5 Easy-to-Use Strategies to Help Your Child Do Better on Tests

I’m school assembly presenter Joe Romano. I’ve performed thousands of character education school assembly programs in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington DC, and many others. My goal with these articles is to help parents and school administrators just like you. Let’s dive into ways to help raise your child’s test scores.

Test Taking Strategy #1: Have a Dedicated Study Area

When your child is well-organized, their thinking will be less cluttered. They should have a dedicated space to study for tests. The key to this space is to minimize distractions. Study time should be just that – study time. That means no cell phones, tablets, or other distractions. Interestingly, music has been shown to aid study habits.

Having dedicated study space also begins to set anchors in your child’s mind. We form thousands of anchors throughout our lives. An anchor is something that triggers some kind of response. If you hear a certain song and you are suddenly flooded with memories from high school, it’s because of anchoring. Or if you smell a certain perfume, you are reminded of your grandmother, that’s an anchor.

By having a dedicated study area, your child will begin to anchor studying to that space. The result? They get more effective studying accomplished each time they start studying.

Test Taking Strategy #2: Help Your Child Plan for What to Study

Sit down with your child and discuss their upcoming test. Some kids panic over the sheer volume of material they have to study. Talk with your child. Try to ferret out key points their teacher may have stressed that will be important on the test. Some teachers go so far as to say, “This will be on the test.”

Once you’ve narrowed down the possible parameters of the test’s subject matter, move on to the types of questions. Ask your child what kind of questions they can expect for the test. Many teachers tell their classes what to expect on the test. Multiple choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank, and essay questions are some of the most popular forms of test questions.

If your child’s teacher has informed them what kind of questions to expect, plan for that. Some kids find essay questions very challenging. Others fear the simple binary choice of true or false. Work with your child to develop strategies for each.

Test Taking Strategy #3: Pace Themselves

Set up a simple study schedule for your child. Have short breaks every hour or 90 minutes. Give your child the chance to get up, stretch, take a walk, etc. Giving them scheduled ‘brain breaks’ will prevent mental fatigue. If kids try to study nonstop for hours at a time, their ability to absorb and retain information decreases. Mental breaks are crucial for effective studying.

Test Taking Strategy #4: Answer What They Know First

During any test, it’s easy for your child to get hung up on a question they don’t know the answer to. When taking a test, your child should go through the test and answer all the questions they know the answer to first. That way, they guarantee themselves the maximum number of correct answers.

This is critical. If your child is taking a 30-question test and gets stuck on question #6, they may run out of time and miss the opportunity to finish the test and answer questions they can easily finish. Additionally, answering the questions they definitely know the answers to helps raise their confidence level.

Test Taking Strategy #5: Take Their Time

Many kids raise through their tests at top speed. They seem to think there’s a prize for being the first one finished! While there are certain tests or situations where speed matters, most of your child’s tests don’t fall into that category. Encourage your child to take their time. If they are given 30 minutes to take a test, encourage them to take the entire 30 minutes. Going too quickly increases the likelihood of getting wrong answers.

Read this sentence very quickly:

PARIS IN THE

THE SPRING

How many times did you read the word “the?” If you answered only once, check again. This old stunt illustrates how easy it is for your eyes to play tricks on you if you read too quickly. And if your child rolls their eyes when you tell them to take their time taking a test, show them this little puzzle. It may just prove your point!

Give Your Child’s School a Confidence Boost

Want to get your child’s entire school fired up? Building confidence is a key skill for success of any kind. My fun and amazing school assembly “The Magic in You” encourages children to be their best selves. After presenting this school assembly program in NY, NJ, MD, NC, and other states, schools rave about it! With magic, interactive fun, music, and more, this assembly is the perfect way to build your school’s students’ self-esteem! Get more information on “The Magic in You” today!