Good test-taking skills are very important. The child who learns a few simple test-taking strategies will make better grades and score higher on standardized tests. Higher standardized test scores mean better college placement; good test-taking skills can mean better performance on job-related examinations.
Start early to teach your child good test-taking techniques. Even second- and third-graders can learn some simple secrets that will significantly raise their grades.
The child will need to practice each skill in order to use these tips and strategies effectively. Daily assignments often include multiple-choice questions; use these questions to present and review ways to find the correct answer.
Practice each technique over and over until your child uses each of them in his assignments without prompting. Check periodically to be sure he continues to use these tips by observing his work habits and by asking him why he chose his answers to particular questions.
And now for the test-taking secrets:
- Make sure your child reads the question and all of the answers before marking an answer. Children will tend to mark the first answer they see that appears to be correct and then skip to the next question. Discourage this by having him read the question out loud, along with all answers, and then have him verbalize and mark the answer. If the child has difficulty with reading, help him read the questions and answers so that he stays focused on the topic rather than becoming frustrated with reading the paper.
- If the child is "stuck" on a question, encourage him to go on to the next question and come back to the "hard" one later. Explain that this will help him get all the questions he knows done first, and will make sure that time does not run out before he marks all of the things he knows. If he hesitates on an answer, gently urge him to move on by saying, "That one's a little tricky; let's go on and we'll come back to that one later".
- After he marks all of the items he knows, have him go back to the first question he left blank and read it again. Sometimes other questions on the page will give him clues, and he may now recognize some more answers.
- If the child does not know the answer to a question, have him read both question and answers one more time. Ask him to tell you which answers are wrong; this can help eliminate choices. Usually, on multiple-choice tests, one or two answers are obviously wrong and can be eliminated. Then encourage your child to pick the answer that he thinks is correct from the remaining choices.
- Finally, stress to your child that he should never leave a question blank. Ask, "What will happen if you don't answer a question?" "I'll get it wrong," he will reply.
Then ask, "What might happen if you guesses?" Help him to see that guessing is okay when he doesn't know the answer, and it just might help him get credit for the question.
When teaching these test-taking techniques to young children, keep it light. Don't lecture. Just encourage your child to use these little tips and tricks each time he has multiple-choice questions, and soon he will begin to feel more confident and improve his grades.
Carla Ruschival - Carla Ruschival is a teacher, writer, radio talk show host, meeting planner, and advocate. She co-ordinated an adult education program for ...
