a multiple-choice question without a good reason. Usually, your first “guess” or intuition is more likely to be correct than later ones.
- If one of the items is an “All of the Above” option and you know that at least one of the other options is incorrect/false, then you can eliminate the “All of the Above” option as well.