Test Strategies for the West-E

Test Strategies for the West-E

Kirsten French

1.      Detailed description of the research

·         Before the test           

-Read about the content that is included within the West-E.            There are objectives that are included to assess your knowledge of each objective that should be mastered for the test. Make sure to read the objectives carefully to really get an idea of what the material is being asked of you.

- Complete the sample questions. The West-E website says to “take the sample test questions in a quiet room to simulate the testing environment. Being comfortable in the test taking environment is important to be able to complete the test to the best of your ability. As you are completing the sample questions time yourself to get an idea about how much time you can spend per question on the real test.                

- After going over the objectives and taking the sample questions determine what needs worked on and then develop a plan to study the material.

·         Day of the test

-Once you get your test skim over the test to gauge how to best use your time with the questions that you are given.

- Read directions thoroughly. Even though it may seem tempting to just quickly glance at the instructions it is important to read all of the directions before starting to answer the questions.

-Don’t leave an answer blank! You are graded on the questions you get right. You will not get marked down for having incorrect answers. It is to your benefit to fill in each answer even if it is only an educated guess.

-Make sure you answer the question in the right area. This test is not scored by people who will catch your simple mistake on the answer sheet. Your test is graded by an unforgiving machine. Make sure you check after every answer to double check you wrote your answer in the correct space.

2.      What do I agree with?

·         Designating your answers carefully is a very important skill to use while taking a timed test. If you go to fill in the last question, but you’re filling in the second to last bubble on your answer sheet there is an error within the bubble marking that might cost you valuable time.

What do I disagree with?

·         There isn’t one thing that I disagree with per se, because I think each piece is worthwhile to think about, but one of the strategies that might not work all the time is checking to make sure each answer is in the correct space after each answer you complete. Sometimes you are on a role and you don’t want to mess that up. If that is the case check to make sure the answers are in the correct space after a chunk of questions instead of checking after each question.

3.      How is this research applicable to you as a teacher?

·         As a teacher we could take this information and apply it to a classroom test. The students could go through the learning objectives for test material that they had learned in previous lessons and check to see if they have the material mastered. The learning objectives that they students need more help on the class could refresh their memory like the West-E website says to do after going over the objectives and completing the sample questions. As a teacher we are always looking for better ways to teach our students and test review is included in that. Based on my research my instruction could possibly change for the better by including within test prep a check to see if the students think they have mastered the learning objectives for the unit they are working on.

4.      How is this research applicable to students?

·         These test strategies for the West-E can, for the most part, be applied to a student’s schooling, because they are good strategies for taking tests. Sometimes what students need the most help on is how to study. They might sit down and go over their notes, but what they need to do is have practice questions that they can work off of. Giving students the test strategies from the West-E website in a form that is adapted to fit high school language would be useful to give to them to have more strategies to taking and preparing for tests within their education.

"WEST–E Test-Taking Strategies." Washington Educator Skills Test. N.p., 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.