1. Test Wiseness AVID 9

2. Basic Guidelines for Test Day Arrive early. Take time to breathe, reflect on the upcoming test, and focus. Read (and perhaps NOTATE) directions carefully before beginning each section. Plan how you will break down your use of time. Prioritize sections. Keep a steady pace. Use ALL of your time, and review your work (without getting anxious).

3. Basic Guidelines, continued Proofread any/all written work (essays, short answer). Remember that essays very well may receive “style” points. Look at the back side of each page of the test (yes, it happens). Listen to last-minute directions from your instructor; don’t fail to miss these because you are anxious.

4. Mock Tests This study strategy will familiarize you with the content and answer the question, “how will my teacher test me over this?” Construct an assessment for study that you believe to be what you’d expect in a real test – one suggestion is that this is your FIRST study night. Then on the night before the test, take and grade the assessment. How’d you do? This will also reduce test-taking anxiety by replicating the test in a non-threatening format.

5. Essay Strategies Organize your thoughts before writing a single sentence. This is worth all of the other strategies put together. Reread the question after completing your writing. (Did you stay on track? Did you answer the question? Did you conclude stronger than you started) Pay attention to the verbs in the question in order to figure out what exact task you are to complete. Keep this verb in mind as you answer – am I demonstrating? Am I analyzing?

6. Essay Strategies (continued) Write clearly. Handwriting makes an impression on an instructor. Use correct sentence structure and paragraphing (indent!). Look at the essay’s point value and let that help dictate the assertions/evidence you should include. Delineate a clear thesis and clear support. Give each sentence/thought a purpose.

7. Avoiding the True/False Nightmare Myth: “Woohoo – I’ve got a 50/50 chance!” Reality: It is the section that loses the most points for at least 70% of Mr. Smithyman’s students. What can you do? When it is truly a 50/50 guess, most tests feature more true statements than false statements.

8. True False = Careful Reading These statements need to be read more carefully than any other section of the test. Memorization is the best preparation for True/False. Most T/F “bonehead” mistakes come from rushing through this section. Carefully read for any single word that would make the statement true or false – these are called “modifiers” and “qualifiers”

9. Extreme Modifiers These modifiers tend to make the question false: All, none, best, absolutely, always, never, worst, absolutely not, only, nobody, everybody, certainly, invariably, no one, everyone Think: Is there an exception to this “rule”?

10. Qualifiers Words like usually, frequently, often, sometimes, some, seldom, many, much, probably, a majority, most, might, a few, may, unlikely These words tend to make the question true.

11. In T/F, watch for… Questions that state a reason: they tend to be false (watch for since, because, as a result). Prefixes (un-, im-, mis-) and how they affect the question Double negatives (“not uncommon”)

12. Multiple Choice Read each multiple choice question and come up with the answer in your head. It’s easier to match your answer with an answer choice than get lost in four potential answers. This will increase comprehension of the question itself, decrease anxiety, and capitalize on memorization/previous knowledge.

13. Multiple Choice (continued) Use process of elimination for those you don’t know. Isolate down to two choices and guess from there. Convert questions to true false formats using answer choices to read them a “different” way. Correct answers tend to be the longer and more descriptive choices.

14. Multiple Choice (continued) Read the question fully, and look for any reversal indicators, modifiers and/or qualifiers. Watch for “NOT”, “all BUT”, etc. When numbers are involved, cast out the “extremes” and go towards the middle. When two very similar answers appear, it is likely that one of them is correct.

15. Matching Examine both lists before starting. This will familiarize you with the types of terms and their relationships. This will also build confidence. Use one list as a starting point and go through the second list to find a match. This organizes your thinking and speeds your answers.

16. Matching (continued) Picture the match in your head before finding the term in the list. Scan through other choices AFTER your first choice, however, to make sure there isn’t a BETTER match. Cross out terms that you’ve used already (but only if they can’t be used more than once). This helps with limiting future answer choices AND staying organized.

17. Fill-In-The-Blank Sometimes there are clues in the size of the blanks offered. Watch for preceding articles (a/an) to give clues as well. If/when you cannot think of the exact word/words, provide a descriptive answer. This will often get you partial credit.

18. Test Taking Test 1. When doing fill in the blank questions, read the ________ with the intent to give an answer.

19. Test Taking Test 2. Concentrate on the ___________ of blanks to fill in per sentence. 3. When you don’t know the __________ answer, provide a descriptive alternative.

20. Test Taking Test 3. Do not _________ until absolute matches have been made with matching questions. 4. Use the process of __________ when you don’t know the answer.

21. Test Taking Test 5. Choose the _________ range and not the extremes. 6. Read the _________ carefully, looking for any word to make it false.

22. Test Taking Test 7. Keep a ____________ when taking tests. 8. Rely on your ___________ and don’t watch for patterns.

23. Best Test-Taking Tips Most anxiety is caused by a lack of preparation. Think about it – when are you anxious in class? Usually when you don’t know the answer. Carve out specific blocks of time to study in advance of upcoming tests and use several study strategies to prepare for them. Use peers, parents and tutors to help package study strategies for you. This takes discipline and time management – the skills that will impress colleges the most.

24. Best Test-taking tips (continued) Talk to your teachers before major tests. Allow them to help you create a study plan in advance (if they haven’t already given advice in class). After a test, explain how you prepared and let the teacher add in suggestions on how to study even better for next time. Remember – your teacher has already seen the test itself! Who better to give advice?