How to improve your children’s test scores?
Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels
School can be tough on kids, especially if they are not performing well on tests. As a parent, you should try and seek out any possible ways for your kid to do better in school and these five tips will do exactly that.
Study over multiple days
Studying over an extended period can help a child remember the material better. When you have a big test/exam coming up, there is a lot of material that you must try and remember. If you cram this all into one studying session, then you are bound to forget bits of information when it comes time to take the test.
Spacing out studying over multiple days can improve their information retention because they will be able to study in small chunks. Each day focuses on a new section of information and you can review the previous day’s information as well. The more a child is exposed to the information, the more likely they are to remember it.
This requires good time management skills, so as a parent you will need to help your child out at first. However, as they continue to do this for tests, they will learn a great lesson in time management.
Study in a quiet place with no distractions
Studying in a quiet place is key to remembering information. Sometimes you can study in a loud environment and your mind can wander. When your mind wanders you are not remembering the information, instead, you are just reading over it. Making sure your mind is focused on the information is key to improving scores, and the best way to do that is to find a quiet place to study.
You will also want to hide any distractions such as a phone or television. With temptations of distractions your mind may wander, and you may not retain any of the information.
Read the directions carefully
Reading the directions carefully can improve scores without any effort at all. If you are taking a test and the directions tell you to select all that apply, then you should select all answers that you believe to be correct. If you assume that there is only one right answer and do not read the directions, then you will lose points even if you know the information.
This can be tough at times because certain tests have time limits but reading the directions can increase your score without having to do any real studying.
Take the test
This may seem like a bit of a redundant tip, but it can make a huge difference. Taking the test is more than just showing up and answering every question. Instead, you use the test to your advantage. Certain tests will provide context clues for other questions, which could help you improve your score.
Having a strategy going into an exam is key to reducing stress and improving your score. If you were to skip all the questions that you are unsure about and come back to them at the end of the exam, you may find that a question later in the test answers another question that you were unsure about.
Like reading the directions, helping your child develop test-taking strategies can be key to improving your child’s test scores.
Hire a tutor
Hiring a tutor for your child should be the last option that you pursue. You should let your child try and improve their scores on their own. However, if your child has tried all these tips and is still struggling, then you may want to resort to hiring a tutor.
A tutor can not only help your child learn the information, but they can also teach them good study habits. The most common tests that individuals need tutors for are the standardized tests that everyone must take in high school. There is so much information packed into one test, that it can be hard to do it by yourself. Some tutors can teach you how to take these tests and what information you should be focusing on.
The ACT is a specific standardized test that parents often hire tutors for. In fact, with the development of technology, there are online tutoring programs for the ACT now. One of the best ACT tutoring online programs is the one that is offered by Kyo Standard. Their program can help your child increase their score anywhere from 2 to 10 points based on where their baseline score is. Since the program is online, their program can customize methods specific to your child to help them score better on these kinds of tests.
Conclusion
Encouraging your child and helping them where needed is a great way to motivate your child to do better in school. They may just need a push in the right direction, and these tips can do just that.