Let’s face it. Standardized testing is not a fun experience. While it used to serve the function of measuring raw academic ability and whether a student was a good fit for a certain school, it has lost that function. Now it often only measures how much of your child’s life was put into preparing for said exam.
But as it is, standardized tests are still used all the time. They are used for admission into competitive classes, starting in pre-school. They are used for measuring how well the schools cover the curriculum during the year, with state tests. They are used for college admissions, graduate school admissions, and job placements. Like it or not, standardized tests are very much an integral skill to master.
As an educational consultant, I spend my days helping kids overcome their testing anxiety and teaching them the necessary skills to tackle future exams. After helping hundreds of students (from pre-k through college) successfully prepare for standardized tests, I developed the following list of methods to help parents guide their children through the rigors of standardized testing.
This list is divided into two articles. The first covers tips for starting test prep gradually, so you can ease your child into the material without stress.
The second one (read here) deals with the later stages of test prep, and how to turn casual study into more focused exam preparation.
Steps 1-5: Early Stage Test Preparation
1. Try to identify the concepts behind the exam questions, and introduce your child to them in a casual setting.
A lot of kids shut down when they are faced with formal practice questions. However, you can still introduce them to the material without stressing them out. With my students, I’ll often start by just talking to them about the material and real-life examples of it.
For example, the ISEE exam (private school admissions) often tests probability before students learn the material in school. Instead of starting off with the mathematical rules (p= favorable outcomes/total outcomes), we start with a discussion of where probability is useful in real life. We’ll play with dice, cards, and magic 8 balls. We might practice rolling the dice 24 times and recording how many times each face is rolled. We discuss how there are 6 sides of a dice, and each one has an equal chance of being rolled, because they are all the same size and weight. And while in our trials, each face didn’t make up exactly 1/6 of the rolls, we will start to approach those proportions as we roll the dice more and more.
From there, I introduce the math in a non-stressful way. I’ll do a lot of examples for them, and ask my students to contribute verbally. I’ll do more hands-on examples to support the math. Eventually, I’ll invite them to participate in a few practice questions that we’ll do together. And once they are confident with the material, I’ll show them real examples of how probability is represented on the test.
2. Don’t try squeezing all the prep in at once.
It’s incredibly stressful for a child to be told that they will have to spend the next X months studying during their free time. It’s very easy for them to build that up in their heads, start dreading prep, and end up with non-productive study time.
Instead, work the prep in gradually, even starting a year in advance. Start in SMALL doses. You don’t even have to tell them that you’re prepping for a test at first! It can just be fun “challenge questions” or “puzzle time.” After you casually introduce the concepts, you may only want to add in one or two practice questions in a week, and gradually increase from there. Plus, staring early gives you more time to recognize and address areas of need.
3. Make it a family activity.
While kids usually hate being left alone to do practice questions, they have a much easier time if they have a supportive person helping them through it. Sometimes I’ll bring an extra set of practice questions to work on myself, alongside my students. If they have trouble with something, I can empathize with their struggle. After all, they can see me working on the very same questions! Then, I can show them how I solved it, and guide them to solve it the same way.
Even without doing the same practice questions, being next to your children and patiently helping them when they need it can be a great motivating and bonding experience for them. Many children get anxious at the thought of struggling alone through something they don’t understand, and having someone there to help can do a lot to relieve their anxiety. It gives them confidence that you’re in this together, which goes a long way when tackling a difficult subject.
4. Learn what they’re covering in school, and introduce relevant practice questions during the appropriate school unit.
When I was in high school, I took AP Biology with a wonderful teacher. At the end of every unit he covered, he had us spent one class period going over about 20 relevant multiple-choice questions from previous years AP exams, along with one essay response question on a topic we had recently covered. Afterwards, we would go over the answers together, referencing where we had talked about the material before.
By gradually getting us used to the unique style of the AP questions during the year, he took a lot of the stress out of prep. We didn’t have to spend as long cramming at the end of the year, and we all scored very well.
The same principle can be used to study for most standardized tests. Often, the content will roughly mirror the school curriculum. So if your 3rd grader is learning about fractions in school, separate out some fractions questions from the published 3rd grade state tests. Go over a handful of them together, and talk about how they are alike and different from their homework questions. Often, the way standardized tests word things will be different from their teacher’s wording, so it’s good to get used to the new style.
5. Make it a positive experience.
Just like animals can sense your fear, children can sense your stress and expectations. Sometimes they can become overwhelmed with the need to make mom and dad happy. Sometimes they rebel, and refuse to practice as a way to assert their independence. It’s important to keep the pressure low, and keep learning a positive experience.
Prep is hard work for kids. It’s important to recognize and praise the effort they put in (even if it’s not as much effort as you would like.) Even if you expect them to study just because you asked them to, they will study more frequently and with a better attitude if their contributions are acknowledged, and if their failures aren’t criticized too harshly. You can say things like:
-“I’m really proud of you for putting in the effort, even though you were tired. Great job!”
-“Wow, that was a tricky question! I’m really impressed you got that right!”
-“Oooh, you almost got that right! It was a tough question; a lot of people get that one wrong. Let’s try it again, but don’t forget to _____.”
-“You’re really good at these! I can tell you’ve been working hard and practicing.”
Even indicating that you yourself have a positive attitude about the material can go a long way. It’s not uncommon for me to work with students who say they hate math or think reading is boring. But when I use positive language to refer to the subject, within a few months my students often indicate that it’s also one of their favorite subjects now.
I might say something like: “Oh, I love this part of math! Let me show you how this works; it’s a lot of fun.” or “I read this really awesome book last week, let me tell you about it!” Genuine enthusiasm from somebody your child looks up to (like you!) can go a long way to influence their attitude.
So far, these tips have covered the early stages of test preparation, and tips that can help you consistently throughout your child’s studying. However, as the day of the test grows nearer, there are some new factors to consider.
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Shay Skobeleva is an educational consultant, and the founder of Altiora Tutoring. She is the author of several educational guides, including Getting Into Medical School: The Ultimate Guide for the Anxious Premed and Altiora’s Free Guide to the Gifted and Talented Exam.
Photo by Chris Liverani