There are specific skills and strategies involved in taking tests that can help your child do his best.

•  Always listen to and read the directions carefully; don't assume that you already know them.  Sometimes they change only slightly, but significantly, from one section to the next.

•  Ask the instructor to explain any directions that you do not understand.

•  Be sure you know how and where to mark the answers, especially if they are on a separate sheet.  Keep checking to make sure you are marking the numbered answer space that matches the numbered question and for the correct test section (e.g., spelling, math computations).

•  Mark answers carefully and neatly, filling in the blanks completely so that it will be graded correctly.

•  Erase a wrong answer thoroughly when changing your answer.

•  Watch out for wording such as "Which of the following is not true?" or for answers that sound or look similar.

•  On a true or false question, watch for the words "never," "always," "only," and "best."

•  Relax by taking several slow, deep breaths and changing your position from time to time.

•  Remember that you know a lot of information and that you are doing your best to show what you know.

•  Ask the Lord to help you remember what you learned and do your best.

•  Since most tests are timed, don't get bogged down on a question that you can't answer or are unsure about.

•  Answer the items you are sure of first.  This builds confidence, and you won't miss points on easy questions by running out of time.

•  Skip difficult questions and place an "x" by the number of the question in the margin on the answer sheet.

•  If you are not sure of a question, answer the best you can and mark them with a "?" in the margin.

•  When you have answered all the other questions, answer the questions with an "x" in the margin and recheck questions you marked with a "?".

•  If you need to, look back at the reading selection to check facts and ideas.

•  Try each answer in the blank to help you decide which one sounds right.

•  Sometimes on questions where you are to find mistakes, none are to be found.

•  On some questions, two answers can be correct and you must choose the answer that includes them both.

•  When you are not sure, eliminate answers you know are incorrect and take your best guess among the rest.  Some of your guesses will be right.

•  On arithmetic test items, do a quick estimate with rounded-off numbers.  This will help you avoid "silly" mistakes and may even help you locate the only possible answer.

•  When you copy a math problem onto scratch paper, line up the numbers carefully and double check your copying.

•  Always check subtraction problems by reversing operations.

•  If you have time, check equations by substituting your solution for the unknown and check other math problems by reversing operations.

•  Use all the time allotted for the test; review your test if you finish early.

•  Recheck the directions, questions, and your answers.

•  Do not change answers unless they are obviously wrong.

•  Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first.

  Plan ahead for a peaceful, unhurried evening and morning before the test.

  Check directions to the testing site and plan to leave and arrive early to avoid stress before the test.

  Make sure your child sleeps well, eats a healthy breakfast, and gets enough water to drink.

  Be prepared with necessary tools such as extra pencils or calculators if allowed.

  If this is your child's first test, you may want to be present in the back of the room for at least part of the time to relieve his anxiety.

  Be sure your child understands what to do if he needs to go to the bathroom during the test.  (Have him go right before the test.)

  Avoid conversations between other students and your child before a test; anxiety is contagious.

  Pray with your child that he will remember what he has learned and do his best.  Thank the Lord that He promised to always be with your child.

The spiritual lessons and experiences of trusting the Lord in everyday circumstances and working under pressure can be a much greater life-long benefit than the actual test itself.

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These basic terms will help you understand your child's test results.  For definitions of additional terms see Pearson's Glossary of Measurement Terms.

•  Criterion-referenced tests compare a student's performance to set criteria, such as state standards, rather than to the performance of other students.

•  Norm-referenced tests compare a student's performance to a national reference group of students at the same grade.

•  Standards-based tests assess students' knowledge and skills in relation to the state content standards.

Percentile does not refer to the percent of questions that were answered correctly.

Percentile ranks individuals within a group on a scale of 1 to 99 with 50 being average.  A percentile rank of 60 means the student scored better than 60 percent of the other students in his comparison (norm) group, and 40 percent scored as well as, or better than, he did.

This score shows a comparison of student scores, from a low of 1 to a high of 9.  It may be thought of as groupings of percentile ranks.

This is the most commonly misunderstood term in interpreting test scores.

The first digit represents the year of the grade level and the digit after the decimal represents the month of that grade level.

The grade equivalent is not an estimate of the grade in which your child should be placed! Rather it shows that the score your child achieved was the same as the average score made by students at that grade level who took the same test.

For example a 2nd grade student scoring 4.7 on a math subtest, scored the same as the average 4th grade, 7th month student did who took the 2nd grade test.  It does not mean that the 2nd grade student can do 4th grade math work.

Read online article by BJU Press, "What do Tests Really Tell?," for more information and examples.

Bob Jones University Press presents the following suggestions.

If your child receives a low score, always compare that information with your own observations.  If the low score is consistent with your personal observation and evaluation of your child's skill, develop a plan to strengthen this skill.

Your plan could include:

 •  Checking to see if the skill was taught

 •  Re-teaching the skill from a different approach

 •  Checking curriculum content and methodology

 •  Evaluating the effectiveness of your teaching methods.

If reading comprehension (inferences, analyses, interpretations) scores are low, but mental ability and facts scores are higher, make sure your teaching and curriculum include questions that require interpretation, thought, inference, and other higher levels of thinking as well as literal-recall questions.

See Newsletters #23, 25-26, 28-30 for ways to teach higher-level reading comprehension skills.

If math problem-solving scores appear low, make sure your teaching and curriculum include visualization, meaning, and understanding in addition to facts and drills.  Your curriculum should provide adequate opportunities for practice in solving story problems.

See Newsletter #38 for many ideas to use in teaching math and how to solve story problems.

If math computation scores are low, check for your child's command of the basic facts and his understanding of mathematic procedures.  Also, check for student carelessness while working problems and note how many questions were not answered at all, indicating your child may need to increase his speed as well as his accuracy.

 •  Use "Holey Cards" for timed speed drills of addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication facts.

 •  Drill facts in related combinations of addition/subtraction or multiplication/division.  Use triangular math facts cards or use ordinary flashcards.

 •  Use the power of music to teach addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication facts with Math Facts to Classical Music from Sing 'n Learn.

If spelling scores are low, check for evidence that your child is convinced that spelling is important.  (This conviction is developed by emphasizing correct spelling in all subject areas.)

Your methodology should teach your child how to spell using spelling principles, rather than just memorizing word lists.  Employ a variety of ways to use each lesson's words over the whole week of study.

See Newsletter #32 for information and ideas in teaching spelling.

If these skills are low, check for whether you are taking time to read and interpret maps, graphs, and tables in texts and other sources.

Check that you are teaching library, reference, and dictionary skills.

If aspects of language usage and expression are low, make sure you are teaching writing skills and requiring frequent written work.  The proofing of writing assignments is excellent preparation for these tests.

See Newsletters #36-37 for tips on how to teach writing.