Test Taking Strategies for Students: How Can My Child Prepare for Exams and Reduce Test Anxiety?

Many students encounter test taking anxiety before an exam. Taking quizzes, unit tests, midterms, finals, and standardized exams can all make children nervous. Students often have challenges learning and retaining information and performing well under the pressure of timed tests.  However, there are many evidence-based test taking strategies that can help students improve their study skills, learn and remember information, and feel more confident when taking tests. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has indicated that systematic study strategies can help students improve their organizational skills and retain information, which is helpful when studying for tests. Detailed below are several strategies students can use independently or during executive functioning tutoring sessions to help them study for exams and improve their outcomes.

Column-Style Notes for Studying

Many tests require students to understand and recall large quantities of information. Learning how to create column-style notes can help them actively learn this information and create well-organized study guides along the way. Here’s how column-style note taking works:

A student may need to learn and retain information from a passage containing multiple sub-sections about the Civil War. When using this strategy during executive functioning tutoring sessions or independently, they should first read the passage one sub-section at a time before taking any notes. They should highlight the main idea of each section in green, or if there is no explicit main idea written in the text, they can write an implicit main idea in the margin and highlight that information in green. They should then highlight the important details in yellow, trying to only highlight information that is very important and only words and phrases whenever possible. Once the student has finished reading the section, they should create a column-style diagram, which might look as follows:

On the top of the page, the student should write the topic of the section. In this case, the topic is Civil War. The main idea of each sub-section should be written in the column on the left in the student’s own words (Causes of the War, Battles, etc.), and the important details from each sub-section should be written in the column on the right. Note that for the important details, students can feel free to use abbreviations, symbols, contractions, or any form of shorthand that they find helpful. Students should use this strategy for each section of text that they are required to learn. With this technique, which is often used in executive functioning coaching sessions in NYC, they can “chunk” information that was once overwhelming into smaller, easier-to-understand, bits of text.

Read more about executive functioning strategies at Organizational Tools for Academic Success – EBL Coaching.

Three-Tier Flashcards for Memorizing Vocabulary

Many exams require students to memorize large quantities of vocabulary words or terms. Without having a photographic memory, this process can be tough. The three-tier note card strategy can be a helpful tool used during study skills tutoring sessions for learning these words and terms. The key is to write the word or term on the front of the card and then create three horizontal columns on the back of the card, as follows:

The student should write the definition on the top part of the back of the card in their own words. In the second (middle) section, the student should write a sentence that helps them associate the meaning to something in their life. In the bottom section, the student should draw a picture annotating the sentence. For example, if the vocabulary word to be learned is “digress”, the student would write that word on the front of the card. On the top section of the back of the card, they might write “to stray or deviate.” In the middle section, they might write the following sentence: Every time my friend Ella tries to tell a story, she digresses from the main point. In the bottom section, they might draw a picture of Ella with a bubble coming out of her mouth with “blah, blah, blah” written inside the bubbles. With this strategy, students learn to link random vocabulary words and terms to various people and events in their lives.  This vocabulary strategy is often used during study skills tutoring in NYC as well as in executive functioning coaching sessions in Manhattan.

Read more about executive functioning tools at Study Strategies for your ADHD Child – EBL Coaching.

Start Studying Early

To maximize the benefit of these strategies, students should not wait until a day or two before the exam to begin implementing them. Instead, they should plan ahead and start using the techniques well in advance of the test day. The more they practice them, the more internalized the strategies will become, and the closer students will be to achieving test taking success. Executive functioning coaching in NYC can help students prepare for tests and build their overall study skills.

How to Reduce Test Taking Anxiety

Students can reduce their test taking anxiety in several ways. Once effective technique, which can be integrated into academic tutoring or executive functioning coaching sessions in NYC, is by practicing deep breathing. For example, they might try the box breathing strategy, which works in the following way:

• Your child should sit upright in a comfortable position, ideally with their feet flat on the ground, but they can lay down if that makes them feel more relaxed. They should exhale all the air out through their mouth.
• Then they should inhale for four seconds through their nose, trying to fill up their lungs and stomach.
• They should hold their breath for four seconds.
• They should slowly breathe all the air out of their mouth for four seconds.
• They should hold their breath again at the bottom of the exchange for four seconds.
• They should repeat this cycle at least four times, but more times than that is okay too.

To further reduce test taking anxiety, your child can try positive self-talk by reminding themselves they know the information and will do well on the exam. They can also try taking a lot of practice exams prior to the test day to become ultra-familiar with the material.
If your child is struggling with test taking anxiety or executive functioning skills, EBL Coaching can help. Read more about our one-on-one executive functioning coaching and academic tutoring programs at www.eblcoaching.com.

Frequently asked questions 

What are some effective test taking strategies for students?
Students can improve their performance in tests using strategies such as chunking information, creating well-organized notes, studying well before an exam, deep breathing before and during the test, and managing their time effectively when taking exams. Executive functioning coaching sessions can help them build these skills.

How can students reduce test taking anxiety?
Preparing effectively for a test and taking a lot of practice exams can help students reduce test taking anxiety. Additionally, doing deep breathing exercises with a method like the box breathing strategy can also help them reduce their test taking anxiety.

What are some good ways to memorize vocabulary for a test?
A helpful method for learning vocabulary is the three-tier flash card strategy. With this method, students use flashcards and write a definition, an example sentence using the word, and a visual image to help them make a connection to the definition. Study skills tutoring sessions can help students learn strategies for improving their test taking abilities.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder and director of EBL Coaching, a tutoring center that specializes in helping students in grades prek-12 develop executive functioning, reading, writing, math, and organizational skills. She holds her Doctorate Degree in Education and her Master’s Degree in Special Education.

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