Strategies for Taking Standardized Tests

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• Strategies for Taking Standardized Tests

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Twas the Night Before Testing

• Make sure you get enough sleep.
• Review the CST prep materials in a timely manner.

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The Morning of Testing

• Eat a good breakfast.
• Get to your testing site early.
• Listen to all testing directions carefully.
• Think Positive!

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The Sleeping Cure!

• If you find yourself getting sleepy or distracted
  take a deep breath- hold the breath in for a
  count of four, then breath out for a count of
  eight.
• This will renew your supply of oxygen allowing
  you to think and remember better.
• Repeat this breathing exercise as many times as
  needed to remain wide awake and mentally fresh.

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Pace Yourself

• Dont spend too much time on any one question. Do
  your best, then move on.
• Answer all of the easiest questions first, then
  make sure to go back to the beginning and answer
  all of your skipped questions.

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Multiple Choice Questions

• If you do not understand any of the directions,
  ask for immediate clarification.
• Read the question and apply a strategy that was
  reviewed the previous week.
• Do not change your first answer unless you are
  very certain about your new answer choice.
• Dont leave any answer choices blank.

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The Process of Elimination

• After you have read through the question, look
  through the answer choices and eliminate the
  answers that are far-fetched or obviously wrong.
• You have now increased your chances to find the
  correct answer.

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Choose Wisely!The Art of Elimination!
The more answers you eliminate, the better your
chances!
Number of choices eliminated Chances of choosing the correct answer
0 25
1 33.3
2 50
3 100
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Identify Key Words

• Use the key words or phrases of the question to
  help you choose the correct answer.
• Circle the key words and numbers in a difficult
  question.
• This helps you stay focused on the central
  question.

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Are we communicating?

• Make sure you understand what the question is
  asking.
• Be sure you are answering the question that is
  being asked.

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More Tools- Predicting

• With a reading passage, try to formulate an
  answer before you read the choices.
• This helps avoid choosing appealing answers that
  only look right.
• Cover the answers with your hand.
• Read the question and predict the answer.
• Find the choice that most closely matches your
  prediction.

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Reading Passages

• When there are several questions from a reading
  passage or chart, look for clues in the other
  questions that will help you answer the questions
  you are unsure about.

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The Death Grip

• If your arm tires during testing it is probably
  due to the grip that you have on your pencil.
• Relax the grip and give those muscles a break.

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Return and Check

• If you finish early, check to make sure you have
  answered all questions correctly and to the best
  of your ability.

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Thank you, Mr. Know-it-all!

• Remember it's okay not to know everything
  unlike class tests, these tests will have some
  questions designed to challenge the limits of
  your grade level knowledge.

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Final Tips

• Fill in bubbles fully, write neatly, and erase
  stray marks.
• Relax
• Read carefully
• Respond with confidence