2008 Pearson Education, publishing as Longman Publishers

Chapter 12: Test Taking

Bridging the Gap, 9/eBrenda Smith

In this chapter you will answer the questions:

• Can being testwise improve your score?• How should you prepare before a test?• What should you notice during a test?• What strategies should you use to read a

comprehension passage?• What are the major question types?• What hints help with multiple-choice

items?• How do you answer an essay question?

Can Being Testwise Improve Your Score?

• High scores depend on preparation, both mental and physical.

• Understanding how tests are constructed can help.

Strategies for Mental and Physical Preparation

• Get Plenty of Sleep the Night Before.• Arrive Five or Ten Minutes Early and Get

Settled.• Know What to Expect on the Test.• Have Confidence in Your Abilities.• Know How the Test Will Be Scored.• Plan Your Attack.

Reader’s Tip: Preparing for a Test

• How will the test look?• What material will be covered?• How will you study?• When will you study?• What grade are you honestly working

to achieve?

During the Test

• Concentrate.• Read and Follow Directions.• Schedule Your Time.• Work Rapidly.• Think!• Ignore Students Who Finish Early.

After the Test

• Analyze Your Preparation.• Analyze the Test.• Analyze Your Performance.

Strategies for Standardized Reading Tests

• Read to Comprehend the Passage as a Whole

• Anticipate What is Coming Next• Read Rapidly, but Don’t Allow Yourself to

Feel Rushed• Read to Learn and Enjoy• Self-Test for the Main Idea

Recognizing the Major Question Types

• Main Idea• Details• Inference• Purpose• Vocabulary

Strategies for Multiple-Choice Items

• Consider All Alternatives Before Choosing an Answer

• Anticipate the Answer and Look for Something Close to It

• Avoid Answers with 100 Percent Words: no none, only, every, always, must

• Consider Answers with Qualifying Words: few, much, often, may, many, some, perhaps

• True Statements Must Be True Without Exception• If Two Options Are Synonymous, Eliminate Both• Study Similar Options to Determine the Differences• Use Logical Reasoning If Two Answers Are Correct

Strategies for Multiple-Choice Items

• Look Suspiciously at Directly Quoted Pompous Phrases

• Simplify Double Negatives by Canceling Out Both.• Use Can’t-Tell Responses If Clues Are Insufficient• Validate True Responses on “All the Following

Except”• Note Oversights on Hastily Constructed Tests:

– Grammar– Clues from Other Parts of the Test– Length – Absurd Ideas and Emotional Words

Strategies for Content Area Exams

Multiple-Choice Items: • Make a list of key terms, facts, and

concepts.• Quiz yourself and make connections with

similarities and differences.• Invent scenarios that depict principles and

concepts.– Factual questions– Conceptual comprehension– Application questions

Strategies for Content Area Exams

• Short-Answer Items– Make lists and self-test.– For history exams, be prepared to identify who,

what, when, where, and why.

Strategies for Content Area Exams

• Essay Questions– Translate the Question.– Answer the Question.– Organize Your Response.– Use an Appropriate Style (not conversational).– Be Aware of Appearance.– Predict and Practice.– View Your Response Objectively for Evaluation

Points.– After the Test, Read an “A” Paper.

See the Reader’s Tip on page 619 for examples of Key Words in Essay Exams.

Locus of Control

• External Locus of Control: does not take responsibility for test grades

• Internal Locus of Control: takes responsibility for success on tests.

• WHICH ARE YOU?

Summary Points

• Can being testwise improve your score?• How should you prepare before a test?• What should you notice during a test?• What strategies should you use to read a

comprehension passage?• What are the major question types?• What hints help with multiple-choice

items?• How do you answer an essay question?

Search the Web

• For more information on Test-taking, search the Internet and look at information on:

http://www.ablongman.com/smith/