SUCCESSFUL TEST TAKING STRATEGIES FOR ANY OCCASION

DOING YOUR PERSONAL BEST:PREPAREDPRACTICED

READY Dawn A. Moore, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

2011-2012 School YearRevised by Kristin Baker for grades 3-6

BUILDS SELF-CONFIDENCE, MOTIVATION, ENDURANCE, AND SUCCESS!

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PRACTICED, PREPRARED, READY!

April 30th to May 3rd May 7th to 10th/11th

Students who are absent will make up missed sections during the following week.

Grades 5 & 6 Grades 3 & 4When is the NJ ASK?

Lack of Stamina and Energy

No Motivation

No Set Goals

“Too difficult for me”

Too Much Stress

Anxiety

Know-how

Unprepared

“What might prevent you from performing at your personal best?”

“ Where am I going?”

“Where will I be next year? Two years? Four years?”

“What can I do now tocreate more possibilitiesfor me and my future?”

“You can’t get different results if you keep thinking and doing the same

things!”

“Will you be college and career ready?”

Cosmetologist PsychologistPostal Worker Police officerSafety inspector TechnicianEngineer Lead CustodianAccountant MechanicTeacher ChefTherapist Forensic ScientistGovernment Worker Fitness InstructorDoctor Real Estate Broker

Part of your future includes taking tests for various certifications!

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

PREPARING FOR STANDARIZED TESTING …

PRACTICING ANDGETTING READY

Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6Wednesday 63 minutes

Wednesday 63 minutes

Thursday68 minutes

Thursday68 minutes

43 Multiple Choice* 43 Multiple Choice*

8 ShortConstructed Response

No calculators during SCR

10 ShortConstructed Response

No calculators during SCR

4 Extended Constructed Response*

5 Extended Constructed Response*

*Calculators permitted during certain sections of MC and ECR only.

STRUCTURE OF THE NJASK MATH

Looking at the number of questions of each type, which part is worth more

points?

Yes, it is the multiple choice part!Why is this important to note?

DECIDE ON THE APPROACH THAT WILL CORRECTLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM THE FASTEST!

PPaper and

Pencil Processes

P

C Calculator C

M Mental Math Techniques M

THREE APPROACHES TO MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

Misreading the question Going with the 1st and NOT the BEST answer Reading of the choices in order: A, B, C, D … Try reading them in reverse order: D, C, B, A Worrying about where classmates are on the test Tripped up by what you RECOGNIZE in answer choices …

Wrong answers show common mistakes.

Common Mistakes When Answering Multiple Choice

Questions for Any Test

Other common errors on timed multiple-choice math

tests

Spending too much time on one problem

Not making a “smart” guess

Leaving an answer blank

“But what if I do not know how to solve the problem at all?”

MOVE ON!Do NOT get “stuck” on one question and spend valuable time when there are other multiple choice questions you DO know how to do!

Skip the question you don’t know, BUT come back to it once you have completed the others. Then, if you still do not know, make an educated guess.

IF… IF… IF…ALL ELSE FAILS, CAN I GUESS?

YES, YES, YES!YOU CAN GUESS IF YOU CAN’T FIGURE OUT THE ANSWER.

THERE IS NO PENALTY IN THE SCORING FOR GUESSING.

Guessing the Smart Waycounting on fingers

Eliminate the two answer choices that seem unreasonable

Make an educated guess from the remaining selections

Use the materials you are given.They are there to help you.

Step #1: Read the question.

Step #2: Identify what the problem is asking! Underline KEY WORDS.

Step #3: Label your bullets either “1, 2, 3, etc.” OR “A, B, C, etc.” Then, use the same labels for each response so the reader knows which responses go with which bullets.

Step #4: Use R-S-L to develop a clear response for each bullet: Restate – Show - Label

Constructing a Good ECR SolutionAim for the 3!

And always – always – always - CHECK YOUR WORK!

R RESTATEThe Question

The answer is_______. ORThe vase will cost ____.

S SHOWYour Work!

Explain your steps with words OR clearly show your steps.

You can use a helper statement:

I know this because I did ______ first, Then I ______, then I ______...

Remember math can do “the talking” with minimal words.

Tell your steps even if you use a calculator

Show HOW you got your answer.

L LABELAll Units!

Every unit of measurement should be clear: days, $, inches… NO NAKED NUMBERS

“But what if I do not know how to solve the problem at all?”

Do NOT move on!• In the ECR sections, do NOT skip any question.• Read the question again and underline key words.• Write out the information that is given.• Try some type of strategy, even if you do not think it’s

completely correct.By trying these steps,

you may get 1 or 2 of the 3 points.

Be sure your work is organized so the test scorer can easily score it.

Write answers only in the area indicated.

Review your vocabulary terms: difference, product, etc.

OTHER TIPS

THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PERSONAL BEST!

FINAL THOUGHTSTaking standardized tests

can be difficult, but ...

You are totally upto the task.

You arePREPARED, PRACTICED, and

READY to do your PERSONAL BEST!

Source for PowerPoint materials: “Strategies for HSPA Success Workshop.”Standards SolutionWashington, NJ.

Mrs. MooreWarren Hills Regional School DistrictDirector of Curriculum and InstructionAdapted to NJ ASK grades 3-6 Kristin BakerMansfield Twp. Elementary School