TEST TAKING HINTS AND STRATEGIES FOR STANDARDIZED TESTS

1. TEST TAKING HINTS AND STRATEGIES FOR STANDARDIZED TESTS By: Callie Grubb, Holly McClure and Sandra Peterson

2. FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS • 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.

3. A. Write your name, last name first B. Count the letters in your name and write the number C. 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.

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

5. 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.

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

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

8. “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

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

10. 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

11. Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions • 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.

12. Strategies for True-False 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

13. Strategies for Essay 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

14. STUDENT FRIENDLY TEST TIPS

15. “Jail” the Detail! • Highlight, underline, or circle the key details in the questions. This helps you focus on exactly what the question is asking you to do.

16. Be Slick and Predict! • Predict what the answer is BEFORE you read the choices.

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

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

19. Be Smart With Charts & Zap the Maps! • Charts and Maps provide information that you can use to answer questions! Analyze ALL information provided before answering the questions!

20. If you SNOOZE, You will LOSE! • Don’t leave a question unanswered. You will not have ANY chance of getting it right.

21. Check It Out! • When you have completed the test, go back and check your work!

22. COMMON TEST TERMS • 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

23. 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

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

25. Inappropriate Test Preparation Practices • 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

26. Sources: • 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.