HSPA

1. HSPA

2. ‘Twas the Night Before Testing • Go to bed on time. • Put a few No. 2 pencils with erasers in your backpack. • Talk to your parents about any concerns that you might have about the test. • Solve family/friend problems before the testing date.

3. The Morning of Testing • Think Positive! • Start your day as you always do. • Eat a good breakfast. • Think of what you will do to relax after you get home from school. • If you are sick….stay home! • Put ALL electronic devices in your locker or leave them at • home!

4. No electronic devices in the room!!!! VOID!!!!!

5. Language Arts

6. Language Arts • Expository Writing (4P3D) • Persuasive Writing (5-3-8) • Narrative Reading – Read Everything • Persuasive Reading - Read Everything • Open Ended - 5-8 Sentences-Use Inference

7. Multiple Choice Questions • Read the question but do not read all of the answers. Read the text.

8. Multiple Choice Questions • Do not change your answers unless you are very uncertain about your first answer choice. • Try to answer every question. Make the most intelligent guess you can.

9. Pace Yourself • Don’t spend too much time on any one question. Do your best and then move on. • Answers the easiest questions first, but be sure to go back to those questions you skipped.

10. I know C isn’t the answer! The Process of Elimination • After you have been through all of the questions once, go back and find questions you have some knowledge about and eliminate choices that you know are incorrect.

11. The Process of Elimination • If you can eliminate two wrong answers, your chance of choosing the right answer is greater.

12. Answering Questions • Don't guess blindly, but if you have time to think about the best answer choice, make it!

13. Skip, Return, Check • If you finish early, check to make sure you have answered ALL of the questions.

14. Key Words • Find key words or phrases in the question that will help you choose the correct answer.

15. Are we communicating? • Make sure you understand what the question is asking. • Be sure you are responding to the question that is being asked.

16. Reading Passages • If the test requires you to read passages and then answer questions about what you read, read the questions first. • By doing this, you will know what you are looking for as you read. This also helps you go faster on the test.

17. Reading Passages • When there are several questions about a reading passage or chart, look for clues in other questions that will help you with those items about which you are unsure.

18. Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities takes place in what two cities? a. Glasgow & London b. New York & Paris c. Paris and London d. Dublin and Edinburgh Correct Answer: C Both Paris and London are mentioned twice in the answers while the other cities are only mentioned once. If you only remember one of the two cities, you have to make a choice.

19. 2. Italy has been handicapped by all of the following except: a. limited natural resources b. a shortage of fertile soil c. a lack of adequate ports d. overpopulated farm lands Correct Answer: C Using background knowledge, you would hopefully know that Italy is a boot shaped peninsula surrounded by water on three sides, thus making “a lack of adequate ports” not possible.

20. 3. Which of the following is closest in value to 1/3? a. ¼ d. 5/16 b. 3/8 e. 7/16 c. 3/16 Correct Answer: D First, use the process of elimination. By looking at the five answers, you will see three that are similar (C, D, E). This could indicate that one of the answers lies within, as in this case it does. If you didn’t know the math for figuring out the answer, at least you could narrow down the possibilities. By knowing the answer is probably in 16ths, then figuring 1/3 into 16ths seems an efficient use of your test-taking time.

21. 4. An example of a mismatched relationship is: a. Chicago and Illinois b. Birmingham and Florida c. Kansas City and Missouri d. Phoenix and Arizona Correct Answer: B The key word is mismatched. In order to find the answer, you need to first find the matching ones. This can help eliminate some of your choices. By matching the city correctly to its state, then A, C, and D are not the mismatched one. Letter B is.

22. 5. The purpose of the cluss in furmaling is to remove: a. cluss-prags b. tremalis c. cloughs d. plumats Correct Answer: A Because “cluss” is in the answer.

23. 7. The sigla frequently overfesks the treisum because: a. all siglas are melious. b. siglas are always votial. c. the treisum is usually tarious d. no tresta are feskable. Correct Answer: C Letters A, B, and D use definite terms such as all, always and no. The question uses the word frequently making letter C with the word “usually” a better answer.

24. 10. Which of the following (is,are) always present when trossets are being gruven? a. rint and vost b. vost c. shum and vost d. vost and plume Correct Answer: B The key word is always. Vost is “always” present in all of the answers.

25. 11. The mintenng function of the ignu is most effectively carried out in: a. a razma tool b. the gorshing stantil c. the fribbled breg d. a frally sush Correct Answer: C The answer is given in question 8. (Remember that previewing the playing field can help find answers within a test!)

26. Mathematics

27. Math Section • Four Standards are Tested • Number and Numerical Operations – 15% • Geometry and Measurement – 25% • Patterns and Algebra – 30% • Data Analysis, Probability, and Discrete Math – 30%

28. Math Section • Test Strategy and Pacing • Do the Multiple Choice questions FIRST • Don’t spend more than 2 minutes per problem • Complete the Open Ended problems last. • 4. Don’t spend more than 5 • minutes per problem

29. Math Computation • When using scratch paper on a math test, double check to make sure that you have copied the problem correctly from the test booklet!

30. Math Computation • Line up place value correctly on your scratch paper (thousands, hundreds, tens, ones) or the answer will be incorrect.

31. Math Computation • If your answer does not match one of the choices, reread the problem, recopy the numbers, and try solving it again.

32. 4-Step Method for Problem Solving 1. Underline the question 2. Circle important information. 3. Select a strategy. 4. Solve and check.

33. Self-Assessment • “+” if you are reasonably sure of your answer • “?” if your answer was your best guess • “-” if you had absolutely no clue

34. Final Tips • Fill in bubbles fully, write neatly, and erase stray marks. • Double-check the test number in your test booklet against the answer sheet every few questions to be sure you haven’t gotten on the wrong number.