Standardized Test Taking Strategies

STAAR/EOC History

GREENWELL

While the test is testing your knowledge of history, it is also testing your ability to read thoroughly and gather information. With that, don’t stress out. The material you need is already in your head. These are some tips that I have picked up over the years for taking standardized multiple choice tests. These are not mandatory test-taking strategies, just my recommendations.

There are a few different types of test questions:

-Questions based solely on knowledge of history

-Questions based on a reading excerpt

-Questions based on a visual (typically map, chart, graph, or picture)

-Question that combine one or more of the above

Tips on approaching these questions:

Tip #1: Know How to Narrow the Answer Choices

There are 4 answers. Many times they can be broken down in the following way:

  1. An answer choice that is fairly easy to rule out. It does not really have much to do with the actual question.
  2. The correct answer.
  3. The answer that is close to the correct answer (the trick).
  4. The answer that is opposite of the correct answer.

Often times you can rule out 2 of you answers- the one that doesn’t have anything to do with the actual question and the one that is opposite of the other two answer choices. This way, you have more of a 50/50 shot at the answer. Then reread the question again after narrowing it down.

When you narrow down your choices, you can literally draw an X in your answer booklet next to the ones you can rule out, an O next to the one you think is the opposite, and a ? next to the ones that you are trying to decide between.

Tip #2: Read EVERYTHING…multiple times!

By the time you actually choose and answer, you should have read the question, data (readings or visuals), and answer choices at least 2-3 times each. So much of these tests are testing your ability to thoroughly read. Here is a very useful way to approach it.

In general, you are:

  1. Reading the question while covering the answer choices.
  2. Gathering any data (if there are visuals or readings)
  3. Answering the question without looking at the answer choices (this allows you to pull from your knowledge before your mind gets clouded with answer choices).
  4. Rereading the question with the answer choices (if what you though was the answer happens to show up in the choices, you are less likely to second guess yourself).
  5. Narrowing down your choices, and picking one.

Even when you think it’s an easy question, just give it a quick second read to make sure you are not missing anything. Here is a more detailed step by step for the specific types of questions I have mentioned above.

Questions based solely on knowledge of history (with no readings or visuals):

1.Read the question (not the answer choices).

2.Come up with what you think the answer is WITHOUT having read the answer choices. Cover the answer choices with your answer sheet if needed. This will help you to go through the files of information in your head and get what you know BEFORE the answer choices have had a chance to influence you. You can typically trust your first thoughts. Worst case scenario- you have no clue and just go off the answer choice like you would have originally planned. No big deal.

3.Now read the answer choices.

4.Go back and reread the question and the answer choices and start narrowing down your 4 choices.

5.Once you have it narrowed down to 2-3 choices, reread the question with each of the answer choices. Take your pick.

Questions with a visual

  1. Read the question
  2. Read the title of the visual
  3. Read the key of the visual, if there is one
  4. Thoroughly read the visual
  5. Read all footnotes/small print under the visual
  6. Underline every date you see (in the title, visual, key, and foot notes)
  7. Ask yourself, what was going on is history during those dates?
  8. Reread the question AND the answer choices. If it is a question asking you to interpret a chart or map, plug EVERY answer choice into the visual. Read Put an X if the statement is false. At the end, you should have 3 Xs and one answer.

If it is a standard question where you are not plugging the question into the chart, you can just use your standard narrowing down (from above section).

Questions with a reading excerpt

  1. Read the question
  2. Read the title or any material before the excerpt
  3. Thoroughly read the excerpt
  4. Read all footnotes/small print under the excerpt
  5. Underline every date you see (in the title, reading and foot notes)
  6. Ask yourself, what was going on is history during those dates?
  7. Reread the question and mentally answer it WITHOUT reading the answer choices.
  8. Reread the question and answer choices and narrow down your choices.
  9. Once you have it narrowed down, reread the question with each of the answer choices. Take your pick.

Is there anything you should study?

Overall, the test is meant to trigger information that you have learned throughout the year. You should be able to use the information above to pull from your “mental filing cabinet” of information.

Remember, they are not going to test you on every tiny detail you have learned. Questions based on knowledge alone are testing some of the bigger happenings in history. The more detailed questions are going to also have visuals and readings to help you out. You just have to take the time to gather the clues there.

If you have time to go over old work, it would benefit you to take the period of US History being tested at go through decade by decade and answer the questions:

What major event happened in that decade?

Who were the major people around?

Are there any major anchor dates?

Just take your time on the test and read thoroughly and you will do great!