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Taking exams is a skill in itself that you can teach alongside your subject in class. In an ideal world, standardized tests and final exams would give us an accurate picture of how students are actually learning. But as every teacher knows, factors such as test anxiety, inadequate test preparation, and unfamiliarity with the test format can negatively impact students’ results, hiding what they know and preventing them from succeeding.
Students can use these test-taking strategies before and during exams to help them master multiple-choice exams, essay exams, and any other type of assessment.
1. Master the test-taking terminology in the vocabulary class
To teachers and top students, academic terms like “analyze” and “explain” may seem second nature, but to struggling test takers they may speak different language. Pay attention to these test terms just like you pay attention to the subject vocabulary.
- analyze
- Compare
- contrast
- describe
- carefully crafted
- explain
- clarify
- evaluate
- involving
- Summarize
You can even incorporate these terms and their definitions into your schedule. Use them regularly in your own teaching, create games for students to compare their meanings, or have them define academic terms in warm-ups or exit tickets. This technique works great for English language learners or reluctant readers who are not involved in advanced writing.
High School Academic Test Vocabulary STAAR Daily Vocabulary ELA Small Group
Author: Angela Customized Classroom
Subjects: ELA test prep, vocabulary
This set of 190 research-based ELA vocabulary cards is designed for busy Texas teachers. It contains key vocabulary and questions your students will encounter on the STAAR reading test.
2. Research important subject concepts in creative ways
This high school test strategy may seem obvious, but learning concepts that may appear on upcoming assessments can help students feel better prepared. Whether it’s important math formulas, grammar and spelling rules, science facts, or historical dates, providing students with the basics of a subject is a great way to help them retain ideas throughout the school year and fill in learning gaps you may have missed.
Study guides don’t have to be boring, either! Play high school review games or have students work in groups to create their own “cheat sheets” (even if they aren’t allowed to use them on test day). Write songs that recite facts about the topic, tell some corny jokes that they will remember forever, and have students create some skits to get these ideas stuck in their minds long before the exam.
Capture the Flag – Comment on any game with any theme or content!
208 Littlechix
Subjects: ELA, all subjects
This review game gets kids up, moving, and engaged while allowing them to interact with the content. It includes detailed slides about game setup, rules, and winning terms, a game board, and a printable banner/game piece.
3. Take the mock exam in the same way as the real exam
Using practice tests in the classroom is a preferred testing strategy for high school students for several reasons. First and most obviously, they help students familiarize themselves with the types of tests they will face in the coming days and weeks, allowing them to “play and practice.” Practice tests can also help students (and you) identify possible gaps in understanding and common mistakes in the subject matter and test format itself, which you can address before the stakes become higher later on.
Another significant benefit of practice tests is how they impact students’ perceptions of their own learning. Research shows that test anxiety can significantly impact self-esteem and self-efficacy, and when students perform well on mock exams, they go into the real exam with greater confidence and lower anxiety.
You can create your own practice test in the same style of your upcoming assessment (e.g., multiple choice test, short answer question, DBQ, etc.) or find a complete practice test on the College Board or other sources. Focus on practice tests for different learning styles so everyone in the class has equal access to the material.
4. Prepare physically and mentally in advance
Sometimes, low test scores simply reflect not eating breakfast in the morning or not getting a good night’s sleep. To emphasize, when students take care of their bodies, especially before exams, they feel refreshed and inspired to show off what they really know instead of falling apart on a writing assignment or reading passage.
Have students start a health journal a few weeks before a big exam and encourage them to record their sleep, eating habits and exercise. Make a list of wholesome breakfast foods that don’t contain too much sugar and, if possible, offer some of these to students before exams begin. These healthy habits are not only good test-taking strategies, but they are also excellent life skills for high school students.
Test Anxiety Lesson Plans and PowerPoint for Middle and High School Teens
Consultation points by school
This low-prep, ready-to-use lesson plan helps students learn the definition of test anxiety, explore symptoms and causes, and practice ways to manage anxiety before and during exams.
5. Browse the questions before reading the article
When students finish the lengthy reading passage on the exam, they are ready to take a break (rather than read more questions). Teach them reading questions before they start reading so they know what to read and are not too tired to understand the questions. This style is ideal for reluctant readers and enthusiastic candidates who tend to move too quickly through the exam.
You can reinforce this skill by asking students a series of questions before they receive the reading material. Model how to use reading questions to infer what they will read, or let groups or pairs come up with their own ideas. Make a list of concepts to pay attention to when reading begins, such as vocabulary words to pay attention to or literacy concepts they should pay attention to. Then hand out reading materials and see how they do!
High School Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions Test Prep Paired Texts
By Kristin Menke – Comprehensive ELA Test Prep
Topics: ELA Test Prep, Informational Texts
Standard: CCSS RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.3
This reading test prep course bundle helps students prepare for state standardized reading comprehension tests and assessments by focusing on five different standards. It contains five days of easy-to-teach activities and CCSS-based test prep questions and answers, as well as a set of paired passages and detailed lessons.
6. Answer simple questions first
One difficult question can stump students, stop them from moving forward on the exam, and leave them with no time to answer the rest of the questions. Help them jump over these hurdles by encouraging them to answer easier questions first and skip questions that give them pause.
Before trying this strategy, however, high school students need to know what a “hard problem” is. Have them reflect on their exam or quiz to determine which concepts or types of questions might have been tricky, and which types of questions were more difficult.
For example, if math students are struggling with geometry problems, have them skip those problems and choose arithmetic and algebra problems instead. (Just make sure they go back and answer the questions before time runs out!) Students who benefit from this strategy include students who have difficulty reading or English learners who need more time to read each question.
Exam Tips and Strategies
By making meaning with Melissa
This Google Slides presentation provides valuable tips and strategies to help students succeed on standardized tests. Included is a paperless notepad that allows students to type directly into the slides or can be printed out for students to write notes by hand.
7. Brainstorm before writing the paper
Most high school students’ test-taking strategies focus on multiple-choice questions, but that’s not the only type of test they have to take. Writing a short or long paper on an exam can be stressful for students who think they need to write an entire paper straight from their brain, turning a first draft into a final draft. This problem affects both advanced writers who haven’t planned out their essays, and struggling writers who don’t know where to start.
This is where note-taking comes in handy. When students receive a writing prompt in class, model the brainstorming process and show students how to break down the prompt to find out what it really asks for. Remind them that they can plan out their essay before writing, either on paper or in a separate writing field on their device, and show them how to quickly plan out the writing task while saving enough time for the writing itself.
Argumentative Essay Writing Tips – Text-Based Topic Preparation Test Preparation Rules
SNAPPY DEN ACADEMY
Subject: ELA
Standard: CCSS CCRA.W.1
This comprehensive resource provides educators with engaging activities, including an organized framework and rubrics, to help students write persuasive, evidence-rich essays. With 15 text-based prompts, structured organizers, and CCSS-aligned rubrics, you’ll have everything you need to develop confident student writers.
Test skills and knowledge, not patience and stress
The most powerful test-taking strategies for high school students can reduce text anxiety and help students confidently demonstrate what they’ve learned. Try introducing one, some, or all of these techniques to your students and see which ones resonate. You can also check out other high school testing strategy resources to address specific groups of students or approach test day in a new way.
