Taking Tests Can Be Scary: 10 Tips To Help You Prepare For Any Test

As parents, we can do our part to help our children prepare for this test. Here are 10 things you may be forgetting to do, but should be doing in order to help your child prepare for any test... particularly standardized exams.

Build Good Testing Skills

The single best thing you can do to help your child prepare for the standardized test is to build good test-taking skills.  Children who master basic skills like reading, math and develop test taking strategies, tend to be better-prepared for any standardized test.
 

Review Old Topics

To give your child that extra edge, review old concepts that he or she may have forgotten. Go over basic facts and skills. Also, daily reading can help tremendously on the reading portion of any test.
 

Go Over A Variety Of Question Types

Quiz your child with a variety of relevant questions: multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, essay and long reading passages.  Getting your child acquainted with a mixture of formats will prepare him for whatever may be on the test.
 

Learn Test Terminology

Does your child know the difference between an antonym and a synonym? What about greater than and less than? Test takes should understand the basic terminology that will be used in test problems.
 

Test Time Restraints

Design a certain amount of time for your child to get homework or other tasks done. Learning how to complete a task in the allotted time can help during a timed test.
 
If appropriate, use a watch or timer to help your child be aware of the time, and challenge to get things done correctly within the time given.
 

Go Over Directions

Reading carefully and following directions is something that can be practiced. Give your child written directions to follow. Have them highlight or note certain words that will assist him in remembering what they are supposed to do.
 

Learn Process Of Elimination

For multiple choice questions, ruling out the definite wrong answers is good way to find the right one. Practice multiple choice questions and if your child gets stumped, have her work through it by process of elimination.
 

Get To Bed Early

Getting enough sleep the night before the test is essential for mental comprehension.
 
Have your child get to bed early the night before the test.
Force them to sleep early if you need to.
 

Eat Well

Like sleep, nutrition is important for brain performance. Make sure your child eats breakfast the morning of the test.  While you are at it, have them wear something comfortable. No one wants to sit through a long test in uncomfortable clothes.
 

Be Positive

If you don’t think positive about the test, neither will your little test-taker.
Let your child know to do his or her best, but don’t put on too much pressure. 
 
For more proactive test prep in Chicago, The House offers award-winning pres services for exams of all types! ACT/SAT, AP Exams and more. In addition, we offer the state's top academic tutoring services - in ALL subjects!
 
Get in touch with The House today - contact us here.

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