Preparing for Tests

Daily

Have a short "pre-" and "post-" class review of lecture notes every day .

Children should plan short daily reviews into their schedules. "A five-minute review of biology" or "A ten-minute review of economics."

Give your child the following tips to overview his/her notes. (This should only take five to ten additional minutes each night.)

- Reread notes in your notebooks. Repetition is the best way to learn.

- Rewrite notes in your notebook. This repetition will help, too.

- Add information to your notes that you may find while reading your textbook.

- Skim textbook material covered that day.

- Highlight or underline while you skim. You can also underline your notes.

Weekly
Once a week students should have a major review of all the material they learned that week.

Tell kids to test themselves! They should plan on one hour per subject. These periods are more structured than short daily reviews and will help them put all of the information together to see a broad picture.

Tell students to carry a pack of flash cards with them whenever they think they might have a spare minute to review them. They should also keep a few blank cards so they can make new flash cards whenever the need arises.

Suggest a study group as another way to study for a test. Students need to have someone else ask them questions about the material; self-testing is a good way to get ready for a test.

Fourteen Ways to Ace a Test

- Make sure you know exactly what the test will cover. If you are not sure, ASK.

- Arrive early so you have time to do a breathing or relaxation exercise.

- Pay particular attention to verbal directions given as the test is distributed.

- Scan the whole test immediately. Evaluate the importance of each section. Notice how many points each part of the test is worth and estimate how much time you will need for each section. Budget your time for each section according to the value of the points.

- Jot down memory aids, formulas, equations, facts, or other material you know you will need and might forget.

- Answer the easiest, shortest questions first. This gives you success that stimulates you to go on.

- Next, answer the multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions and finally the essay questions.

- Pace yourself. Watch the time.

- Leave plenty of space between answers.

- Look for answers in other test questions.

- In quick answer questions, your first instinct is usually best. Do not change your answer unless you are sure the second choice is correct.

- Try to have a positive attitude, and feel good about taking the test.

- Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Remember, old tests make great study guides.