With test-taking season on the horizon, many students and teachers are working hard to ensure success on important, high-stakes exams. As stressful as testing can be, it’s necessary to assess whether students have mastered new concepts and skills before testing happens, and if they’re prepared to move on to more challenging concepts. It’s also something that will come up again and again throughout their lives. That’s why it’s important for teachers to ensure their students understand the basic principles of good test-taking, which include some of the test-taking tips we identify below.
Students of all ages struggle on test day, so don’t assume your students know how to take a test, especially with more and more of them being conducted on devices. And even if they do, reminding them about smart test-taking strategies never hurts. For instance, you know that old adage about how it’s best to stick with your first answer? Well, it turns out that it’s not usually right, so don’t tell them to rely on that. There are lots of simple things the adults in the room can do, too, to help ease the stress on test day, like making sure students are well fed and have gone to the bathroom before starting. These actions, and the test-taking tips below, can make a huge difference on test day for students and their ability to concentrate on the material in front of them.
Check out our infographic below for some great test-taking tips you can pass on to your students. You can also download and print it as a handout or as a poster to hang in your classroom!
Infographic designed by Jayme Griffiths
Good luck on test day!
