Testing 101: Budget Time and Have a Plan

In my last article I gave you six tips to increase your child’s performance on any achievement test. In this article I want to address another aspect of test taking that if practiced, will result in higher test scores: time management.

All achievement tests have timed sections. This can present a problem if your student has not been taught to pace him or herself to get something done in a short, limited period of time. While ample time is usually afforded for most children to finish each sub-test, it is important that your child learn to work at a comfortable, but reasonably quick pace to ensure both accuracy and completion of the test. With this in mind, here are four time-management tips you can apply:

1. 1. Start working immediately. At home, the moment you give an assignment, have your child start working immediately.  Set a time limit.  In a test setting, when the examiner says it’s time to begin, the child needs to begin immediately.
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   2. Budget time. Teach your child to work at a comfortable rate and not spend too much time on any one problem.  Most achievement tests have both easy and more difficult problems distributed throughout the test.  Your child should be taught to come back to items he or she is unable to work so that there is a chance to attempt all problems. Students in grades four through twelve who decide to skip difficult problems and work ahead should be cautioned to make sure they are on the right item number when marking answers on the answer sheet.
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   3. Pre-plan what to do if time runs out. Discuss ahead of time what you want your child to do if only a few minutes remain.  Items left unmarked when the test is scored will be marked wrong. Your student has a few options.  One would be to complete the final minutes of the test continuing at the same rate as before.  A second approach would be to begin move quicker making “educated guesses.”  A third option, not recommended by the publisher, is to mark randomly.  While this last approach may result in a higher score, it will decrease the reliability of the test results.
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   4. Practice a sustained silent effort. Children taking survey achievement tests at the second-grade level on up should practice working silently for up to twenty minutes without breaking their concentration.  If you’re part of a co-op or get together occasionally with other home schooled families, this could be practiced in a group setting to give your child a feel for what the real test will be like.

Want to practice the above using one of our practice tests? We have two to practice with: The One Hour Practice Test  and Achieving Peak Performance. Both are available as instant downloads, so you can start preparing immediately!

Thanks for reading!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

• If you live in Oregon you can sign up for a group test or locate an examiner near you.
• If you live outside the state of Oregon and know someone who’d make a good examiner for your child, you can direct them to apply to become a qualified examiner with us. Qualifying is fast, simple, and only requires a four-year degree.