Homeschool Test Taking Tips

Ways to Prepare Children for Evaluations and Exams

Apr 24, 2008 Karrie Emms

Students have been taking academic tests ever since the creation of formal education but there are steps parents and students can follow to lessen the stress of exams.

While there are many forms of homeschooling, including those who believe in testing children and those who do not, it is still important that children learn how to prepare for and learn from tests. There are many tools students can use on a daily basis to grow comfortable with the idea of being tested and these can be used for any tests from a simple spelling test to state mandated achievement tests.

Test Preparation Suggestions For Parents

There are some simple steps parents can take in order to help their children adequately and thoroughly prepare for tests at any level and in any subject.

• Purchase or download practice materials that are as close as possible to the test that will be taken.
• Set up a time limit and administer a practice test so the student is comfortable with completing the test in an allotted timeframe.
• Review the answers of practice tests and ensure the student understands why he or she got an answer right or wrong.
• Review the practice test to determine the students’ weaker spots and work on improving those specific areas.

Test Taking Strategies for Students

Test taking strategies can eliminate undo stress leading up to and during testing, particularly for students who suffer with anxiety in response to examinations, and for those homeschool students who are required to complete state mandated testing.

• If the test being taken does not deduct points for wrong answers it is all right to guess the answer to an unknown question. Students must be sure to double check whether points will be deducted.
• If the answer to a question is unknown, skip it and return to it at the end of the test. At times the answer to an unknown question can be found further on in the test and sometimes another question can jog a student's memory.
• Listen to the instructions given at the beginning of a test and be sure to read all written instructions prior to beginning.
• Read all the questions and answer the easiest questions first. There is usually no rule that says questions must be answered in order.
• Do not second-guess and change the first answer to a question. Intuition is usually right so unless an answer is defiantly wrong do not change it.

After Test Tips For Parents and Homeschool Students

After a test is finished there are other steps that can be taken to ensure a better grade on the next test. It is important for the student to look over graded tests in order to ensure there are no grading mistakes. In order to improve grades on future tests students need to understand where they made errors and correct them.

A review of the test is important and it is vital students take notes, making sure to note the right answers and how any question that was marked incorrect should have been answered.

Overall, if a grade is unsatisfactory it is important to either review the material and study remedial materials or complete a make-up test. Many homeschool curriculums such as Alpha Omegas' Lifepac Curriculum focus on mastery and advise against taking on new material until the homeschooled student can achieve 80 percent or higher on any given test. Whatever the options are, it is important for students to retain copies of old tests so they can be used to study for future exams.

Be sure to read these other Suite 101 articles Homeschool Testing Options and Boosting Student Memory.

The copyright of the article Homeschool Test Taking Tips in Homeschooling is owned by Karrie Emms. Permission to republish Homeschool Test Taking Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.