Taking a Multiple Choice Test

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills

Things that affect test scores Health Fatigue Motivation Emotional strain Test wise-ness Format practice Guessing

What is different about the ITBS and other tests you take?

Time limits Scored in percentiles, not percents You cannot study for it Some of the items you just won’t know Average score is between 25th and 75th Does not affect your report card grades

TRUE OR FALSE?

If there is a time limit on a test, it’s OK to spend as much time

as necessary on a question.

FALSE Try not to take too much time on any one

question. Why?

If you take too long on one, you might not have time to finish!

Use a 2-Pass System First Pass: spend

about one minute on each question.

Second Pass: Go back and spend extra time on the questions you weren’t sure about.

Use question “triage” If the question is comprehensible, and doable,

do it right away. If it’s or time-consuming, come back to

it on the second pass. If it’s out of your “brain range” completely,

make your and move on.

TRUE OR FALSE? You should never skip a question, or leave it

blank.

?????

TRUE

A question NOT answered is WRONG!

TRUE OR FALSE? As soon as you find the answer you think is

right, you can stop reading the rest of the choices.

FALSE First, try to think of the correct answer BEFORE

you read the choices.

Then, read all of the choices. There may be more than one answer that seems correct. You must choose the BEST!

If most of the answers seem correct, it might be ALL OF THE ABOVE!

For example In Mrs. Torrez’s kindergarten class A. Learning was fun B. There was a computer corner C. We had a playground D. All of the above

USE INTELLIGENT GUESSING

Look for qualifying words Always Never All None/ No Every Only Everything Anything

These are cue words usually used in answers.

For example:

You can tell from this reading that beds in the Middle Ages were

A. comfortable B. used only by royal families C. sometimes carried in parts D. made out of metal

You will find ocean swells A. When the wind blows B. Never travel far C. on calm days D. When waves stop

Look carefully for distractors A distractor is an incorrect choice that will be

tempting to choose. A distractor may look very much like the

right answer.

For example:

How many cattle were there in the U.S. by the time of the Civil War?

A. More than 600,000 B. More than 6,000,000 C. Not given in the reading

USE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION Rule out the answers that

are way off or obviously wrong.

Rule out answers that have qualifying words that might make them wrong.

Rule out any answers that mean about the same as another answer.

For example,

Who is a homesteader?

A. A person who works in the home.

B. A soldier who protects government land

C. Someone who gets land free from the government

D. A clerk who runs the government land office

Another example

What kind of discussion by authorities preceded the opening of the “Unassigned Lands”?

A. Bitter

B. Prolonged

C. Hasty

D. Angry

More strategies!!

Look for related words Use scanning for words that are the same

The wrong answer is seldom the LONGEST

(not always!)

Use what you already know Does it make sense???

The fragile plenophlaplant

A. Can grow in any soil B. Can withstand a wide

variety of temperatures C. Tolerates poor moisture D.Grows best in very

special soil

Math Strategies

Estimate the correct answer Start with the answers and

work backwards Work it out twice Use smaller numbers Does it make sense? Choose the “best” answer Use other things you know Read all of the choices

For example

Jill had two dollars. She went to the market and spent $ .26 on tangerines and $ .27 on oranges. How much money does Jill have left? A. $1.20 B. $1.74 C. $1.47 D. $ .47 E. $1.36 F. $1.46

Another example

Albert drives 24 miles every day. How many miles will Albert drive in 5 days? A. 120 B. 95 C. 144 D. 115 E. NH

And yet another. .

12 boys in a boy scout troop washed the same number of cars at the carwash. Together they washed 108 cars. How many cars did each scout wash? A. 12 B. 5 C. 10 D. 9 E. NH

Estimation! Remember you HAVE to

estimate If you try to get the exact

answer you WILL run out of time

For example. . . Use front end estimation to determine the

closest estimate of $6517 - $3480. J. $3000 K. $3500 L. $4000 M. $4500

Another example…

Use Compensation Sneakers $63.95

SALE 1/3 OFF!

The closest estimate of the amount saved by buying sneakers on sale is between _____.

A. $1 and $20 B. $20 and $40 C. $30 and $40 D. $40 and $50

Remember!

Relax and don’t panic

Now, let’s see. . . What questions do you have about taking the

Iowa test?