Test Taking Strategies

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Test Taking Strategies

• AIMS Benchmark Test Prep
• Cholla 2013 - 2014

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Initial Brainstorm on your lined paper2 min

• Brainstorm a list of the test taking strategies
  that you already know. (Limit yourself to
  multiple choice type of standardized tests.)
• Which strategies do you prefer to use? star them
• Are these strategies good to use when taking the
  AIMS/Benchmark test?

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Our Brainstorm Results
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Previous Survey Responses ToWhat test taking
strategies do I know?

• I always pick letter (C, B, G, etc)
• Elimination (take away an answer if it doesnt
  make sense)
• Read the question first, then the answers
• Read the answers first, then the questions
• I make a zigzag pattern on my answer sheet

• Reread the questions to make sure I understand
• Look closely at the questions
• Double check my work
• Cover up the answers with my hand
• Work out the problems, dont just guess
• I just guess

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Test Taking StrategiesGeneral Good Practices

• Read the directions and each test question
  carefully
• Pay attention to BOLD, italics, and underlined
  words or phrases.
• Don't change your answer, usually your first
  choice is the right one!
• Unless you misread the question.
• Only change it if you KNOW you did something
  wrong the first time.

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Test Taking StrategiesReview, Review, Review!!!

• Review the Test
• Review both questions and answers.
• It is possible you misread questions the first
  time.
• Make sure you didnt leave any blanks
• Unless you get points deducted for wrong answers,
  ALWAYS ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS!

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Be Familiar With The AIMS Reference Sheet
There is super useful info on this sheet! Dont
wait until the test day to figure it out. Know
how to use it BEFORE taking the test!
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Test Taking Strategies - MATH

• Making Smart Guesses
• Covering the Answers
• Reverse Engineer
• Elimination
• Estimation
• Simplify the Problem
• Draw a Picture or Diagram
• Make up your own numbers

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Test Taking StrategiesMaking Smart Guesses

• Pay attention to Look alike options
• probably one is correct.
• When you have NO IDEA about which answer is
  correct
• Toss out the high and low and consider the middle
  range numbers.

Example 1
Example 2
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Test Taking StrategiesCovering The Answers -
Math Portion

• This is good for both math and language type
  questions.
• Cover the answers and come up with your own
  answer before looking at the choices.
• Especially helpful on math questions containing
  graphs.

Math Example 2
Math Example 1
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Test Taking StrategiesReverse Engineer

• Work Backwards! Meaning you start with the
  answers and work backwards.
• This works very well for many types of math
  problems.

Algebra Example
Geometry Example
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Test Taking StrategiesElimination

• Eliminate options you know to be incorrect.
• Then make your guess among the remaining options.

Example
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Test Taking StrategiesEstimation

• Use estimation techniques.
• Especially when the four answers are very
  different numbers.
• Remember you arent being tested on HOW you are
  getting the answer, just that you are able to get
  the right one!

Example
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Test Taking StrategiesSimplify The Problem

• Draw a picture to better represent the situation.
• Make up numbers and see what works.
• Especially helpful on abstract problems.
• CAUTIONpick good numbers! Be careful when
  picking 0, 1, 2 because they sometimes behave
  in unexpected ways.
• Remember you arent being tested on HOW you are
  getting the answer, just that you are able to get
  the right one!

Make Up Numbers Example
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What strategy will you use?
Which shows the following function in equation
notation?
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What strategy will you use?
What would be a reasonable approximation for the
given square root?
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What strategy will you use?
Fred borrowed 575 from his mom to help buy a
truck. He paid her 25 every week until the debt
was paid.
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What strategy will you use?
What is the value of x?
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Strategy Review

• Stay Confident and Relaxed!
• Do the Easy questions FIRST!
• Use Strategies to Guess
• Eliminate known wrong answers
• Look- Alikes - be aware of similar numbers
• Work backwards try substituting in the answers
  to solve it.
• CHECK your work, make sure your answers are
  reasonable!
• Make sure you are putting your answer in the
  correct bubble on the answer sheet! DONT LEAVE
  ANY BLANKS!

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RELAX, YOU WILL DO GREAT!
?
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Understanding Test Anxiety

• AIMS Benchmark Test Prep
• Cholla 2013 - 2014

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Initial Brainstorm on your lined paper2 min

• Imagine yourself waking up and getting ready for
  school on AIMS testing day.
• How do you feel?
• Imagine yourself sitting in school taking the
  AIMS test.
• Write a minimum of three things that you are
  thinking about while taking this test.

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Survey Responses ToHow do I feel on test day?
(write down on white board)

• Scared!
• Stupid, I want to ditch school.
• I feel tired and slow.
• Feel like Im lazy
• Hungry, cant focus
• Nervous
• Im going to Fail I dont know half of this
  stuff!

• Everyone is going to do better than me!
• I want to tear it up!
• I want to go home I dont want to be there.
• I feel prepared and focused but also nervous
• I want to take my time and try my hardest.

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Do You Get Test Anxiety?

• Physical Symptoms headache, upset stomach, rapid
  heart beat, cant get enough air, shaking, etc.
• Emotional Symptoms feeling jittery, angry about
  the test, unreasonably afraid, overall lack of
  energy, etc.

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Is Pressure Good for Test Taking?

• Some pressure is GOOD
• Too much pressure is BAD

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Image borrowed from MindTools.com
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Test Anxiety
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What is Systematic Desensitization?

• Repeated, frequent exposure to the stimulus.
• How do we do this in sports?
• How do we do this for AIMS?
• ATI (Benchmark) Tests

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Test Anxiety
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What is Self-Talk?

• Thoughts are powerful and your own mental chatter
  can help you or harm you.
• Give yourself a pep talk the way you would to
  your best friend.
• I can do this.
• Ive practiced this Ive got this!
• Im well prepared for this test.
• Write on your lined paper a minimum of two
  phrases that you will practice for positive
  self-talk both before and during the test.

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Dont Make Your Test Anxiety Worse!

• Are there things that you do that contribute to
  your test anxiety?
• Stimulants?
• Sleep Needs?
• Hydration?
• Plenty of Nutritious Foods?

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Caffeine and Test Anxiety

• Physical Symptoms headache, upset stomach,
  rapid heart beat, cant get enough air, shaking,
  etc.

Emotional Symptoms feeling jittery, angry about
the test, unreasonably afraid, overall lack of
energy, etc.

• On test day, avoid caffeine if you are feeling
  jittery, light headed, or anxious.
• Remember caffeine is in coffee, tea, soda, and
  energy drinks.

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Caffeine and Performance

• Caffeine will improve your performance on dull or
  boring tasks.
• Caffeine will hurt your performance on tasks that
  are unfamiliar or stressful.

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Be Good To Yourself!

• Get AT LEAST 8 hours of sleep!
• Stay away from junk food.
• Eat a large, nutritious breakfast!
• Drink plenty of water.
• Stay away from excessive amounts of caffeine.
  (energy drinks, lots of soda)

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Test Anxiety
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Mini-Rituals

• What is a Mini-Ritual?
• A quick, personal routine that is designed to
  improve mental focus and generate a high level of
  performance.
• Does anyone already have one they use when
  playing sports?

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Key Components of the Mini-Ritual

• Needs to be subtle (so you are comfortable doing
  it in a room full of strangers)
• Needs to be quiet (so you dont disrupt others)
• Needs to be easy
• Needs to work for you! (not all rituals will work
  for all people)

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Some Ideas For Your Mini-Ritual

• Posture
• Flex and Relax
• Wristband
• Combination

• Shield
• Recite
• Find Your Happy Place
• Three-Part Breathing

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Mini-Rituals - Examples

1. Shield Imagine you are sitting in a protected
   bubble, like a force field. Visualize
   distractions bouncing off without affecting you.
   Or imagine you are wearing a thick raincoat and
   let distractions roll off your shoulders, like
   water.
2. Recite Repeat a poem, prayer, or song you know
   well.
3. Find Your Happy Place Think of a place where you
   feel relaxed and well rested. Imagine yourself
   there, completely content. What do you see,
   smell, and hear?

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Mini-Rituals - Examples

1. Three-Part Breathing First, sit up straight and
   concentrate on bringing the new air all the way
   into your abdomen. Bring the second breath into
   your rib cage and feel your ribs move outward.
   Bring the third breath into the tip of your
   chest. With each exhale, flex your stomach
   muscles and expel all of the old stale air. There
   is more air left in your lungs than you think.
2. Posture Add a specific posture to your
   mini-ritual, such as confidently throwing your
   shoulder back, stretching your arms over your
   head, or placing your hands in a certain gesture.

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Mini-Rituals - Examples

1. Flex and Relax Tense your shoulder and face.
   Flex your fingers into fists. Hold your breath
   and count to five, then exhale and relax. Repeat
   three times.
2. Wristband Wear a flexible bracelet or a rubber
   band on your wrist. Each time you catch your mind
   wandering, gently snap the band. Its a gentle
   way to say, No, thats not where Im supposed to
   be right now. The wristband becomes a symbol of
   concentration.
3. Combination Many rituals work best in
   combinations. For example, try flex and relax
   with three-part breathing, or breathe deeply
   while visualizing your happy place.

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Practice Practice Practice!

• With time and practice, your mini-ritual
  immediately brings you into a powerful mental
  state of relaxed concentration.
• A well established mini-ritual is a great
  advantage for long contests or high-pressure
  situations like the AIMS, SAT, etc.

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Following Slides Havent Been Edited for AIMS
These are from SAT test prep presentations that
Ive done. I have NOT edited or adapted for
AIMS/Benchmark
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Test Taking Strategy 1 Timing Pacing

• Do all question encoding in the test booklet!
• NO STRAY MARKS ON BUBBLE SHEET!
• Lightly versus Darkly filling in a bubble
• How do you encode a question?
• See Handout on Pink Paper

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Test Taking Strategy 1 Timing PacingSample
Encoding Symbols
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Test Taking Strategy 4 The Mind Game
Understanding Test Anxiety

• Use a Bridge Technique
• This links the information you study with certain
  objects.
• Your bridge object can be a lucky token like a
  wristband, lucky token, small stone, eraser, etc.
• Make sure it is an object that will not raise
  objections in the SAT testing room.
• Hold this object in your palm while you are
  studying.
• Concentrate on this object if you are feeling
  anxious during the test.

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Test Taking Strategy 4 The Mind Game Building
Mental Stamina

• How can I lengthen my attention span?
• Build Mental Stamina

1. Train endurance push yourself by studying for
   longer and longer periods of time without a
   break. Work up to being able to concentrate for
   4 hours.

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Test Taking Strategy 4 The Mind Game Building
Mental Stamina

• Prepare to focus pay attention to what wakes
  you up and what calms you down.
• Before starting an SAT study session, set aside a
  few minutes for an activity that will help you
  feel focused and refreshed.
• Perhaps exercise or a creative activity works for
  you. (Quick Run, Play Guitar or Video Game)
• On test day, wake up early and practice your
  activity before going to the test center.

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Test Taking Strategy 4 The Mind Game Building
Mental Stamina

• Avoid the crash notice how different foods
  affect your ability to concentrate.
• Many find it difficult to concentrate when they
  are hungry.
• Lots of caffeine and sugar will work in the short
  term but lead to a energy crash.
• Since the SAT is 4 hours long, you dont want to
  be hungry or fighting a caffeine headache .

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Test Taking Strategy 4 The Mind Game Building
Mental Stamina

1. Track your progress with a log if you are
   serious about improving your attention span, keep
   a concentration log as you study. Experiment
   with different mini-rituals, snacks, and
   activities to see which works best for you.

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Test Taking Strategy 4 The Mind Game
Understanding Test Anxiety

• Memory is location specific
• Your brain links information to the place where
  you learned it.
• This can contribute to test anxiety.
• Combat this by studying for the SAT in several
  different places, both inside your house and in
  public locations.

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The Following Slides ARE LINKED
To the test taking strategies portion of the
presentation.
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Example 1 - Covering the Answers
Back To Previous Slide
The Theater Club is selling snack boxes. The
graph shows how much money the Club fund will
raise based on the number of boxes sold. Based on
the graph, about how much money will the Club
fund receive if 90 boxes of snacks are sold?
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Example 2 - Covering the Answers
Back To Previous Slide
Which answer represents the phrase below? twice
the difference of two numbers
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Example 1 of Look Alike Options
Back To Previous Slide
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Using Elimination
Back To Previous Slide
Which is the y-intercept of the line represented
by the equation?
4x 8y 64
Remember you arent being tested on HOW you are
getting the answer, just that you are able to get
the right one!
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Example of using Estimation
Back To Previous Slide
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Example of Reverse Engineering for an Algebra
problem
Back To Previous Slide
Which equation represents a line with a slope of
-2 that goes through the point (-2, 6)?
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Example of Reverse Engineeringfor a Geometry
problem
Back To Previous Slide
Given the sum of the interior angles of a regular
polygon is 720, how many sides does the polygon
have?
Use your AIMS reference sheet!
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Test Taking StrategiesMake a Picture

• This is helpful on math problems.
• Especially on those that may be overly tricky.

Half of a Half of a Half What would you get if
you divided a half of a half of a half by a half
of a fourth of a half?
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What to do about an overly confusing problem.
Back To Previous Slide
Half of a Half of a Half What would you get if
you divided a half of a half of a half by a half
of a fourth of a half?
Make a picture
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Example 2 of Look Alike Options
Back To Previous Slide
Which answer represents the sentence below? The
product of two numbers (x and y) is two more than
their sum.
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Making Up Your Own Numbers
Back To Previous Slide
5 10 15 and 15 15
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