With Regents tests right around the corner, this is always a busy time of year for high school students. While we at Braintrust do not believe in “teaching to the test,” we also know there is tremendous value in preparing students for tests, especially when it comes to something as important as the Regents. Here are some tips for helping students be as prepared as possible on test day:
Test prep starts with meaningful instruction
The purpose of any test is to gauge knowledge, understanding, and skill. Unfortunately, many popular test prep strategies provide ineffective “quick fixes.” They allow students to recall information just long enough to regurgitate it on a test. These strategies are also commonly referred to as “cramming.” While some test-takers are able to cram and do well, this technique doesn’t serve any long-term purpose and doesn’t work for most students. Instead, teachers need to provide students with lessons, activities, and classroom experiences that allow them to most authentically engage with content and deepen their understanding of what it is they are learning. While it seems counter-intuitive, the best test prep is that which is not directly about the test at all.
Provide practice and exposure
Deep and meaningful lessons should always be the priority. However, students still need practice and exposure to the test before they are expected to take it and do well. Students should have the opportunity to sit with at least one practice test just for exposure. This means without the pressure of actually taking it to see how they do, but just to familiarize themselves with the layout and sample questions.
Teach the question types explicitly
Lots of students know their content in a subject area very well but are just not good test-takers. For these students especially, it is crucial that they learn techniques for tackling the types of questions that appear on exams. Quite often, when a student doesn’t do well on a standardized test, it’s because they didn’t have the right strategies in their test-taking tool kit, not because they didn’t know the subject area.
Take some practice tests
In addition to exposure to gain familiarity, students should have an opportunity to take a practice exam before test day. Conditions for practice tests should be as close to the real thing as possible (quiet environment, no distractions, etc.) And there’s no harm in giving them a few opportunities using different past Regents exams. The more practice they get, the more confident they will be when it’s time for the real thing.
Identify areas of greatest need
Whether it’s skills or content, students should always be aware of their areas of strength and weakness. When it comes to test prep, it’s especially important that they focus on the areas that need the most work. It’s great to review what they already know, but that won’t necessarily help them do better on the exam! If they feel confident in all of the content generally, they are much more likely to ace any exam.
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