TEST TAKING HINTS AND STRATEGIES FOR STANDARDIZED TESTS

By: Callie Grubb, Holly McClure and Sandra Peterson

The following exercise tests how well you follow directions. Wrong answers will count against you. Do not begin answering any questions until you have read all the questions. You have two minutes to complete all your answers.

FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

A. Write your name, last name firstB. Count the letters in your name and write the numberC. In what year did Columbus arrive on the American continent?D. Divide answer b into answer c.E. What year did you begin high school?

F. Multiply answer d by answer e. G. Write down the number of the one correct statement

1. The Union Army lost the battle of Gettysburg. 2. The Apollo Twelve landed on the moon in 1969. 3. Ronald Reagan was the fifty-first President of the United

States 4. There are fifteen planets in our solar system.

H. Square the number you answered on question g. I. How many days are there in a leap year?J. Multiply answer i by answer h and then multiply that answer by answer f.K. If you understand this instruction write yes. Answer only every other question in this test beginning with A.

Are more likely to use appropriate strategies when taking tests; and are more "test-wise" than their peers.

Have positive self-esteem Have greater self-confidence in their abilities Do not feel intimidated by tests Feel well prepared for tests Are persistent with regard to their school work and doing

well on tests Have been exposed to a variety of testing situations

What does research indicate about students who are successful in testing situations?

The research also suggests students who are test-wise are more successful in testing situations because they:

are able to follow instructions and directions; are familiar with item formats; know how to avoid common mistakes; know how to use their time effectively and efficiently; can maximize their scores by informed and educated

guessing; have been exposed to a variety of testing situations; and can apply test-taking strategies to solve different

kinds of problems.

What can teachers do to help students experience success in any testing situation?

Test preparation needs to be an on-going activity and part of regular classroom instruction integrated into all subjects.

“Teachers must go beyond “telling” students what to do. Students should be provided with ample classroom opportunities to experience using strategies required to be successful in any testing situation.”

Dr. Lourdes Ferrer

1. Following direction closely 2. Budget time appropriately 3. Check work carefully 4. Reading the entire stem and ALL answer choices 5. Answer easier questions first and persist to the end

Teach the following test-taking strategies and provide students with ample opportunities to practice them in classroom.

6. Make educated guesses 7. Using “real test-liked” item formats for practice 8. Review the practice items and answer choices with the teacher or other students 9. Practice using answer sheets

Read the test items carefully and completely. Strike out wrong answers. Mark answers clearly and consistently. Change your answers cautiously. Guess Look for cues. Do not spend time thinking about how the

question could have been written better. Check for clues in other questions.

Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions

Every part of a true sentence must be "true"If any one part of the sentence is false, the whole sentence is false despite many other true statements.

Notice ABSOLUTES such as all, none, not, always, never, no, equal, Notice QUALIFIERS such as

most, some, usually, sometimes, great, much, little more, less

Strategies for True-False Questions

Read carefully. Analyze the question. Map your ideas. Create an outline. Reflect the question in opening sentence. Write like a reporter. Write legibly. Proofread

Strategies for Essay Questions

STUDENT FRIENDLY TEST TIPS

Highlight, underline, or circle the key details in the questions. This helps you focus on exactly what the question is asking you to do.

“Jail” the Detail!

Predict what the answer is BEFORE you read the choices.

Be Slick and Predict!

Read ALL of the answer choices! Eliminate any choice(s) that you know are not the correct answer. The choice is obviously “trash!”

SLASH THE TRASH!

Once you have chosen your answer, plug it in and make sure that it makes sense! (this works really well with vocabulary questions).

Plug it in, Plug it in!

Charts and Maps provide information that you can use to answer questions! Analyze ALL information provided before answering the questions!

Be Smart With Charts & Zap the Maps!

Don’t leave a question unanswered. You will not have ANY chance of getting it right.

If you SNOOZE, You will LOSE!

When you have completed the test, go back and check your work!

Check It Out!

Trace – Indicate how something developed Summarize - Provide the principal (main)

points Relate - Show links between/among topics Prove - Confirm a point with facts/details Justify - Give the reason or purpose of a

statement Interpret - Show that you understand the

meaning

COMMON TEST TERMS

Illustrate - Indicate some examples Describe and Explain – Clarify the subject with major details and evidence Criticize, discuss, evaluate – Give positive and

negative elements of subject and draw conclusion Contrast - Finding differences Compare - Usually means looking for similarities Analyze - Break subject into sections and deal

with each one

Don’t : Over-study Study up to the last minute Wait until the day before the test to seek help

Reducing Test Anxiety: Do’s & Dont’s Do:

Get enough sleep Do practice tests

beforehand Get there on time Take a deep breath Positive Self-talk Pace yourself Answer each question Visualize yourself

being successful on the test.

Limiting content instruction to a particular item format

Limiting instruction to the actual test questions Practicing on a published parallel form of the

same test Using an instructional guide that reviews

questions from the latest issue of the test Teaching objectives/tips the morning of the test

Inappropriate Test Preparation Practices

Cohen, A. D. (2006). The coming of age of research on test-taking strategies. Language Assessment Quarterly, 3(4), 307-331.

Frederiksen, J. R. & Collins, A. (1989). A systems approach to educational testing. Educational Researcher, 18(9), 27-32.

Gulek, C. (2003). Preparing for high-stakes testing. Theory into Practice, 42(1), 42-50. Kilian, L. J. (1992). A school district perspective on appropriate test-preparation practices: A

reaction to Popham's proposals. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 11(4), 13-26. Ritter, S. & Idol-Maestas, L. (1986). Teaching middle school students to use a test-taking

strategy. Journal of Educational Research, 79(6), 350-357 http://chesterfield.k12.va.us/Schools/Chalkley_ES/SOL/test_taking_strategies.htm www.uwp.edu/departments/learning.assistance/documents/testanxiety www.uc.edu/learningassistance/documents/Test_Taking_Strategies

Zatz, S. & Chassin, L. (1985). Cognitions of test-anxious children under naturalistic test-taking conditions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53(3), 393-401.

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