Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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A P P E N D I X A : P R E PA R I N G F O R A S TA N D A R D I Z E D T E S T
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back, however. If you are marking a bubble-style
answer sheet, and you put the right answers in the
wrong bubbles—they’re wrong. So pay close attention
to the question numbers if you decide to do this.
Av o i d i n g E r r o r s
When you take the test, you want to make as few errors
as possible in the questions you answer. Here are a few
tactics to keep in mind.
Control Yourself
Remember that comparison between your mind and a
seesaw? Keeping your emotional energy low and your
intellectual energy high is the best way to avoid mis-
takes. If you feel stressed or worried, stop for a few
seconds. Acknowledge the feeling (Hmmm! I’m feeling
a little pressure here!), take a few deep breaths, and send
yourself a few positive messages. This relieves your
emotional anxiety and boosts your intellectual capacity.
Directions
In many standardized testing situations, a proctor reads
the instructions aloud. Make certain you understand
what is expected. If you don’t,
ask
. Listen carefully for
instructions about how to answer the questions and
make certain you know how much time you have to
complete the task. Write the time on your test if you
don’t already know how long you have to take the test.
If you miss this vital information,
ask for it
. You need
it to do well on your test.
Answers
This may seem like a silly warning, but it is important.
Place your answers in the right blanks or the corre-
sponding ovals on the answer sheet. Right answers in
the wrong place earn no points—you may even lose
points. It’s a good idea to check every five to ten ques-
tions to make sure you’re in the right spot. That way,
you won’t need much time to correct your answer sheet
if you have made an error.