15 Test Taking Strategies Every

Test Taker Should Know



 •Get plenty of rest
the night before
each testing day
You need 8-10
hours of sleep, so
go to bed by 10pm.

•Eat a good nutritious

breakfast the
morning of each
•Avoid the morning
testing day
rush. Set out clothes the
night before. Get to (Milk w/cereal, eggs,
school a few minutes fruits; no Hot Cheetos
and candy.)
earlier than you usually
do.
 Can You Follow Directions?
Get Out a Sheet of Paper and Take
This Test.
CAN YOU FOLLOW DIRECTIONS?
•This is a timed test--you have 3 minutes only!
•1. Read everything carefully before doing anything.
•2. Put your name in the upper right-hand corner of this paper.
•3. Loudly call out your first name.
•4. Circle your name.
•5. If you have followed directions carefully to this point, call out "I have.”
•6. Draw five small squares in the upper left-hand corner.
•7. Put an "X" in each square.
•8. In your normal speaking voice, count from ten to one backwards.
•9. Now that you have finished reading everything carefully, do only sentences one and
two.


 Always listen to the
LISTEN directions given by teacher.
• Read the directions
READ written on the test.
• Read the question
and ALL answer
ASK
choices before
marking anything.
1. Don’t spend 2. It is important
too much time to answer every
on any one question even if
question. you are not sure
of the answer.
5. Answer the
4. Save time at the
easiest
end to review 3. Use all your
questions first, time! There are no
but be sure to go your test and
make sure you extra points for
back to those finishing early.
questions you haven't left out
skipped. any answers.
 PACE YOURSELF

ACT Aspire 7th and 8th Reading- 31 Questions; 60 Minutes = An Average

of Less Than 2 Minutes A Question

ACT Aspire 7th Math- 41 Questions; 60 Minutes= An Average of About 1

Minute and 46 Seconds Per Question

ACT Aspire 8th Math- 45 Questions; 65 Minutes= An Average of About 1

Minute and 44 Seconds Per Question

REMEMBER TO DO THE EASIEST PROBLEMS FIRST

AND THEN BE SURE AND GO BACK!
 If you can’t figure out
which answer is correct,
try to eliminate (get rid
Eliminate of) the answers that you
obviously wrong know are wrong.
answer choices
Eliminate choices that
are partly correct

Eliminate items that are

correct but don’t answer
the question
 Educated guessing
means using
everything you know
A random guess gives to attempt to answer
the question.
you a 25% chance
of getting the right
answer. An educated
guess gives you
chance of answering
correctly up to
75% .
 ANSWERS WITH THE
FOLLOWING WORDS
ARE USUALLY
WRONG/FALSE.

ALL ALWAYS
MUST NONE
NEVER EVERY
ENTIRELY BEST
WORST ONLY
EVERYONE
 ANSWERS WITH THE
FOLLOWING WORDS
ARE USUALLY
CORRECT/TRUE
SOME
SOMETIMES
GENERALLY
USUALLY
FREQUENTLY
PROBABLY
MOST FEW
MANY OFTEN
SELDOM
 The context of a word
includes all the words and
sentences that surround it
WHEN THE ANSWER IS and the situation in which
NOT CLEAR, LOOK FOR
CLUES ( CONTEXT,
the word is used.
TENSE, WORD TYPE,
GRAMMAR) IN THE
QUESTION AND THE
ANSWER CHOICES
 Clue words in test questions:

Who? Person What? Thing

Where? Place When? Time
Why? Reason Which? Choice
How? A way something is done
How many ? Number
 Example
Our class will see a play,__________ends
this week.
a. Who 1.Use elimination
b.What strategy first…
c. Which 2. Look for a clue
3. Play is a noun
d.When in this sentence,
so ask yourself
what kind of a
play it is.
The effect of negatives is to make Simplify the question by getting rid of
the sentence the opposite of what it double negatives.
would be without the negative.

Negatives:
Simplify this statement:
Not None No one
Most people are
Hardly Scarcely
not unafraid of snakes.
Prefixes such as
Un- Non- Dis- In-
Most people are
afraid of snakes.
 Example
Mrs. Smith dislikes when students are being
rude to their teachers.
Without changing the meaning of the sentence, which
words can best be used to replace the underlined part?
A.Enjoys
B.Tolerates
C.Punishes
D.Does not like
In Math, ESTIMATING is an approximate answer
obtained by rounding the numbers BEFORE you
add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
Always ask yourself: “Is the
answer reasonable?”

What is 325+917+ 796?

A. 56 B. 2038 C. 1038 D. 10,564
 Examples
What value of N makes the
equation true?
N-19=33
A. 245
B. 42 Eliminate
C. 14 obviously
D. 52 wrong
answers first
and then
estimate!
Example
An airplane flew 2905 miles in 5 hours.
What was the speed of the plane?
A. 12 miles per hour
B. 2324 miles per hour
C. 581 miles per hour
D. 481 miles per hour
1. Read all the titles, labels, and other given
information
2. Check the units of measurement
3. Look for a pattern, trend, or comparison in the
graph or table
1. Read the title of the map
2. Check the map key( legend)
3. Look at the map scale (if you
need to find a distance)
4. Re-read the question again
 Other Math Tips
• Use Scratch Paper.
• Double Check To Make Sure You've copied
the problem correctly.
• Line Up Place Values (thousands, hundreds,
tens, ones) Neatly To Avoid Careless
Mistakes.

• Pace Yourself.
MOVE ON AND
GO BACK!
•Answers about where and when
the story takes place are
found at the beginning.

•Answers about a problem of

the story are usually found
in the middle.

•Answers about how the

problem was resolved are
usually found at the end.
 When Reading a Passage
Remember To:

READ THE QUESTIONS FIRST to
determine what you are looking for as
you read the selection.
What’s the Big
•Events and characters that
Idea? make up the story
•The purpose of the story
•The point the author is trying
to make

Tip: Look for the

Big idea in the first
two paragraphs of
the story!
 Example
Read this outline of the article.
I. Introduction
II. Athenian Democracy
III.Representative Democracy
IV.Conclusion
Which main idea belongs first under section III?
a. Every citizen is a member of a government
b. A presidential election is like a town meeting
c. Al Gore got about 500,000 more votes than George Bush
did
d. A few elected officials represent a very large population
Use all the strategies
you have learned
 KNOW THE MEANING
OF THESE 12 POWER WORDS
*Trace-outline, list in steps, or follow the
path
*Analyze-break into parts, tell about the
parts
*Infer-read between the lines, what is the
hidden meaning
*Evaluate-judge it, tell the good and the
bad
 KNOW THE MEANING
OF THESE 12 POWER WORDS
Continued
*Formulate-create, put together
*Describe-tell about, paint a picture with
words
*Support-back it up or prove it with
details
*Explain-teach me or show me the
steps
 KNOW THE MEANING
OF THESE 12 POWER WORDS
Continued
*Summarize-tell the main idea, tell the
beginning, middle, and end
*Compare-tell the all the ways they are
the same
*Contrast-tell all the ways that they are
different
*Predict-What will happen next?
Don’t misbubble

If you reach a hard question and can’t make

your educated guess, an easier one is just
around the corner. Write a light ? next to
the question you are skipping and move on
to the next question.
How Do You Prevent
Misbubbling?

At the end of the test, go back

to the questions with ? next

to them and see if you can try
to answer it. Please be sure
to answer every question.
 Final Tip Reminders
 If the test requires you to read
passages and then answer questions
about what you read,
Read the questions first.
 Line up place value correctly on
your scratch paper (thousands,
hundreds, tens, ones).
 Remember: Never leave any
question on a test blank.
 When You Are Done …
 Fill in bubbles fully, write neatly, and erase stray
marks.
 If you finish early, check to make sure you have
answered all questions.
 Once you have finished, please remain quiet as
others will still be working on the test.
I am scared of
the test
monster!!!! Remember the strategies! They will help
you to feel confident.

•Think positively about doing your best!

•Take a deep breath to relax.
•Answer EVERY question.
•Make intelligent educated guesses.
•Think about one item at a time.
•DO YOUR BEST!
 Reduce Your Test Anxiety With Practice

•Confidence comes from practice and becoming

familiar with the format.

•USATestprep will give you the practice you need to

help you stay calm and do your best.
By Using The Test Taking Strategies You
Have Learned Today, and With Practice,
You Can Improve Your Test Taking Skills
and Test Scores.
YOU CAN DO THIS!

Sources:
“Preparing Middle School Students for High Stakes
Tests,” Tara Musslewhite, Atascocita Middle School,
Humble, Texas
“15 Strategies Every Test Taker Should Have,” Vista
Middle School, Van Nuys, CA