Test Taking Skills

Test Taking Skills Review

About the EOG

There are 65 questions on the EOG.

• 60 questions are regular test items. Mainly Multiple Choice. There maybe a matching type of question.

• 5 are Field Test items that you will not be able to pick out from the rest of the questions.

Before the Exam

Complete ALL Review Activities

• Go back to review all the feedback on the questions you got wrong on the review quizzes.

• Ask questions on the concepts (things) you are still not sure about.

Before the Exam

• Wear a comfortable or favorite outfit each day. This will build confidence and help you feel comfortable as you take the test.

• If it's cold in your classroom dress in layers or bring a jacket.

• Increase water intake to hydrate your brain throughout the weeks leading up to EOG.

• Don’t miss school unless you are really ill.

Before the Exam

• Don’t stay up late. You don’t need to feel sleepy during testing. Getting a goodnight’s sleep has been proven to help you stay alert and perform better on tests.

• Eat a healthy, well balanced breakfast before school starts each day of the test. Feeling hungry during testing can really distract you. Having a full stomach can help you to do your best.

• Try to have a positive morning before coming to school and once you arrive at school. Problems hanging over you can make you lack focus.

​As you take the exam

• Be aware of the test time limits.

• Keep track (if you can) of how much time you have remaining.

• Try not to spend too much time on items that you are unsure or do not have an idea. Focus on one question at a time; avoid looking ahead at other questions.

• Keep moving through the test. Do the easy ones first.

• Skip questions that are giving you trouble. When you finish, go back and retry any skipped questions. Don’t spend too much time wrestling with one question.

​As you take the exam

• Try not to feel rushed and anxious. If you begin to think about all you have to finish in an amount of time, it can make you feel too stressed and make it hard to focus on what you are doing. As long as you don’t waste your time, you will have plenty of time to complete the test.

• Don’t worry about other people in the room. We all work at a different pace, and finishing first does not make you do better.

​As you take the exam

• Answer all the questions, even the ones you may not know.

• Mark in the test with the tools, for written tests circle key words in the question to keep you focused. Use online tools

• Check back over your answers at the end of testing. Sometimes, you can make silly mistakes, and you’ll catch them when you look back over your answers.

• Use all of the time allotted to you. If you have extra time, cover your answers and try reworking the questions.

Specifics

​Multiple Choice Questions

• Anticipate the answer before looking at your answer options. Physically cover the answer with your hand to see if you can answer it first.

• Then READ ALL answer choices before Eliminate highly implausible answers (most multiple choice tests will have at least two “distracter” items that are unrelated to the questions).

Specifics

​Multiple Choice Questions

• Be aware of words like “always,” “never,” “only,” “must,” and “completely.” Response options containing these words may be correct, but are usually distracters as there will usually be exceptions to extreme words such as these.

Specifics

​Multiple Choice Questions

• Be cautious about changing your answer to a multiple-choice question without a good reason. Usually, your first “guess” or intuition is more likely to be correct than later ones.

• If one of the items is an “All of the Above” option and you know that at least one of the other options is incorrect/false, then you can eliminate the “All of the Above” option as well.

• Take a deep breath, hold it and then slowly release the breath and the tension. Repeat until your body relaxes.

• Make an effort to relax. You have learned this information. Most people get nervous. It’s natural. Just do your best.

Relaxation Techniques

• Think positively. Some problems may seem hard to you, but you may be able to figure out what to do if you read each question carefully.

• Don’t get frustrated. The test is designed so that the middle part of the test is actually the hardest. Do not get frustrated and give up during this part of the test. It will get easier. Don’t give up.

Relaxation Techniques

​Last items

​Follow the directions of your teacher.

You are prepared for this exam.

You've got this!