Test Taking Tips

Tips for Helping Your Child Be a Successful test taker:
 

• Do praise your child for the things he or she does well, and be supportive of his or her efforts, especially in areas or activities that are challenging.  Kids who feel good about themselves and their abilities-and who aren't fearful about making mistakes-will fell more confident, and less anxious, when taking the test.
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• Do talk with your child about what they're doing in class and ask what he or she is reading. Studies show that kids who talked with their families on a weekly basis about school and what they were reading scored higher on the national standardized reading test than kids who talked about these things with their families less often.
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• Do limit your child's TV time.  Studies show that kids who watched fewer than three hours of television a day scored higher on the national reading test than those who watched more.
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• Do express a positive attitude about the test and confidence in your child's ability to do well on it.  Research shows that parents' and teachers' attitudes influence children's attitudes.  So if you're upbeat and encouraging about the test, your child is likely to feel good about it.
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• Do encourage your child to read-newspapers, magazines, food labels, recipes, letters, and instructions, in addition to fiction and non-fiction books.  Test makers draw on a wide variety of formats when choosing items to evaluate reading comprehension skills.
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• Do realize that putting too much emphasis on the test and the results can increase your child's anxiety about the test.  Too much anxiety can prevent your child from doing his or her best.
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• Do reassure your child that test scores are only one measure of his or her abilities, not the whole picture.  Don't judge your child on the basis of his or her test score.
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• Do ensure that your child gets a good night's sleep the night before the test and eats a nutritious breakfast the day of the test.