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Test Taking Strategies for Reading by Jill Leone Reading Specialist Copyright © 2006 RPDP Secondary Literacy

Get ready to pass proficiency! Today's Objective Get ready to pass proficiency! RPDP Secondary Literacy

Do these expressions look at all familiar? Which one of these expressions fits your mood when you have to take a big test? RPDP Secondary Literacy

Almost nothing scares us more than hearing the word: Test! Our hearts beat faster, our palms sweat a little, and we get this little knot in the pit of our stomach. RPDP Secondary Literacy

When you take a test, you’re really being tested on two things: How much you know about the subject. How much you know about taking a test. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Test-taking is like riding a bicycle. Don't worry! Test-taking is like riding a bicycle. You get better and better at it with practice. You can also develop good test-taking strategies that you can use for the rest of your life. RPDP Secondary Literacy

situation and improves: Be a winner! Learning how to take tests is a win-win situation and improves: your self confidence your test scores That’s right. Test taking is actually a skill. The more tests you take strategically, the better test taker you become. RPDP Secondary Literacy

The Night before the Test Prepare mentally. Think positive. Stay relaxed and confident. Get lots of sleep. Think positive (even if other people say it’s a waste of time). Stay relaxed and confident. Tell yourself that you are going to do well. RPDP Secondary Literacy

During the Test Take your time and relax. Don’t be a clock watcher! It’s distracting. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Make sure you understand the directions. During the Test Read Directions Make sure you understand the directions. Don’t skip the sample questions and answers! RPDP Secondary Literacy

Read the questions first - During the Test Read the questions first - Helps focus your attention. Directs you to the most important parts of the page. Break complicated questions into smaller parts. This way, you know what you are reading for. Also, mark tricky directions by circling or underlining them (if you are permitted to write in your test booklet). RPDP Secondary Literacy

Three important rules – During the Test Three important rules – Read all of your answer choices. Compare choices. Make sure you read and answer all parts of each question. You need to compare the answer choices because most multiple choice tests are asking you to choose the best answer. Also, be aware that some questions have more than one part. RPDP Secondary Literacy

STOP! Make sure you understand what each question is asking. Think about what you will need to look for to answer correctly. If you don’t understand the question, how can you possibly answer it correctly? Circle key words in the passage, such as not, least, cause, effect, first, last, etc. Sometimes it helps to put the question in your own words. Just be careful not to change the meaning. RPDP Secondary Literacy

During the Test Write in your test booklet! Read the questions twice before you read the passage. Look for key words. Circle or underline them. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Sometimes you have to reread. Don’t be alarmed if you need to read both the questions and passages more than one time. Good test-takers go back to passages for information. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Most tests ask you to choose the best answer. Never choose an answer that’s not - supported by the selection or your own prior knowledge Read and think! Most tests ask you to choose the best answer. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Choose the Best Answer. Answers are often stated in words different from the reading passage. A passage about the Civil War discusses the casualties of war, but the answer choice might use the word fatalities. By choosing the answer choice that contains the word fatalities, a good test taker is also demonstrating understanding or reading comprehension. Watch for this on many tests! RPDP Secondary Literacy

Eliminate incorrect choices. C or D? Choose the best answer by eliminating choices that don’t make sense. GUESS on questions you don’t know. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Connect to what you already know. Try to visualize. Try to visualize what you’re reading about. Connect to what you already know. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Do all the problems in your test booklet first. Work in your test booklet! Do all the problems in your test booklet first. Don’t bubble in answer sheet until after you’ve finished the entire test – and gone over it. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Stop every paragraph or two and think about key ideas. For long passages Break up long passages into smaller parts. “Chunking” them makes them more manageable. Stop every paragraph or two and think about key ideas. RPDP Secondary Literacy

During the Test Never choose an answer that contains any wrong information. If any part of an answer choice is wrong, don’t choose this answer. RPDP Secondary Literacy

for tricky or negative words in questions: During the Test not least none never except Watch out - for tricky or negative words in questions: RPDP Secondary Literacy

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation? Question Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation? Read your answer choices and either yes or no to each. The choices that you answered yes are not correct. The one choice you answered no is your correct answer. answer RPDP Secondary Literacy

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation? Question Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation? American Government (yes) English III (yes) American History (yes) Spanish I (no) The answer choice you answered NO is the correct answer. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Very few things in life fit into these categories. During the Test Be careful of answer choices with extreme or absolute words such as: all always never no one everyone These answers are usually not correct. Very few things in life are always or never true. The same thing holds true for no one and everyone. They are too extreme. Very few things in life fit into these categories. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Don't ignore the little words! Don’t ignore little words like but and yet. They can really change the meaning of a sentence. He tried hard but never made a shot. Often, we read the big words carefully, but we often miss little words like BUT, NOT, and EXCEPT because we’re in a hurry or we think they’re not important. A little word like BUT makes a big difference and signals the reader that everything after it is different from the part of the sentence before. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Don’t choose an answer just because it’s a During the Test Don’t choose an answer just because it’s a sentence you read in the passage. Make sure each answer you choose answers the question you’re working on NOW! Watch for related questions - Information for one question can be “given away” in another. If the answer you choose is in the reading passage, make sure that it answers what the question asks. This could be a trick – a choice that has information from the passage but does not answer what is being asked. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Don’t use it as a substitute for careful reading! Skimming is glancing quickly at a page to get an idea of topics and important ideas. Don’t use it as a substitute for careful reading! RPDP Secondary Literacy

A test question asks about the setting Example A test question asks about the setting of Pearl Harbor. Once you have read the passage all the way through, go back and skim until you find the parts that discuss the time and place, which make up the setting. Now, read this part carefully. RPDP Secondary Literacy

This is the most important reading strategy you’ll ever learn. Many tests ask you to identify the main idea. This is the most important reading strategy you’ll ever learn. The main idea is the key thought or idea in a passage. It’s what authors want you to understand and remember most. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Don’t confuse a supporting detail with the main idea! For Main Idea Questions Don’t confuse a supporting detail with the main idea! Supporting details just explain or give more information about the topic. Main idea questions can be worded: What is the best summary, central focus, key thought or idea? RPDP Secondary Literacy

For Main Idea Questions Reread the first and last sentences. Then, sum up everything in one sentence. Skim the reading passage to see how many times each answer choice is discussed. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Main Idea Practice Question RPDP Secondary Literacy

On some East coast beaches, flags are used to indicate the condition of the surf. A red flag indicates to swimmers that the surf is dangerously rough. A yellow flag is a warning or caution; swimmers should stay near the shore. A green flag means that the surf is calm. Whatever the condition of the surf, a swimmer should always be careful. What is the main idea? RPDP Secondary Literacy

On some East coast beaches, flags are used to indicate the condition of the surf. A red flag indicates to swimmers that the surf is dangerously rough. A yellow flag is a warning or caution; swimmers should stay near the shore. A green flag means that the surf is calm. Whatever the condition of the surf, a swimmer should always be careful. What is the main idea? RPDP Secondary Literacy

The main idea of this paragraph is – surfing the waves. Practice Question The main idea of this paragraph is – surfing the waves. safety precautions for swimmers. flags used to tell surf conditions. East coast beaches. (After reading the passage), you can skim through it and see that the writer used the words flag and surf four times each, so it’s pretty clear that the main idea is letter C – flags used to tell surf conditions. How did you do? RPDP Secondary Literacy

Time and Sequence Questions Don’t always expect to find all of the events given to you in correct order. Pass up your homework after you sit down. First, sit down, and second, pass up your homework. incorrect correct RPDP Secondary Literacy

For Vocabulary Questions When you have to choose the correct meaning of a word, remember to read The sentence the word is in The sentence right before The sentence right after                                                                                 The area of the passage surrounding the word is called the context, and writers often leave clues here to help you figure out word meaning. Also, be sure to substitute each of the answer choices in the context of the passage. Context Clues RPDP Secondary Literacy

For Fact and Opinion Questions Facts can always be verified to be true or false. With facts, there’s no other reasonable point of view. An opinion is a statement made by someone who believes it is true. There can be other points of view. RPDP Secondary Literacy

For Questions about the Writer Think about the writer’s: purpose for writing key points or main ideas style and techniques overall tone intended audience viewpoint use of content, text features, and structure RPDP Secondary Literacy

Writers use them for a reason. Pay careful attention to these text features: Headings/subheadings Words in capital letters Bold print Underlined words Italicized words Bulleted words Writers use them for a reason. RPDP Secondary Literacy

For Inference Questions When you’re asked to make an inference or conclusion- You have to make an intelligent guess. The correct answer is usually not in one specific place. Expect to look in more than one place on the page to answer questions that ask you to draw conclusions. Corbis.com RPDP Secondary Literacy

For Inference Questions Good readers – combine prior knowledge with the words on a page. Your job is to interpret meaning. There are many messages under the surface of a page. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Try each answer choice to see if it answers the question. Keep trying! Try each answer choice to see if it answers the question. Cross out answers that aren't sensible. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Bubble carefully! Make sure you fill in all blanks completely so the machine that grades the test records all your answers. RPDP Secondary Literacy

A blank answer will be a wrong answer. Do not leave any answers blank. A blank answer will be a wrong answer. On the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam RPDP Secondary Literacy

Is it OK to change an answer? Big Question Is it OK to change an answer? What do you think? RPDP Secondary Literacy

Sometimes we’re nervous the first time we go through a test. The answer is yes. Sometimes we’re nervous the first time we go through a test. We’re concentrating on finishing. Once we know the end’s in sight, we relax and think more clearly. Just be careful not to change answers without good reason. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Don’t get upset if other students finish before you. Some advice for you Don’t get upset if other students finish before you. Take your time, don’t panic, and keep working till you’re done. Don't rush! RPDP Secondary Literacy

A good reader is also a good detective. Remember - A good reader is also a good detective. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Check answer sheet. After the Test Make sure you bubbled correctly. Use test booklet as marker to check each line. Check line by line. A RPDP Secondary Literacy

Be quiet and respectful. Don’t disturb others still working. After the Test Be quiet and respectful. Don’t disturb others still working. RPDP Secondary Literacy

Are you ready? ? Estás listo? Ipasa mo! Si, se puede! RPDP Secondary Literacy

Copyright © 2006 by Jill M. Leone Copyright Notice Permission is granted to copy (unmodified) all or part of this PowerPoint for educational, personal, non-commercial use off-line as long as the copyright message (Copyright © 2006 by Jill Leone) is maintained on the title page. This material may not be sold, duplicated on other websites, incorporated in commercial documents or products, or used for promotional purposes. Copyright © 2006 by Jill M. Leone RPDP Secondary Literacy