Standardized Test Hint - Know When to Fold

Here's a great hint that will help your child during a standardized test. Though this year's tests are still a good way off, this strategy requires a bit of practice. So, take notes!

When taking a test, each child is given at least one piece of plain paper for scrap. The paper is most often unlined. Students should, just as they begin to take the test, fold that paper in half, in half again, and in half again.

For a reading test, children can use it as a place holder while they are reading. They can also jot down relevant points on one section of the folded paper. They'll use the notes to answer the questions for that reading selection.

When they go on to the next reading section, they simply turn the paper over to a new section - keeping the paper folded - and take notes again. They continue the process until all sections are used up and then ask for another sheet of paper if needed.

Because the brain wants to fill in any unused white space on a piece of paper, a child will write all over a large blank piece of paper in a disorganized fashion. When the paper is folded, students have a limited amount of space to fill in. They'll be organized, and know exactly where to look for their notes that will help them answer the question.

And then there is the distraction factor - and we all know how distracted ADHD kids get. A blank white field on the paper is a distraction to the brain. When the paper is folded, it helps a child to focus. In addition, when using a new section, there are no distractions from the notes made while working on other questions of the test.

When an entire space is filled up - it just feels like a success. Continue reading our hints on testing at A Bubble of Confidence.

Get lots of free hints like this one by following our blog or by signing up for our newsletter.

Teaching the Test

If your child brings home a test with a lower grade than you would like, take some time to review the test. First of all, find out what sort of mistakes were made. Did your child simply not have a grasp of the material? Were the wrong things studied? Were the mistakes careless? Were there transposing errors - especially in math - where numbers were reversed? If the test was multiple choice, did your child get the right answer on the scratch sheet, but circled or bubbled the wrong answer?

Then find out which type of answers are hardest for your child. Multiple choice often require your child to choose between two or three possible answers. Short answers demand that your child have certain names or vocabulary memorized. True/False answers are always tricky. The dreaded essay questions can be horrors for our kids. And sometimes there are other little things that teachers count off for - incorrect spelling and punctuation, for example. (Or not writing a name on the paper...or messiness...not that our kids would ever have problems with that...)

Explain your findings to your child, and help her bone up on her weak areas. Ask the teacher for help as well; he may have practice tests or ideas that will be of great benefit.