Georgia High School Graduation Test—Science Hints on Preparing for the Test 1 Adapted from Georgia Department of Education Student Guide for Science

% 33-35% WHAT’S ON THE TEST?

Process/Research Skills Items will test processes and skills common to ALL areas of science: ◦ use of resources ◦ experimental design ◦ reading and interpreting data presented in tables, charts, or other formats. 3

Physical Science Items will test all areas of physical science, including ◦ Chemical concepts ◦ Properties of matter ◦ Electricity ◦ Acids and bases ◦ Force ◦ Concepts in real-world situations. 4

Biology Items will test knowledge of ◦ Cells & Heredity (25%)  the cellular basis of life  reproduction  genetics  classification schemes  animal and plant systems ◦ Ecology (17%)  principles of environmental conservation 5

Read Everything Carefully Many of the GHSGT questions involve short articles, tables, charts, diagrams, and graphs. All test questions require careful reading of the directions and the question and four answer choices. 6 The diagram below shows the same type of molecule in area A and area B. With the passage of time, some molecules move from area A to area B. This movement is the result of the process of a.phagocytosis.c. pinocytosis. b.diffusion.d. active transport.

There are no trick questions. While it is important to read each question carefully, there are NOT any trick questions. Don’t spend time trying to figure out what the testmakers really meant—they meant what they asked. BUT you need to read the ENTIRE question and ALL of the answer choices before choosing an answer. 7

Consider every choice There are four answer choices for each question. You must choose the answer that BEST addresses the question. ◦ Some of the answer choices might contain irrelevant details, common misconceptions, or they might apply the information in the wrong way. 8

Guess intelligently There is no penalty for guessing! If you are not sure of the correct answer, GUESS anyway. ◦ No answer = wrong answer! Guessing is easier if you can eliminate one or more answer choices as clearly incorrect. ◦ Elimination of one wrong answer increases your odds from 25% to 33% ◦ Elimination of two wrong answers increase your odds to 50%! ◦ Be warned that some of the answer choices look attractive because they are based on common mistakes students make. 9

Spend test time wisely GHSGT questions are arranged by topic. ◦ You may know some topics better than others. GHSGT is not arranged by order of difficulty. ◦ Don’t get discouraged if you run into a few hard questions.  You may find several difficult questions followed by a set of easier questions later.  Move on to the next question  Answer as many questions as possible  Then go back and re-attempt the harder questions. 10

Check your work Carelessness can cause you to answer incorrectly. ◦ Read everything carefully. ◦ Evaluate each answer choice critically to make sure it actually answers the question that was asked. ◦ Double-check to be sure you marked your answer choice on the right question in the right section of the test. ◦ Don’t forget to fill in any questions you planned to go back to. 11

Cognitive levels Low ◦ Requires recognition only and typically deals with terminology, identification, or other low-level activities Medium ◦ Requires some degree of interpretation of a problem or situation in which a scientific principle is applied High ◦ Requires a significant degree of interpretation, problem-solving, and analysis (e.g., devising a solution to a problem by applying a scientific principle) 12