1. Test Taking Strategies

2. Answer Every Question Educated Guess
Not guessing at all gives you a 0% chance of getting the right answer. A random guess gives you a 25% chance of getting the right answer. An educated guess gives you up to 75% of a chance of answering correctly.
Educated guessing means using everything you know to attempt to answer the question.
What’s the lesson here?

3. Read Ahead
Read the questions first before reading the passage. This will allow you to focus on the specific ideas that relate back to the questions.

4. Narrow It Down Eliminate obviously wrong answer choices
Eliminate choices that are partly correct
Eliminate items that are correct but don’t answer the question

5. Read Carefully. Read and understand the question fully.
Read ALL answer choices before picking one.
One may sound good, but one will always be better.
Tip: Read the answers from the bottom up to ensure that you read ALL of them.
Whether you write 5 paragraphs or 10, if your response doesn’t answer the question, it won’t earn any points.

6. Note Taking Highlight Take Notes
Use the colors used for NEWSELA to highlight with purpose and to better organize your thoughts.
Make note of pieces of texts that may answer questions/prompts or can be used as evidence.

7. Vocabulary Questions Negative Prefixes
Anti-
Mal-
Mis-
Il-
Un-
Non-
Dis-
In-
These prefixes are used to mean the opposite of the root word.
Ex. “Disagree” means to not agree with someone.

8. Figure out words you do know
Vocabulary Questions
Context Clues
Figure out words you do know
The context of a word includes all words and sentences that surround it and the situation in which the word is used.
Use context clues to make an educated guess about the meaning of a word.
If you don’t know what one or two words mean, first look at the ones that you do know to see if they are correct.
Substitute each word option into the sentence to see if it makes sense.

9. Try It!

10. Written Responses Narratives Essays Entertaining beginning
Intro – should include strong opening/hook
Body Paragraphs – the number depend on the prompt.
Ex: Compare & Contrast should have at least 2 body paragraphs; one for similarities and one for differences.
Conclusion
Include transitional phrases
Entertaining beginning
Problem/Solution
Should include dialogue
Use proper tags
Use quotation marks
Make a new paragraph when a new person is speaking.

11. Written Responses About one paragraph
Use R(estate). A(nswer). C(ite examples). E(xplain/expand). R(eview/rewind/recap) as a guide

12. Make an estimate
Make an estimate before you add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
After you find the real answer, ask yourself does that make sense with my estimate?
Try it: Christina worked 4.5 hours mowing lawns last weekend. She gets paid $8.75 an hour. How much did she earn last weekend? Does she have enough to buy a $30 jacket?

13. Read Carefully
For maps, graphs, and tables be sure to read the titles, keys, units of measurement, scales. Look for patterns/trends and comparisons.

14. Use the answer choices provided to help you solve a problem.
Use Answer Choices
Use the answer choices provided to help you solve a problem.

15. Answer all parts of the math questions.
Which answer is clearer?
George is wrong because 5/10 is greater than 47/100.
5/10 > 47/100.
George is wrong because .5 is the same as 5/10 and 5/10 of a mile is exactly half of a mile. 47/100 is actually less than a half because exactly half would be 50/100. Therefore, 47/100 is less than 5/10.
5/10 > 47/100
Explain each step. Be clear. Someone should be able to copy exactly what you did and not have to infer anything.
Ex: Kevin said he rode .5 of a mile on his bike. George said he rode 4/10 of a mile on Monday and 7/100 of a mile on Tuesday. George said that he rode more than Kevin because 47 is greater than 5.
Explain why George’s thinking is incorrect.
Write the correct comparison relationship for the fractions.

16. CHECK YOUR WORK.
Check your work! Review all calculations, reread your essays and open ended responses, use spell check (Yes, there will be spell check! But make sure the word that comes up is the word that you intended to use), check for grammar and punctuation (“Did I capitalize the first word in a quote?”)
You’ll have plenty of time to review and remember there are no extra points or gold medals for finishing first!

17. Get plenty of rest!
Get plenty of rest the night before each testing day.
You need 8-10 hours of sleep, so go to bed by 10pm.

18. Eat a well balanced breakfast.
Eat a good nutritious breakfast the morning of each testing day
(Milk w/cereal, eggs, fruits; no Hot Cheetos and candy.)