1. BEAT the Test-taking Blues!
Linda Hatton
BEAT the Test-taking Blues!
Getting ready for a test? If you know HOW to beat the test, you’ll be the winner!
NOTE: Ask students if they ever experience the “jitters” before a timed test. Tell them that they are about to get some great tips to help them relax and do their best on any test.
TWIST and SHOUT!

2. Follow these rules: B E A T B – Bubble/ Answer Carefully.
Linda Hatton
Follow these rules:
B E A T
the odds!
B – Bubble/ Answer Carefully.
E – Eliminate Answers.
A – Answer all questions.
T – Time and pace yourself.
What can we do to beat the odds? We can follow some simple rules.
B – We can remember to bubble carefully on answer sheets. Little mistakes cost a lot!
E – We can learn to eliminate answers to turn the odds in our favor. Learning to be a good “test detective” can help our scores improve.
A – Leaving questions blank mean a sure miss!
T – Time should NOT be our enemy! Learn to pace yourself.
YOU BRING ME UP WHEN I’M DOWN!

3. Watch out for the BUBBLE MONSTER!
Linda Hatton
Watch out for the BUBBLE MONSTER!
The BUBBLE MONSTER can scare your test results to death because he “EATS” your good answers. To beat him, all you have to do is to be careful not to make any stray marks on your answer sheet, and if you have to erase, do it carefully. If you erase so hard that you harm your paper, your answer may be counted wrong. If you don’t erase well enough, your answer could be counted wrong. To avoid the BUBBLE MONSTER, just be sure to erase carefully and check to see that you have no stray marks on your answer sheet.
LAYLA
Don’t make stray marks.
Make sure you erase carefully.

4. ANSWER ALL OPEN-ENDED and GRIDDED QUESTIONS REMEMBERING THE FOLLOWING:
Linda Hatton
ANSWER ALL OPEN-ENDED and GRIDDED QUESTIONS
REMEMBERING THE FOLLOWING: #1
There will be open-ended questions in READING and MATH.
EXAMPLE: What did Little Red Riding Hood ask the Big Bad Wolf
when she thought he was her grandmother?
ANSWER: Little Red Riding Hood asked the Big Bad Wolf about his big
eyes, nose, ears and teeth.
HINT – THIS answer was EASY because it was right there in one or
more places for you to find and repeat.
You should remember to answer ALL open-ended and gridded questions.
Let’s talk about READING first! FOUR questions in READING will have to be answered in the open-ended response spaces that look like squares.
Let’s look at a simple example to make this a little clearer.
What did Little Red Riding Hood ask the Big Bad Wolf when she thought he was her grandmother?
The answer is easy! Little Red Riding Hood asked the Big Bad Wolf about his big eyes, nose, ears and teeth.
The answer was easy BECAUSE it was right there in one or more places for you to find and repeat.
MY GIRL

5. Sometimes you need to SEARCH and THINK!
Linda Hatton
Sometimes you need to
SEARCH and THINK!
Take these steps to locate an answer:
Look for key word(s) in the question’s stem.
Scan the passage for TEXT ELEMENT HELP.
If the question tells you to USE SPECIFIC DETAILS from the passage, you must do just that!
Sometimes you may have to SEARCH for answers and THINK them through.
To help, take these steps to locate answers:
Look for the key word(s) in the question’s stem.
Scan or skim the passage until you find the key word(s).
Finally, read the surrounding information.
These tips will help you find those tricky answers!
EASY

6. On the other hand, some answers may be IN YOUR HEAD!
Linda Hatton
On the other hand, some answers may be IN YOUR HEAD!
Check the question for CLUE words like “think, opinion, you, your.”
Let’s look an example!
from “Casey at the Bat” –E. Thayer
(Stanza 1)
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
(Stanza 2)
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, “If only Casey could but get a whack at that—
We’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.
(Stanza 7)
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.
(Stanza 13)
Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun
Is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and
Somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and
Somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville—
Mighty Casey has struck out.
TWILGHT BALL GAME THEME

7. I think the theme of the poem is that you don’t
Linda Hatton
If the question asked if YOU thought the title was appropriate,
the answer would be
YOUR opinion and would come from your head.
In other words, “think, opinion, you, your” are CLUE words that you use to answer
the questions ON YOUR OWN—WITH reasons to support your answer!
EXAMPLE 1: What do you think the theme of “Casey at the Bat” is?
I think the theme of the poem
is that you don’t
always win when you play a ballgame
because although Casey was good,
he struck out and his team lost.
ONE

8. HINT: The open-ended questions are our FAVORITE questions!
Linda Hatton
HINT: The open-ended questions are our FAVORITE questions!
You CAN repeat the question in your answer as you write a statement. Include ANY ideas for an answer you have even if the question is hard for you to answer.
EXAMPLE 2:
How many fans watched Casey at the ballgame?
The number of fans at the ballgame was 5,000
since it said that 10,000 eyes were on him
as he wiped his hands with dirt, and each
person had 2 eyes.
REACH OUT, I’LL BE THERE!
You earn a glimmer point for your effort when you try!

9. 5+5=10 The MATH test also has open-ended questions.
Linda Hatton
The MATH test also has open-ended questions.
Remember to show your work in the block,
and EXPLAIN how you got the answer.
EXAMPLE: If 5 fish swam in a group and then were joined
by another group of the same number, how many fish
were together in all?
Since 5 fish were swimming together and then 5 more fish joined them, there would be a total of 10 fish. You could write it like this:
5+5=10
STOP, IN THE NAME OF LOVE!

10. Gridded answers should be Written IN ORDER on the answer grid.
Linda Hatton
The MATH test also has gridded questions/answers for grades 6-8.
Gridded answers should be
Written IN ORDER on the answer grid.
ALSO remember to BUBBLE-IN the answer so that
it will count.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
REMINDER: BE SURE to
darken the appropriate signs in the grid such as
$, /, %, or decimal point (.) when necessary!

11. LET’S REVIEW WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ARMT! READING includes:
Linda Hatton
LET’S REVIEW WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ARMT!
READING includes:
MULTIPLE CHOICE
OPEN-ENDED
MATHEMATICS includes:
GRIDDED (Grades 6-8)
IT’S MY PARTY!
Your GIFT is the GLIMMER POINT
in OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES!

12. Inside the box On open-ended questions. Start your answer with
Linda Hatton
REMEMBER to write
Inside the box
On open-ended questions.
Start your answer with
words right from the question
AND
FINISH UP WITH YOUR OWN WORDS!
I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE!
GLIMMER! GLIMMER! GLIMMER!

13. Be a Westlawn Middle School Detective! Eliminate Answers!
Linda Hatton
Be a Westlawn Middle School Detective! Eliminate Answers!
Read each question carefully.
In reading passages: Look for key words and clues, check titles, read the questions before you read the passage.
Eliminate or rule out answers you KNOW are incorrect in order to narrow down your choices. (USE YOUR SCRATCH PAPER TO MARK OUT THE A or B or C or D answer that you don’t believe is correct. You can even ASK for SCRATCH PAPER on the READING portion of the test.)
Remember that charts, maps, or graphs have all the info you need to answer questions.
You could be like the great detective, Sherlock Holmes!! Just follow these simple rules to figure out the mystery answers.
Remember to read each question carefully. Failing to recognize important test vocabulary instructions could cause you to miss an answer. (Use NOT as an example of a word in a question such as, “Which of the following is NOT a true statement?”)
Watch out for key words and clues in reading passages such as “First, next, also, finally.”
Sometimes, you can at least narrow down your choices to TWO. Remember, 1 out of 2 is better than 1 out of 4!
I’M SO EXCITED!

14. If you just CANNOT narrow your
Linda Hatton
If you just CANNOT narrow your
answer choices down,
REPEAT TO YOURSELF:
IN AN EMERGENCY!
I SEE C!
I’M SO EXCITED C

15. Never LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK. Be a “Smart Guesser.”
Linda Hatton
ANSWER all QUESTIONS!
Never LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK.
Be a “Smart Guesser.”
You’re on target if you remember to
ANSWER EVERY QUESTION!
There’s no penalty for guessing, but there is one thing for sure! If you leave a question blank, you missed it! NEVER LEAVE a question blank. Once you have used your detective sense to rule out answers, remember to choose an answer. A smart guesser chooses either B or C OR G or H. (This would apply to tests formatted
A-B-C-D/F-G-H-J such as the SAT 10.)
JUMP!

16. Linda Hatton
Time and Pace Yourself!
Try not to spend too much time on one question. PACE YOURSELF!
Go over your answer sheet to re-try the ones left blank.
DON’T look around to see if anyone else is finished. Just keep checking your work—until your teacher tells you to put your pencil down NOBODY gets rewarded for being the first to finish.
Try to spend no more than a minute on each question.
Before the test begins, pay attention to the teacher when she tells you what time the test will end. Look at the clock in your classroom. Decide what time it will be 5 minutes before the test ends. At the 5 minute warning (YOU’LL HAVE TO WARN YOURSELF) mark an answer for every question that is left. (You should mark either B or G for each one.) With the time you have left, continue to answer the questions. Erase carefully when you make changes. If you finish early, GO BACK to check your answers.
9 TO 5!

17. Beat the test-taking blues!
Linda Hatton
Beat the test-taking blues!
Bubble/ Answer Carefully.
Eliminate Answers.
Answer All Questions.
Time and Pace
Yourself.
B is for. . .
E is for . . .
A is for . . .
T is for . . .
LET’S REVIEW AGAIN!!
B is for . . .Bubble carefully.
E is for. . .Eliminate answers.
A is for. . .Answer all questions.
T is for . . .Time and pace yourself.
This information makes you a real TEST DETECTIVE who knows just how to BEAT the test-taking blues!
ONE MORE TIME. . .STUBBORN KIND OF FELLA!
TEST – TAKING BLUES

18. Linda Hatton You’re PLOWING your way to success!
Hooray for YOU!!!
HOORAY FOR YOU!!! Give yourselves a round of applause.
If you paid attention, you are PLOWING your way to success on the test!
JUMP FOR IT!
You’re PLOWING your way to success!

19. Linda Hatton
If the question includes a reading passage, which of the following would you NOT do?
B. Read the questions about the passage BEFORE you read the passage.
A. Check the title for clues about the main idea of the passage.
What is the answer to this question?
Yes, you would try A, B, and D.
No, you would NOT try C. Why would this be the wrong thing to do?
(Students should recognize the time that would be wasted. Also, mention that failure to recognize the NOT in the question would cause you to miss the question.)
C. Read the passage at least twice before you try to answer any of the questions.
D. Look for the answers to the questions in the reading passage.

20. The answer can always be found in the chart, map, or graph.
Linda Hatton
If the question includes a chart, map, or graph, where is the answer found?
The answer can always be found in the chart, map, or graph.
If there’s a chart, a map, or a graph, chances are the answer is right there in front of you. USE THE INFORMATION THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU. DON’T be frightened by words you don’t know.

21. I just can’t decide on the right answer. I should . . .
Linda Hatton
I just can’t decide on the right answer. I should . . .
Pick the letter “D.”
Pick the letter “C.”
Leave the bubbles blank.
Just bubble ANY letter.
Johnny shouldn’t worry too long about this. He should know to pick the letter “C” if he just can’t pick an answer.
NOTE: Remind the students to try to eliminate one or two of the answers first. Be a detective first!

22. I just know that my answer in an open-ended response
Linda Hatton
I just know that my answer in an open-ended response
question is not completely right.
I should. . .
Leave it completely blank.
Just write anything that comes to mind.
Use the question to begin my answer and add what I can.
Write inside and outside of the box to impress the person scoring my test.

23. B E A T the Test-taking Blues!
Linda Hatton
B E A T the Test-taking Blues!
Take a moment to reassure the students that they will succeed on the test. Remind them that the “blues” causes them to lose concentration and the ability to do their best. With these tips in mind, they can easily
BEAT
THE
TEST-TAKING
BLUES!!!
WILD THING!