Preparing for THE TEST!
I have a new thing that I need to accomplish today. My husband asked me to do some writing for one of his companies. It's very intellectually stimulating, but it's also a bit daunting. I need to do a really good job. I need to be clear, concise and informative. This isn't usually the way I write. I like to tell stories. I like to wander around with words until I run out of things to say. However, that style would not be appropriate for this audience. This audience is made up of high school students who are preparing for their college entrance exams.
I'm actually the perfect person to write to this particular group. I did very well on my AP/IB exams. I got a fantastic score on my SATs. I received several scholarships that were based on those scores. I saved my parents a lot of money, simply by filling in the correct bubbles on the scantron sheet.
Testing has always come very easily to me and I think I can help students who are motivated, intelligent and ready. Most of the time, we just need to feel prepared. We need to acknowledge that we have been preparing for our entire lives. We don't need to cram or study all night. We simply need to rest, eat properly and then do our very best. That may sound counterintuitive, but for these kinds of tests, that's really the best thing you can do.
There are so many programs out there. There are so many ways to prepare. Some people like to fly by the seat of their pants. Others like to study with a group. Lots of kids will stay up all night and then bomb the test. However, the kids who perform at their best usually have several things in common:
1. They worked hard all the way through their education. They were consistent.
2. They have a clear goal in mind. They want to go to college for a specific purpose.
3. They are motivated to test out of classes, simply because they don't want to waste time and money paying for something they've already learned.
4. They want to do their personal best, all of the time.
The kids who freak out about testing tend not to do well. Anxiety and panic are the enemies. They will stop your brain from working. They will cause you to forget even the most basic information.
The kids who don't test well are not stupid. They aren't irrational or bad thinkers. They simply get too nervous or they don't understand the questions. They often overthink their answers. These are the reasons kids fail when it comes to testing. It's sad that the tests are so important, but that's the way the system works.
I hope that will change. I hope that, someday, kids will not be evaluated so much and in such poor ways. I hope that kids and adults will start to view learning as a means to an end. I learn things because I want to. I learn things because it's fun and useful for my life! That's the purpose for learning. We learn to improve our lives, not to ace a test. I've never gotten a job because I was good at taking tests. I got jobs because I could DO certain things that were needed by my companies. Test taking isn't an important skill, unless you're trying to get into college or graduate school. When will the academic world wake up and realize that testing is not an indication of future success or failure?!
I'm actually the perfect person to write to this particular group. I did very well on my AP/IB exams. I got a fantastic score on my SATs. I received several scholarships that were based on those scores. I saved my parents a lot of money, simply by filling in the correct bubbles on the scantron sheet.
Testing has always come very easily to me and I think I can help students who are motivated, intelligent and ready. Most of the time, we just need to feel prepared. We need to acknowledge that we have been preparing for our entire lives. We don't need to cram or study all night. We simply need to rest, eat properly and then do our very best. That may sound counterintuitive, but for these kinds of tests, that's really the best thing you can do.
There are so many programs out there. There are so many ways to prepare. Some people like to fly by the seat of their pants. Others like to study with a group. Lots of kids will stay up all night and then bomb the test. However, the kids who perform at their best usually have several things in common:
1. They worked hard all the way through their education. They were consistent.
2. They have a clear goal in mind. They want to go to college for a specific purpose.
3. They are motivated to test out of classes, simply because they don't want to waste time and money paying for something they've already learned.
4. They want to do their personal best, all of the time.
The kids who freak out about testing tend not to do well. Anxiety and panic are the enemies. They will stop your brain from working. They will cause you to forget even the most basic information.
The kids who don't test well are not stupid. They aren't irrational or bad thinkers. They simply get too nervous or they don't understand the questions. They often overthink their answers. These are the reasons kids fail when it comes to testing. It's sad that the tests are so important, but that's the way the system works.
I hope that will change. I hope that, someday, kids will not be evaluated so much and in such poor ways. I hope that kids and adults will start to view learning as a means to an end. I learn things because I want to. I learn things because it's fun and useful for my life! That's the purpose for learning. We learn to improve our lives, not to ace a test. I've never gotten a job because I was good at taking tests. I got jobs because I could DO certain things that were needed by my companies. Test taking isn't an important skill, unless you're trying to get into college or graduate school. When will the academic world wake up and realize that testing is not an indication of future success or failure?!
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