True-False Test Tips and Tricks
Test-Taking Techniques That Will Help Your Child Get Better Grades
5 handy tips and techniques for taking true-false tests that will improve grades and raise self-confidence.
Knowing how to take true-false tests will help students get better grades, whether they are in fourth grade or in college.
Start early to teach your child good test-taking techniques. Even third- and fourth-graders can learn some simple secrets so they can approach each test with confidence and significantly raise their grades.
Practice each skill over and over so that your child can use these tips and strategies effectively and without prompting. Daily worksheets and practice pages often include true-false questions; use these questions to present and review these test-taking tips.
Check periodically to be sure he continues to use these techniques by observing his work habits and by asking him why he chose his answers to particular questions.
And now for the test-taking techniques:
Read and Understand
Make sure your child reads the complete question before marking an answer. If the child has difficulty with reading, help him read the question so that he stays focused on the topic rather than becoming frustrated with reading the words. Discuss the question with him, making sure he understands its meaning.
Part True Means False
If only part of the question is true, then the question is false. Children often have real difficulty with this concept.
To clarify this idea and make it more concrete, give an example from the child's daily life such as, "I went to the movie with my friends on Wednesday." Make sure that the situation you choose is one that really happened, but put the wrong day or time in the statement. Then ask the child, "Did you really go to the movie with your friends?" "Yes." Ask, "Is it true that you went to the movie on Wednesday?" "No." Point out that the statement is false because the child definitely did not go to the movie on Wednesday.
Reinforce this concept with similar examples in the future, as it is one that is easily forgotten or overlooked.
Never Say Never
Words such as "never", "always", "all" and "every" usually make the question false. A statement such as "it never rains in the Sahara Desert" is false because, at some time in the past, it has rained in the Sahara. Very few statements, other than math problems, are true all the time, with absolutely no exceptions.
Usually True
Questions that contain words such as "usually", "sometimes", "often" and "generally" usually signal a true answer. Such statements mean that an event happens sometimes, but not all the time.
More True Than False
Most of the time there are more true answers on a test, so if all else fails, guess "true". Teach the child to guess if he doesn't know the answer; a blank answer is a missed answer.
Encourage your child to use these and other test-taking tips, tricks and techniques each time he has true-false questions, and soon he will begin to feel more confident and improve his grades.
