Making the grade: Teacher shares tips for standardized testing

Izzy Hayes/Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again: test taking time.

High school students are going to be taking the PSAT, ITEDS and probably one of the most important test of their lives thus far, the ACT.

This subject is usually greeted with groans, stress and is generally unwelcome by most high schoolers.

Sometimes these tests come with a booklet that is supposed to be helpful in preparing for the test, but no matter how one prepares for standardized testing, one question is constantly in the back out of students’ minds: “How am I suppose to prepare for this dang thing?”

Psychology teacher Charles Blair-Broeker knows quite a bit of information on testing and studying.

“You aren’t going to learn all of the information you need to know the night before the test,” Blair-Broeker said.

Of course, students have been taught this for years.

Start studying days or even weeks before an exam to really get the outcome you desire.

Granted, that goal is commonly not met by most students because of sports, work and flat out not wanting to spend a night studying for a test a week in advance.

However, studying from the provided booklet can potentially be of little help to students, contrary to what most people think.

“AP puts out a booklet with information about the test, not the content,” Blair-Broeker said.

Clearly, in that case, the booklet would be of little help content-wise to the test taker, but tests like the PSAT provide students with information about the test and a review guide that is supposed to better prepare them for taking the exam.

Students that review for the test commonly feel more comfortable and less stressed when taking the test.

The ACT is probably one of the most important tests that most students will be taking this year.

Its purpose is to provide information to colleges on how successful each prospective may be in college.

Talk about pressure, bu there are many ways to do well on a standardized test.

“You should be sure to get a good night’s sleep, be healthy and clear your mind of personal problems.

You will not be focused on the test if you are worrying about something else,” Blair-Broeker said.

Standardized testing can and will be stressful to everyone at some point in their lives.

Whether or not students study and prepare is a choice each one must make.

The choice of not preparing may be the easy way out, but it comes with consequences.

For those who choose not to study for something as pivotal as the ACT, it could have life-changing repercussions.

The moral of the story is, do the work, study and put forth an effort even when one knows that studying will not be a good time.

It may not be worth it right away, but in the long run, one will be more content with the outcome.