Skills That Lead To Better Test Scores

Saturday, March 1, 2003

(NAPSA)—There’s good news for parents whose children have a tough time making the grade when it comes to testing. Whether it’s multiple-choice, open-ended questions or essay format, there are practical steps students can take to prepare for exams and reduce the anxiety associated with test-taking. The experts at Sylvan Learning Center offer the following testtaking strategies: Multiple-choice Questions Go through and answer the easy questions first—they take less time. Save timefor the difficult ones. Mark any questions that you need to re-visit. If the answer isn’t obvious, see if you can eliminate at least one clearly wrong answer. e Answer all questions. With multiple-choice, it’s better to guess than to leave the answerblank. Make sure you didn’t miss any questions. Open-ended Questions Write answers clearly and be sure to proofread. Plan out what you want to say. It can’t hurt to jot down a couple of quick notes to guide the direction of your answers. On reading questions, if asked for an answer that draws a conclusion, use details from the passageto support youridea. For math questions, jot down what you know about the word problem and maybe drawa picture to help you solveit. Essay Questions If there is a choice of questions to answer, select the ones you know the most about. Make sure there’s enough supporting material to answer the questions you want to answer. Pa i By practicing test-taking skills students can managethe anxiety that accompanies exams. Review the chosen question thoroughly. Make sure you answer every aspect of the question. Prepare an outline. Organize your thoughts and keep yourfacts straight. Provide supporting details for major topic areas, an introductory and concluding statement, and restate your theme or thesis statement in your conclusion. “In addition to studying and reviewing class materials before an exam, students also need to learn test-taking techniques,” said Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., vice president of education for Sylvan Learning Center. “Effective testtaking skills help students manage the anxiety that accompanies exams and ensure the highest grade possible.” For additional information on preparing for each type of exam, or on standardized testing, visit www.educate.com/online/testing. htmlor call 1-800-31-SUCCESS.

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