How to Teach Test-Taking

Tests don’t necessarily measure the knowledge that the student has but can be a measure of how well that they take a test. If you would like to help your child show the world his true knowledge, teaching him test-taking is imperative. You can aid your child by finding ways to encourage his capabilities in this area. Read on to learn how to teach test-taking.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Egg timer
• Kits to teach test-taking

1. Turn pressure into fun. Sometimes teachers and parents create the pressure the child feels. One of the most important parts of teaching test-taking is to enjoy it yourself and relax. Children feel the stress that we have and it is reflected in the work they do.

2. Use a one-minute egg timer and give 10 simple math problems to complete. Make the lesson short and easy. Use questions that do not require detailed answers. Give 100 points for each correct answer and record the points. As the child gets better, keep the first level the same but add another level that is more difficult with higher point values. Give an additional 30 seconds for each level added. This trains the child to take a test like a game, removing a lot of the stress. Allow the child to keep his own record and only tell you about his personal best

3. Teach your child to eliminate the wrong answers. Tests can be tricky and made easier when you can eliminate the wrong answers first. Give a test that does not require the right answer. Make a list of several questions that may have two or more right answers. Throw in one question with three out of four of the answers wrong. Make the question difficult but the wrong answers simple. Ask your child to go through the test and cross off all the wrong answers that she can find. Review the test. Mention that she got a difficult answer correct by eliminating the wrong answer.

4. Assign a test as homework to teach test-taking. Review a chapter on any subject and then ask your child to create a test for you to take. This can be dangerous if you aren’t confident in your knowledge, so make certain that you are ready for it. Make the assignment a 25-point test. Creating questions can help the child learn what to study.

5. Find ways to teach tests that require several answers. Even the best test-taker dreads the multiple choice questions that have several possible answers or no right answer. Practice these types of questions together. Make the lesson simple and include a few that say none of these, with the correct answer obvious.

6. Stress the concept of skipping a question to come back later. Create a test with very difficult questions mixed in the beginning. Write questions later in the test that contain the answer to several of them. If the child doesn’t skip the hard questions and come back later, help them to when you review the test. Include a few of these on every test that you create.

7. Know that there are kits to teach test-taking. Use the kits to practice some of the test taking agility. Create a fun time around all of this and use it as a game.

[MidniteWriter]

on 8/5/2008 Kids should get used to stress and pressure, these are good test tips, thanks!