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Regional Professional
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RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Test Taking Strategies
for Reading
by
Jill Leone
Reading Specialist
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Copyright © 2006
Get ready
to pass
proficiency!
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Which one of these expressions
fits your mood when you have to
take a big test?
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Almost nothing scares us
more than hearing the word:
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
When you take a test, you’re really
being tested on two things:
 How much you know about
the subject.
 How much you know about
taking a test.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Test-taking is like riding a bicycle.
You get better and better at it with
practice.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Learning how to take
tests is a win-win
situation and improves:
your self confidence
your test scores
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
 Prepare mentally.
 Think positive.
 Stay relaxed and
confident.
 Get lots of sleep.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Take your time and relax.
Don’t be a clock watcher! It’s distracting.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Make sure you understand the
directions.
Don’t skip the sample questions
and answers!
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Read the questions first • Helps focus your attention.
• Directs you to the most important
parts of the page.
Break complicated questions
into smaller parts.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Three important rules –
• Read all of your answer choices.
• Compare choices.
• Make sure you read and answer
all parts of each question.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
STOP!
Make sure you understand
what each question is
asking.
Think about what you will
need to look for to
answer correctly.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
• Write in your test booklet!
• Read the questions twice
before you read the passage.
• Look for key words.
• Circle or underline them.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Don’t be alarmed if
you need to read both
the questions and
passages more than
one time.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Choose the Best Answer.
Never choose an answer that’s not supported by the selection or
your own prior knowledge
Read and think!
Read and think!
Read and think!
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Choose the Best Answer.
Answers are often stated in words
different from the reading passage.
A passage about the Civil War
discusses the casualties of war,
but the answer choice might use
the word fatalities.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Choose the best
answer by eliminating
choices that don’t
make sense.
GUESS on questions
you don’t know.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Try to visualize what
you’re reading about.
Connect to what you
already know.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Do all the problems in your test
booklet first.
Don’t bubble in answer sheet until
after you’ve finished the entire test –
and gone over it.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
• Break up long passages
into smaller parts.
• “Chunking” them makes
them more manageable.
• Stop every paragraph or
two and think about key
ideas.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Never choose an answer
that contains any wrong
information.
If any part of an answer
choice is wrong, don’t
choose this answer.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Watch out for tricky or negative
words in questions:
• not
• least
• none
• never
• except
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Which of the following is NOT a
requirement for graduation?
Read your answer choices and answer
either yes or no to each.
The choices that you answered
yes are not correct.
The one choice you answered
no is your correct answer.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Which of the following is NOT
a requirement for graduation?
A. American Government (yes)
B. English III (yes)
C. American History (yes)
D. Spanish I (no)
The answer choice you answered
NO is the correct answer.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Be careful of answer choices with
extreme or absolute words such as:
• all
• always
• never
• no one
• everyone
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Don’t ignore little
words like but
and yet.
They can really
change the
meaning of a
sentence.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
He tried hard
but never made
a shot.
Don’t choose an answer just because it’s a
sentence you read in the passage.
Make sure each answer you choose answers
the question you’re working on NOW!
Watch for related questions - Information for
one question can be “given away” in another.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Skimming is
glancing quickly
at a page to
get an idea of
topics and
important
ideas.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
A test question asks about the setting
of Pearl Harbor. Once you have read
the passage all the way through, go
back and skim until you find the parts
that discuss the time and place, which
make up the setting.
Now, read this part carefully.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Many tests ask you to identify the main idea.
This is the most important reading
strategy you’ll ever learn.
The main idea is the
key thought or idea
in a passage.
It’s what authors want
you to understand
and remember most.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Don’t confuse a
supporting detail
with the main idea!
Supporting details
just explain or give
more information
about the topic.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Reread the first and last
sentences.
Then, sum up everything
in one sentence.
Skim the reading passage
to see how many times each
answer choice is discussed.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
On some East coast beaches, flags
are used to indicate the condition of
the surf. A red flag indicates to
swimmers that the surf is dangerously
rough. A yellow flag is a warning or
caution; swimmers should stay near
the shore. A green flag means that the
surf is calm. Whatever the condition
of the surf, a swimmer should always
be careful.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
On some East coast beaches, flags
are used to indicate the condition of
the surf. A red flag indicates to
swimmers that the surf is dangerously
rough. A yellow flag is a warning or
caution; swimmers should stay near
the shore. A green flag means that the
surf is calm. Whatever the condition
of the surf, a swimmer should always
be careful.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
The main idea of this paragraph is –
A. surfing the waves.
B. safety precautions for
swimmers.
C. flags used to tell surf conditions.
D. East coast beaches.
How did you do?
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Don’t always expect to find all of the
events given to you in correct order.
Pass up your homework after you
sit down. incorrect
First, sit down, and second, pass up
your homework. correct
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
When you have to choose the correct
meaning of a word, remember to read
• The sentence the word is in
• The sentence right before
• The sentence right after
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Facts can always be verified
to be true or false.
With facts, there’s no other
reasonable point of view.
An opinion is a statement
made by someone who
believes it is true.
There can be other points
of view.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Think about the writer’s:
• purpose for writing
• key points or main ideas
• style and techniques
• overall tone
• intended audience
• viewpoint
• use of content, text
features, and structure
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
• Headings/subheadings
• Words in capital letters
• Bold print
• Underlined words
• Italicized words
• Bulleted words
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
When you’re asked to make an
inference or conclusionYou have to make an intelligent guess.
The correct answer is usually not in
one specific place.
Corbis.com
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Good readers –
combine prior knowledge with
the words on a page.
Your job is to interpret meaning.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Try each answer
choice to see if it
answers the
question.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Make sure you fill in all blanks
completely so the machine
that grades the test
records all your answers.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Is it OK to change an answer?
What do you think?
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Sometimes we’re nervous
the first time we go through a test.
We’re concentrating on finishing.
Once we know the end’s in sight,
we relax
and think more clearly.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Don’t get upset if other
students finish before you.
Take your time, don’t panic,
and keep working till
you’re done.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Check answer sheet.
Make sure you bubbled
correctly.
Use test booklet as marker
to check each line.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Be quiet and respectful.
Don’t disturb others still working.
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Estás listo?
RPDP Secondary
Literacy
Copyright Notice
Permission is granted to copy (unmodified) all or part
of this PowerPoint for educational, personal, noncommercial use off-line as long as the copyright
message (Copyright © 2006 by Jill Leone) is
maintained on the title page. This material may not
be sold, duplicated on other websites, incorporated
in commercial documents or products, or used for
promotional purposes.
Copyright © 2006 by Jill M. Leone
RPDP Secondary
Literacy