Pettersen's Tips for the Test

Ahead of Time:

• Come prepared with an oxygenated brain – get plenty of sleep and exercise beforehand.
• Arrive early, and ignore other people who are acting nervous and crazy. For the moment, they are not your friends.

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Creating the Big Picture: Back & Forth
When you start the test, begin a back & forth process of moving between the text and the questions.

Text: First get an overview of the text. Read first and last sentences of paragraphs; skim in between. Think. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage? What will you need to find out?

Questions: Click through the questions. You don’t need to read every a, b, c option. Just read the stems and ask yourself what they are looking for.

Text: Go back to the text and begin your careful reading.

• If you find something that you know answers a question, you can go back and answer that question immediately.

• Otherwise, just read the whole passage with the questions in mind.

• Keep thinking: Where is the author going? What does he or she want you to get out of the passage?

Questions: Go back to the questions. Reread the stem. Consider what your own answer would be before looking at their choices. Now you need to get really analytical:

• Most of their choices will sound very reasonable. Many will draw words or phrases directly from the passage. Don’t be tricked by that. It’s the meaning, not the exact words, that you’re looking for.

• On vocabulary questions, don’t be tricked by familiar words. They’re likely to give you a familiar word with an unfamiliar meaning.
  
  
• Expect questions that ask you to imagine what the author (or a character if it's fiction) might think or do in a different situation.
  
  
• Save “main idea” and “main purpose” questions for last. You’ll have the best idea of the overall picture after doing the more detailed questions.
  
  
• Analyzing the questions is where most of your brain space needs to go. The reading passage is the easy part. Pick the questions apart. That's where the fine distinctions are. Here is where you need to outfox the test maker. You can do that! You've been analyzing texts all semester. It's time to show off!
  

Pacing:

• Take your time! Some people will leave before you; some will still be working when you get done. Ignore them!
  
• The length of time that the computer keeps giving you passages is irrelevant to your success. Some people are on for a short time and pass. Some are on for a long time and pass.

So put yourself on your own schedule, give it your whole brain, and celebrate when you finish! I should have the scores for you in just a few days.

Ding - THAT WAS EASY!