EOG Strategies!

1. EOG Strategies! Take your time and do your best… I know that you can achieve success!

2. BE PREPARED • Eat a well-balanced meal the night before the test. • Make sure all clothes and school materials are prepared and ready to go. • Go to bed earlier to allow more time to fall asleep. • Refrain from disagreements that might change your attention focus. • Eat a well-balanced breakfast the morning of the test. Try to include protein like bacon or sausage. • Have a least 2 sharpened #2 pencils.

3. Think Positively! • Believe that you will do well on the End-of-Grade Tests. • Have confidence in your own abilities. • Set a goal and try to BEAT it!

4. Persevere! • Don’t give up! • Use the time you are given to do your best possible job. • Remember that it takes a great student to keep going, but that you are that great student. • Don’t “crawl” or “rush” through a test. • Steady Eddie is the rule of thumb.

5. Take the End-of-Grade Tests Seriously! • What you put on your answer sheet reflects how hard you have worked this year. • Let it reflect a positive picture. • Use breathing techniques to calm yourself if you get anxious.

6. Remain Focused! • The End-of-Grade tests aren’t easy, but don’t let yourself be distracted by anything that prevents you from doing your best. • Remember that you control the outcome of your test results.

7. Time is Important! • Use the time that you are given so that you can perform your best. • Keep track of how much time you have left. • If you finish early, go back over your test. • Remember that your test reflects your abilities and you want a true reflection of your abilities.

8. Know what to expect…! • Know that you will experience some easy questions on the tests and some that are not so easy. • When you come to a question which you find difficult, use your test taking skills that you have been practicing with your teachers to figure out the best possible answer.

9. Try to answer all the test questions! • When you come to a difficult question, don’t spend too much time trying to figure it out. • Wait until you’ve finished the easy questions. • Then go back and work on the hard ones in the time you have left.

10. SLASH THAT TRASH! • Get rid of unimportant sentences or information in test questions. • Get rid of answer choices that you know are not correct-Try to narrow to 50/50. • Some answer choices are different by just one word. • Look for definite words like “always” and “never”. These are usually NOT the answer.

11. Don’t give up when you come to a difficult question! • It’s best to make a good guess at the answer. • Remember…if you don’t answer the question, then it is automatically scored as incorrect. Any answer will give you a 25% chance.

12. Use Good Judgment! • Be sure that the answer you have chosen actually answers the question you have been asked. • Take the time to make sure.

13. Don’t Over Analyze • Don’t read more into a question than is actually there. • Double check to be sure that you aren’t adding information on your own to the question. • Also, be sure to read all of the choices before making a selection. • Visualize what the question is asking you.

14. Use the materials you are allowed to use during testing! • If you are given a calculator, formulas, protractor, or scrap paper, use them. • Remember that they are there so that you can do your best possible job. • If you need more paper or another pencil, raise your hand.

15. CHECK IT OUT! • Check after every 5 answers to make sure that your question number matches your answer number. • Write your final answer to the left of the choices in your test booklet so that if you misalign you can easily find your error. • Make sure that you are bubbling answers in the correct section of the test.

16. READING/SCIENCE …LET’S BEGIN! • Read the questions before you read the text, that way, you’ll know what to look for as you read the passage. • Look for clues to answers in other questions.

17. Reading/Science Strategies! • Utilize reading guides like “THIEVES”, “RELAX” or “RUNNERS”. • Read and study EVERYTHING!!! (maps, graphs, charts, tables, illustration/pictures, diagrams, and especially captions.) • Read all footnotes.

18. Reading/Science Strategies! • CONSIDER key words, but don’t rely on them completely. Make sure that you are answering the question that is being asked. Conceptual understanding yields correct answers; not key word tricks. • Illustrate the concepts if necessary. • Visualize the question that is being asked.

19. Reading/Science Strategies! • Pay close attention to bold or italicized words. • Notice definitions set off by commas. • Read for context clues to understand vocabulary or any unfamiliar word. • If you don’t know how to pronounce a proper noun such as Qyieemah, then call it “Q”, but say it consistently.

20. Reading/Science Strategies! • The best test takers often refer back to a selection, a map, or a diagram to be sure to answer the question correctly. • It is not a sign of weakness to look back in the selection. It is a sign of intelligence. • Don’t just rely on memory. Rely on strategies and techniques.

21. MATH…LET’S BEGIN! • Read each question carefully to assure that you are answering the question being asked and not the one that you think is being asked. • CONSIDER key words, but don’t rely on them completely. Make sure that you are answering the question that is being asked. Conceptual understanding yields correct answers; not key word tricks.

22. MATH STRATEGIES • Work out every single problem. • Draw pictures to help you. • Read and draw out sentence-by-sentence to make sure that you don’t miss any steps.

23. MATH STRATEGIES • Make sure that you copy the problem correctly or you will solve it incorrectly. • Line up numbers by place value to compute. • If your answer doesn’t match any of the choices, try again.

24. MATH STRATEGIES • Use strategies that you have been taught. • Work backwards. • Make a table or chart. • Make a list. • Look for patterns. • Estimate the answer to help you eliminate wrong answers.

25. MATH STRATEGIES • On the calculator active portion, use the calculator even if just for checking behind yourself. • If all else fails, guess and check/plug and chug. • Evaluate the reasonableness of the answer.

26. Don’t be afraid to WRITE in the EOG test booklet! • It may seem strange to write in it, but it is OK. • You can underline key words that will help you answer questions. • You can even use a highlighter. • Just don’t get carried away and mark up you answer sheet!

27. Proofread your test after you have finished! • If you have time, go back and look over your answers. • Change an answer only if you understand clearly why you are changing it. • Ignore what others are doing. • Erase any stray marks. • Make sure each circle is bubbled in neatly.

28. THE END IS IN SIGHT…HANG IN THERE!