The Significance of Test Format Knowledge in Approaching Standardized Tests

When approaching standardized tests, it is helpful for sudents to not only have the English and Math skills needed to excel on this exam, but it is also essential for them to be familiar with the format of the test, itself.

Small reminders such as remembering that some questions in many of the sections are ordered from least to most difficult should alter the student's approach to these questions. I remind my students that easy questions (the first ones in a section) have easy answers, and that hard questions (toward the end) have hard answers. So if they are in the beginning of a section and the answer seems easy and jumps right out at them, this is probably, indeed the answer. However, if they are toward the end of a section and this happens, they may want to reread the question to make sure they aren't missing something.

Also, the math section answers are presented in ascending or descending order. In other words, if the answer choices are a) 2, b)4, c)11, d)16 and e)20, you will notice that a) is the smallest numerical response, and e) is the largest. If a student needs to back solve in order to answer the question, it is a time-saver to start with c)11, and if the answer is higher, a) and b) can quickly be eliminated. Most students are inclined to begin with a) and work their way to e). If the answer is "d" or "e", even if they eventually get the correct answer, they have just spent too much time on the question.

However, my best advice beyond "knowing the test" is to tell my students that they have to be "readers." By high school, it is often too late to cram vocabulary words into their brains. The students who score highly on these tests read voraciously, not just classics, but newspapers, magazines, internet articles, and a variety of books and references. That habit needs to be set early. Studying vocabulary lists or better yet, memorizing prefix and root meanings will help somewhat, but students need to see a word used in a number of different contexts before they have a grasp of the full meaning with all variations of particular words.

So my best advice is something they can begin in elementary school rather than a few months before taking this test. READ. Read whatever they can get their hands on. Beyond that, know the test. Be familiar with when it is better to guess and when it is not. (Generally, if you can eliminate even one answer choice, it is best to guess, but if you are so lost in the question that you cannot even do that, it is better to leave it blank.) Some student's scores can be higher by answering fewer questions.

Finally, practice tests are not fun, but are invaluable in preparing for these tests. Not only is taking them helpful, but it is important to take the next step - check all answers, see what you missed, look up what the answers should be, and study what you did wrong. If you still can't figure out why an answer is the answer, ask your teachers to explain individual problems for you. It is time consuming, but well worth it.

Students should plan to be mentally exhausted after taking the SAT. I remind them that they can rest later, but that it is essential that they be alert and engaged for the entire testing day, and that they use the time they are given to double-check answers and to reread difficult items rather than closing their booklet and watching the clock. Controversial or not, it is unarguably important and students need to treat it seriously.