Helping your Kids Prepare for Tests and School Success

More than three million college admissions tests are administered each year, making the SAT and the ACT two of the most important exams that a high school student will ever take. In order to perform at their best, students should become familiar with the style and types of questions on the tests. In addition, students should boost their reading and vocabulary skills and learn specific process of elimination strategies. Above all, students need to work through as many practice questions
and tests as possible in the weeks and months leading up to the actual exam.

It is essential for high schoolers to willingly choose to make “studying and test taking” major academic goals this year. Here are some simple tips for parents of middle and high school students to help their kids study for tests in school and to achieve success.

• Adolescents and teens look to adults for guidance, even though they’re often reluctant to admit it. So, let them know you’re monitoring their progress, that you’re aware of due dates for major reports and projects, and that you know when report cards are coming out. Be omniscient – or at least let them believe you are.

• Keep track of their homework, their reading assignments, and their preparation for tests. For most kids, you don’t need to look at every page of every assignment, but you do want them to know you’ll be checking in with them every evening at a specific time. This sets deadlines and a routine.

• Set goals for the short term and long term. Keep the pressure low but steady. Determine what rewards would be fair and reasonable.

• Insist, especially on days before major tests, performances, or projects, that your teenager gets plenty of restful sleep. Also, insist that he eats a good breakfast and avoids foods that could lead to grogginess just before a test.

• Regular conversations about school and school activities let students know not only that you’re interested in their daily lives but that you’re up-to-date on projects, tests, and report cards. This avoids anguished comments from you like, “Report cards are tomorrow? Why didn’t you tell me?”

• You went over all the assignments before your children turned them in. Now, go over tests, book reports, projects, and the like after they’ve been graded. Review any mistakes they made, areas where they could have been stronger, and all the red-ink comments the teacher made. Talk about how they can improve next time. We all make mistakes, but only the wisest of us learn from them.

• It’s difficult sometimes, but keep your spirits up. Kids pick up on our moods and emotions, so stay encouraging and supportive. Share stories of times in your life when you’ve made mistakes or errors of judgment and what you’ve learned from those times. Teens want independence, they want to take control of their lives, but they surely need our guidance, perhaps at this time of life more than ever. Be there for them, show them the way, lead them, and give them increasing amounts of independence along the way when they show they’re ready for it. They’ll rise to our expectations.