Test Taking Advice. Cramming doesn't work. If you've followed a study plan, the night before the test you should do a quick review and get to bed early.

Test Taking Advice

Cramming doesn't work. If you've followed a study plan, the night before the test you should do a quick review and get to bed early.

Remember, your brain and body need sleep to function well, so don't stay up late!

Put several Number 2 pencils and erasers in your backpack.

The night before

Did you know that you think better when you have a full stomach? So don't skip breakfast the morning of the test.

Check to make sure you have the pencils and erasers in your bag.

Get to school early and do a ten-minute power study right before the test, so your brain is turned on and tuned up. The morning of the test

Don’t ask the teacher how many questions there are. Use your own eyes. Once you have the test paper in front of you, read over the entire test, checking out how long it is and all the parts that you are expected to complete.

This will allow you to estimate how much time you have for each section and ask the teacher any questions.

If something seems unclear before you start, don't panic: ask.

Check it all out

“Think Like The Testmaker”

As you read, predict what the test makers will ask for in the questions. Anticipate the answer before you look at the options.

Notice titles, dates, facts, bold or italic words, & big words.

You can write on the test booklet. Make notes of important parts next to the passage (mental and written).

Circle, underline, and/or write key words next to paragraphs to mark the sections.

Keep thinking, “They might ask this fact later, so I need to remember it or make a note of it.”

Go back to the text to find the answers. Don’t do everything from memory. Looking back is not cheating. Go back to change answers if you doubt them.

Mark the place where you left off reading and re-read a few lines before that spot when you resume reading.

Answers may end up being out of order, so write answers on the exam booklet.

“Read the questions first, but not the answers to give you an idea of what is important in the reading”

Consider the test to be a scavenger hunt. Look at a few questions and be looking for the answers as you read.

Make a list of things you are looking for in the reading and check them off.

Scan the questions first but not the answers, since four out of five of them are wrong.

Many times hints and clues about the meaning of the passage will be revealed.

The multiple-choice section always presents a combination of easy, medium, and hard questions for each passage.

These questions generally follow the chronology of the passage rather than transition from easiest to hardest or vice versa.

The most important factor, however, is that they all are worth the same points.

Make sure you get credit for all the easy and medium answers first. That means choosing which questions to answer and which ones to skip and then returning to answer if time allows.

A student who spends too much time on a single, hard question may not get to answer two or three easy questions in a later part of the exam.

When the question refers to a part of the sentence and asks for the meaning of a word or phrase in context, what a word refers to, or how a word functions, it is best to go back to the beginning of the sentence or even to the previous sentence and read completely to the end of the sentence to comprehend the meaning.

Look for key words such as first, then, next, finally, and after when sequencing events.

The main idea of a passage is most often at the very beginning and it may be stated again at the very end.

If you are asked about cause and effect, look for key words such as since, because, as a result of, and therefore.

Read the question and ALL the answers.

The process of elimination can help you choose the correct answer in a multiple-choice question. Start by crossing off the answers that couldn't be right. Then spend your time focusing on the possible correct choices before selecting your answer.

Watch out for negative and extreme words. Whenever you find negative words such as not or except in the stem or in the options, circle them so they will stand out. But make sure you take them into consideration when you choose your answer..

Look out for working such as, "What is the opposite of...", "Which one is not included...", "All of these happened except...“

Watch the wording

Stick to the subject of the reading. When a multiple-choice question includes options that you don’t recognize or seem out of place, then it is a good bet that the strange options are decoys. Also, you may not recognize a right answer, but if you can eliminate the other three, choose it.

Circle extreme (100%) words such as: never, no, none, best, worst, all, and every; and be very suspicious of the options in which you find them. Be aware of words like “always”, “never”, “only”, “must”, and “completely.” These are often the wrong answers since there are many exceptions to rules.

Notice qualifier words such as: most, some, usually, and seldom.

Change double negatives into single positives. (e.g. He was not unresponsible. – He was responsible.

The option “all the above” is often correct.

Check for look-alike options: Test makers sometimes include, in one question, two options that are alike except for one word. Such a pair seems to indicate where the test maker’s interest was focused, so it is logical to assume that one of the pair is the correct answer.

Notice longer or more inclusive options: In multiple-choice questions, the correct option is often longer or more inclusive of qualities or ideas than the decoys. Another testmaker tactic is to include a decoy, the correct answer, an option that is too general, and one that is too specific or limited.

“ Read for right answers.” Read and answer with the purpose of choosing the one answer that the testmaker intended.

Use the text, not your life, to answer questions. There is almost always something in the text that will give you a clue to finding the correct answer.

Do a quick check of the number of the question and the number on the Scantron forms every time they see a zero (10, 20, 30, and so on). This double-check can keep them from getting off track, having to go back to find their error, and wasting valuable time.

“Basics of Test-Taking”

Read the directions because they can give unexpected helpful information.

Guess! (Most tests count a non-answer and a wrong answer as the same).

Learn the language of test questions. Read the entire question and all of the answer options.