PRAXIS I MATH TEST TAKING STRATEGIES Multiple Choice Exams 1. Read each question carefully. 2.

Read all the answers. 3. Follow these guidelines: a. Clues to correct answers i. ii. iii. iv. all of the above one of 2 opposite answers one of 2 similar answers the most inclusive answer

b. Clues to incorrect answers i. Totally unfamiliar term ii. The highest or lowest in a set of numbers or one that is extremely different from the rest 4. Work backwards from the choices/answers given. 5. Eliminate unreasonable choices. If still guessing, choose the first one in the list that you were not able to eliminate. True and False Questions 1. Read the statement carefully. 2. Watch out for absolutes like always, only, never, and all. Most of these statements are incorrect as they leave no room for exceptions. 3. Beware of double-negatives. Resources to help you get ready: See the links for "Preparing for Tests" and "Taking Tests" at Study Guides and Strategies Also, try Strategies to use with difficult exam questions Once you are sitting in the hot spot with your pencil in hand, use the DETER strategy for taking tests as described at How to Study DETER stands for 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Directions: Read and understand the test directions. Examine: Examine the entire test to see what is required. Time: Determine how much time to allow for each item. Easiest: Answer the easiest items first. Review: Allow time to review the test to check your answers for accuracy and completeness.

Again, practice makes perfect. There are several web sites for taking practice tests. Here are a few: ACT Test Prep

http://www.collegeboard.com/ http://www.ets.org/

Memory Techniques Do you feel that your problem is remembering? There are ways to help you build your memory skills too. Some general hints on remembering are available at http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/remember.html, and a number of tools and techniques for improving your memory are presented at http://www.mindtools.com/memory.html. These tools include acronyms and mnemonics. An acronym is defined as "a word formed from the initial letters of a name," such as HOMES for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. A mnemonic is defined as "a device, such as a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering, A mnemonic used to recall the steps for simplifying algebraic expressions is "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally." 1. 2. 3. 4. Perform operations within the innermost parentheses and work outward. Evaluate all exponential expressions. Perform multiplications and divisions as they occur, working from left to right. Perform additions and subtractions as they occur, working from left to right.

We will illustrate the steps using this expression: 5 2 2 3 1

Step 1: Work inside the parentheses. This particular expression involves going through Steps 2-4 in order to simplify inside the parentheses: 5 2(8 1) = 5 2(7)

Step 2: There are no exponents outside the parentheses--skip to Step 3. Step 3: Multiply: 5 14 Step 4: Subtract: -9 More on acronyms is found at http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/acronyms.html and http://www.how-to-study.com/UsingAcronyms.htm. Does the course involve vocabulary? Try the note or index card approach as described at http://www.how-to-study.com/Index%20Cards%20Vocabulary.htm
PRAXIS MATH TEST TIPS Math Test at a Glance Math Test Taking Suggestions:

1. Get plenty of sleep and eat a light meal; this will help you stay alert during the test 2. Arrive in plenty of time to calm down and get prepared.

3. Dont get involved in a last minute cram session; it will confuse you rather than help you. 4. Manage your time during the test, and do not struggle on one problem too long; move on to others and come back. 5. Look over the entire test before you begin; you may see some problems you can do quickly (answer these first) and others that you know will take longer. 6. Read directions carefully; accept questions at face value, and dont read anything into them. 7. Wear earplugs if noise bothers you. 8. Double-check computations.
Preparing for a Test

Mathematics is learned by doing, not by reading about how to do something. This would be much like trying to learning to use a computer without seeing or touching one. 1. As you read each assigned section in the textbook, be sure to work through the examples and try the problems following examples that most authors now have as check points for your understanding. 2. Reinforce your understanding of the material by selecting problems from the exercise set following the section, working the problems, and checking your answers. (Answers to odd-numbered problems are provided in the back of your textbook.) 3. Always read a math textbook with a pencil in handfill in the work between steps that the author may have left out. The more advance a textbook is, the more grunt work the authors will leave out of the examples. 4. You should be reviewing on a regular basis as you study rather than waiting to cram right before a test. Try to anticipate what is important and will be on the test, and use any review materials that are available, such as practice tests or review sheets. This doesn't mean that you don't need to study right before a test, but you shouldn't have to stay up all night to prepare for it, and you should feel more confident when you take the test.
Useful websites:

www.testprepreview.com www.actstudent.org/testprep/index.html http://www.4tests.com/ www.collegeboard.com/ http://www.ets.org