Test Magic
Tips for Taking Reading Tests

A diagnostic reading test is composed of a passage (which you read) followed by questions of varying types(which you answer). In this type of test you are being tested on how well you read not on how much you know about the topic of the passage. Below are some tips and techniques to help you when taking your test. By reviewing these tips and strategies you can pick up skills that will help you do your best!

General Tips

  • You probably read better than you think you do so before you start Relax. Your brain works better when it gets lots of oxygen, so take a few deep breaths before you begin.

  • Read the passage slowly taking in all the ideas. Slow down when you get to a difficult part but don't stop. Keep moving till you finish the passage.

  • Make sure you understand the question before you pick your answer. Often the question will ask you to look in just one section or one paragraph rather than the whole passage. This often will make a difference in your answer.

  • If you don't know the answer try to eliminate the ones you do. Just by eliminating two (2) you up your odds to 50/50.

  • Use skimming to go back to the passage to check your answer quickly. Skim for a keyword or phrase.

  • Don' leave any blank. Do your best but if you leave an answer blank it's a sure miss. If eliminate the answers you are sure are wrong then make a guess then at least you have a chance at getting it correct.

    • Main Idea

    The main idea is the most important idea of the passage as a whole. It is what the passage or story is mostly about.

    Details

    One of the easiest question are those that ask you to find a fact or specific detail from a passage. The answer is usually right there you just have to scan using the keyword or phrase to find it.

    Sequence

    Some test questions ask you about the sequence or order that events or things take place. These questions use words like first and last, then and next or before and after.

    Context Clues

    Often a test question will ask you to define a word. If you do not already know what the word means, you can figure out what the word means by looking at the sentence the word appears or by looking at what it might mean in the passage. The words and sentences around the word can help you figure out the word's meaning.

    Analyzing the Story

    When we analyze a story we often look at the story's plot and the story's central problem or confict. A plot is simply what happens in a story. The central problem or conflict is what goes wrong in a story and how it gets fixed. On a reading test you will often be asked about the problem in a story or about something that happen's in the story's plot.

    Conclusions and Predictions

    WE often predict what will occur from facts we already know. On tests we are oten ask to draw a conclusion or predict from facts in a story or passage. If someone in a story is crying we can conclude that the person is unhappy. If someone in a story falls down a cliff we might predict that they are hurt.

    Fact or Opinion

    Facts are statements which can be checked. Opinions are statements which are not facts and is based on how someone feels. An opinion cannot be checked or proven. On test you are often asked to identify which of the answers are opinion. You can skim the answers to check and see which one is based on a feeling to determine the correct answer.

    Point of View

    Often questions will ask you to determine what the author thinks or feels about something in the story or passage. It is important to determine the author's point of view by looking a clues in the passage or story. You can usually tell how the author thinks or feels by looking at how the author describes characters or events in his story.

    Compare and Contrast

    To compare and contrast you look at what is alike and what is different about something. A dog is like a cat in that it has 4 legs but different in that a dog does not purr.

    Words that compare are: like, similiar, too, all. Words that contrast are: except, most, but, only. When a question uses these terms you can easily determine that the question is asking you to either compare or contrast.

    Cause and Effect

    Cause and effect are tied together. The way to answer a cause and effect question is to see how something in a passage is connected to what happens later in a passage. When the dog ran across the road, the driver of the car honked his horn. The dog running across the road is the cause or reason for the effect of the driver blowing the horn. If the dog had not run across the road the driver would not have had to blow the horn.

    Some cause and effect clues you often find in passages are: since, so that, for this reason, if...then, and therefore.

    Skimming and Scanning

    If you don't know the answer to a question you need to skim the passage for the answer to the question. If the question ask you about a key term or concept you can scan for just for that term or concept.

    Summarizing

    A summary covers the main points. Often you will be ask a question that might ask you to summarize the feeling or climate in a story or passage. Remember to take the whole passage into consideration before you decide on your answerf the question ask you to summarize a feeling or idea from the passage, you need to think back over the entire passage before making your decision.

    Test Tips
    created by Cynthia Wilson
    Southern Middle School
    Trainer NC Teacher Academy

    "Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
    Learn as if you were to live forever."
    Ghandi

    NC Education Place