1. Taking a test is a skill. It’s a skill that students practice and get better at doing. Using these skills will always help you do better on any test. Test Taking Skills

2. Question: why does it matter to you that you do well on the MCA test? Your Answer: list at least 3 reasons.

3. Highlight key words in the question which will help your brain to focus. Remember: this prepares your brain for the information and makes the questions easier to answer! Always…always…always: Read the questions first before reading the article (you’ll have to “fake” answer the questions so you can read them).

4. Vocabulary AntonymsSynonymsHomonyms A word meaning the opposite of another word A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word Words that sound the same, but differ in meaning In groups of no more than 3, come up with examples of each of these. Be prepared to share.

5. Use Active Reading Write 3 word summaries in either the notes section on the computer or ask for a piece of paper. Highlight key points – but limit it – too much underlining and you’ll lose the focus. Stop and ask yourself: what did I just read? If you don’t know, re-read. Take your time. 80% of the questions are literal, meaning the answer is actually in the text!

6. Main Idea: Pay close attention to the first and last sentences in each paragraph, these are the sentences that will contain the main idea of the story. Mood: Pay attention to the adjectives – describing words – that are being used. This will help you to answer what the mood is throughout the story.

7. Context Clues (use them if you don’t know a word in either the question or in the text) Go back to text where you made highlights; Read the sentence that comes before the sentence with the word in it, and the one immediately after. Circle adjectives - describing words – in all 3 sentences as you are reading. These are your clues. Use them.

8. 4 Kinds of Context Clues

9. Practice Using Context Clues

10. Go BACK to the TEXT If you don’t know an answer, go back and scan the text: look for specific words. Do not re-read. Rather than getting frustrated by a question you cannot answer, move on and come back to it.

11. Read ALL of the choices before selecting one. Test preparers love to use the “best” answer. Eliminate the answer choices that are obviously wrong. Cross them off with your pencil so they do not distract you. Look for “absolute” words in the answers. Words like always and never. Double check your answer against the key words you circled in the question. Answering the Questions :

12. Take Care of Yourself Sleep at least 8 hours Eat a breakfast high in protein (this will help you feel energized and more focused) Drink water Breathe…breathe…breathe…( 4 deep breaths in a row will help) Do not put pressure on yourself: do your best and remember that this is just a “snapshot”

13. Breathe…breathe…breathe…(4 deep breaths in a row will help). Count to 4 with each breathe. Close your eyes. Think of a favorite, calming place. Breathe deeply. Make a double fist and place your hands on the table. Place your forehead on top of your fists and stay there for 3 minutes. You can also release tension by doing a simple twist. Put your hands on the back of your chair and twist in one direction, then switch to the other. Don’t worry about anyone paying attention to you, other students are pretty focused on their own testing. Anxious?

14. Poster Assignment: Choose a partner Together decide on the three test taking strategies that helped you the most Create a poster using one of the advertising techniques you learned to “sell” these strategies Must have a title Must have a visual Must have 3 key points Must have everything spelled correctly Must be neat and professional Worth: 20 points