| Taking Standardized Tests
Here are a few helpful tips in how to take a standardized test. These
tips are not meant to replace the fact that students need to review
materials and study beforehand. But there are several items that one may
not think of in the days before the test and on the day of the test:
BEFORE THE TEST:
* Review exam preparation materials. Take some timed practice tests.
* If you are allowed to use a calculator, know how to use it. There
are helpful keys on the calculator that you may not know about. Make sure
you know where all of the important keys are.
* Get a good night’s sleep. The night before a standardized test is
not a time to stay up late or go out with your friends.
* Eat a good breakfast. It will give you enough energy to make it
through the exam.
* Eat a light lunch. You may realize that after you have a big lunch,
you feel like going to sleep. If your exam is in the afternoon, you
certainly don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of it. If you eat a
little less, enough to still be a little hungry, you should physically be in
good shape to finish an afternoon exam.
DAY OF EXAM:
* Standardized tests are timed. You need to be aware of time, but you
should not let time paralyze you
o Have a plan going into the exam. Know how much each section of the
exam will be worth. Allocate your time on the exam to correspond with the
amount of points each section is worth.
o Know how many total questions are on the exam. Divide that number
into the total amount of time you are given. Keep you eye on the clock and
try to stay within the average time per question.
o Stick to the timeframe of your plan, even if that means skipping
some problems. If you have time at the end of the exam, go back and answer
the ones you had to skip.
* Find questions on the exam you can answer easily. That will give you
confidence. DON’T NECESSARILY GO IN ORDER OF THE QUESTIONS.
* If you don’t know the answer to a question right away, skip the
question. They waste time and lessen your confidence. Go back after you
are done, you will be surprised to see that there are some you can now
answer.
* Answer every question (unless you are taking an exam that penalizes
you for guessing)
* Take enough supplies -- sharpened pencils, erasers, tissues and
anything else you may need -- so that you don’t have to get up from your
desk.
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