Test-Taking Tips for Elementary Students
Tests are important because they help the teacher evaluate a student’s needs and progress, the student gauge his or her own level of mastery, and the parent monitor his or her child’s progress.
Tips to give your child about taking tests:
You can assist your child prepare for testing by doing the following:
Tips to give your child about taking tests:
- Relax. Just do the best you can.
- Your first choice is usually correct. Don't change an answer unless you have a good reason to do so.
- Be aware of key words such as "all," "now," "always," "never," "only," "exactly."
- In multiple-choice questions, don’t skip the longest answer. It should be considered, since test writers want to be sure the correct answer is accurate—they may add lots of details to insure accuracy.
- Watch for negative words like "not," "no," "never."
- Look for information in some of the questions. This information may help you answer other questions.
You can assist your child prepare for testing by doing the following:
- Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep before a test, and make sure your child eats properly the day of a test.
- Maintain a pleasant home environment and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Try to make the morning of the test a pleasant one. Do not add to your child’s stress.
- Make sure your child has taken any needed medication.
- Ensure that your child is present during testing (children generally perform better when taking tests in their groups rather than at a make-up time).
- Get your child to school on time the day of the test.
- Wish your child good luck each morning of the test. Tell your child that he/she is special and that you believe in him/her!
- Remind your child the test is important. Encourage him/her to do his/her best.
- If your child is too ill to attend, please call the school office.
- If the test is on a subject for which you can review (such as a spelling test), help your child go over the material.
- Remind your child to listen carefully to the instructions from the teacher and to read the directions and each question carefully.
- Explain to your child the importance of using time wisely. If your child gets stuck on a question, encourage him or her to make the best guess and move on.
- Tell your child to attempt to answer all of the questions and not to leave any blank.
- Encourage your child to stay focused on the test, even if other students finish early.
- If your child is disappointed after taking a test, reassure him or her that there will be plenty of opportunities to improve and succeed.
Teach Organization Skills to Students at Home
- Label where things should go. Affix pictures or text on clear plastic containers to show what goes in each container.
- Schedule an after-dinner cleanup. Set aside five minutes after dinner to clean up the common areas in the house (living room, countertops, mudroom). Set a timer, put on some lively music, and have the family pitch in. Make it a daily routine!
- Have your child stay put when cleaning up his work area. Instead of taking away the stuff that belongs in other rooms, have him make piles. One for the bedroom, one for the kitchen, one for the playroom. If he walks off to another area, chances are, he will get sidetracked.
- Buy your child a corkboard and pins -- for hanging up important papers that might get lost on a cluttered desk.
- Assemble a homework supply kit. Place in a see-through plastic container, with a lid, everything she will need to complete assignments -- from crayons and a glue stick to a calculator and dictionary. With this system, it does not matter where your child chooses to study. The necessary supplies can accompany her anywhere.
- Provide plastic sleeves for notebooks -- and insert them into your child’s notebooks or binders for storing important papers that are not three-hole-punched.
- Color-code entries on a calendar -- one color for school-related stuff, another for sports, a third for social activities.
- Take a photograph of what neatness should look like -- whether it’s in a backpack or your child’s workspace. Have your child compare his work to the photograph and critique himself. Did he do a five-star job (his work looks exactly like the photo), a three-star job (only a couple of things out of place), or a one-star job (he made an effort but seemed to run out of steam)?
- Put up a large whiteboard that includes a space for a calendar. Give each family member a different-colored marker to write down tasks and events for the week, so each can easily spot his or her own.
- Have your child design a system that works for him. An organizational system that works for you is unlikely to work as well for your child.
- Take out the academic component. When helping your child organize his backpack or workspace, don’t say anything about his terrible handwriting or a paper his teacher has marked up with comments. Continue organizing. You are working on organization, not academics.
- Ask permission before going into his backpack to assist him in organizing it. You wouldn’t want him going into your purse or briefcase without asking first.
- Make organization a family affair. Sometimes entire families are organizationally challenged. If so, admit your difficulties and ask the family to choose a problem to tackle. Design a system and get a commitment from family members to stick with the program for a few weeks to see if it helps. Hold a meeting after one week to evaluate and fine-tune the system, and decide on a reward if everyone makes it through week two.
- Tackle one mess at a time. Parents’ biggest downfall is having kids organize their room, backpack, and homework space all at once. Choose one task, get that system up and running, and, after a month or two, move on to another task.