"Ace" Any Test
By Ron Fry
()
About this ebook
Testy on test day? Don’t stress! “Ace” Any Test offers step-by-step strategies you can use in any testing situation, from classroom quizzes to standardized exams such as the SAT. Education advocate and author Ron Fry unlocks every student’s successful side with preparation strategies such as reading for maximum retention, researching the teacher’s testing history and preferences, and using those inevitable jitters to psych yourself up and sharpen your focus.
Ron Fry
Ron Fry has written more than forty books, including the bestselling 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions and 101 Smart Questions to Ask on Your Interview. He is a frequent speaker and seminar leader on a variety of job-search and hiring topics and the founder and president of Career Press. Fry lives in New Jersey with his family.
Read more from Ron Fry
101 Smart Questions to Ask on Your Interview Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ask the Right Questions, Hire the Best People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Great Résumés Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Get a Job!: Powerful Tips and Tools to Ace Any Interview Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to "Ace" Any Test
Titles in the series (5)
"Ace" Any Test Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImprove Your Memory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Study: The Program That Has Helped Millions of Students Study Smarter, Not Harder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Improve Your Reading Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Get Organized Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Related ebooks
Improve Your Memory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGet Organized Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Everything Guide to Study Skills: Strategies, tips, and tools you need to succeed in school! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Improve Your Reading Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fifty Ways to Be a Better Student: Tips for College and University Students Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPower Up Your Study Habits: Middle/High School (even College) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStudying vs. Learning: The Psychology of Student Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Become An "A" Student Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Improve Study Habits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDr. Cliff's Notes On A Simple Studying Method That Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking: Grades 3-5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCollege Success 101: A Professor’s Insider Secrets to Help You Succeed in School Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking: Grades 6-9 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Study: The Program That Has Helped Millions of Students Study Smarter, Not Harder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Study Skills: Get the most out of college life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Study: Suggestions for High-School and College Students Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Have Fun and Get A's: How to Study Less and Achieve More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Study Effectively Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Maximize Your Memory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProfessors' Guide(TM) to Getting Good Grades in College Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Approach Learning: What teachers and students should know about succeeding in school: Study Skills Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Study Skills Handbook: How to Ace Tests, Get Straight A’s, and Succeed in School Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
College Entrance Exams For You
LSAT Logical Reasoning Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Digital SAT Preview: What to Expect + Tips and Strategies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finish What You Start: The Art of Following Through, Taking Action, Executing, & Self-Discipline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From 150 to 179 on the LSAT Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5LSAT For Dummies (with Free Online Practice Tests) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5LSAT NECESSARY: An LSAT prep test guide for the non-logical thinker Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5ACT Math & Science Prep: Includes 500+ Practice Questions Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5LSAT Logic Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Easy Algebra Step-by-Step, Second Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5LSAT PrepTest 81 Unlocked: Exclusive Data, Analysis & Explanations for the June 2017 LSAT Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLSAT Reading Comprehension Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Digital SAT Prep 2024 For Dummies: Book + 4 Practice Tests Online, Updated for the NEW Digital Format Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5MCAT 528 Advanced Prep 2023-2024: Online + Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAP World History: Modern Premium, 2025: Prep Book with 5 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMCAT Test Prep Biology Review--Exambusters Flash Cards--Workbook 1 of 3: MCAT Exam Study Guide Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5ACCUPLACER®: Bob Miller's Math Prep Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: 30 Essays That Won Over $3 Million in Scholarships Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5GED Test Prep Earth Science Review--Exambusters Flash Cards--Workbook 1 of 13: GED Exam Study Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5CLEP Biology Test Prep Review--Exambusters Flash Cards: CLEP Exam Study Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLSAT PrepTest 84 Unlocked: Exclusive Data + Analysis + Explanations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsACT Test Prep Algebra Review--Exambusters Flash Cards--Workbook 7 of 13: ACT Exam Study Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for "Ace" Any Test
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
"Ace" Any Test - Ron Fry
ACE
ANY TEST
SIXTH EDITION
Ron Fry
CONTENTS
Foreword: There Will Be a Quiz on This
Chapter 1: Overcome Your Fear
Chapter 2: Creating the Time to Study
Chapter 3: When Should You Start Studying?
Chapter 4: Study Smarter, Not Harder
Chapter 5: Essay Tests: Write On!
Chapter 6: Objective Tests: Discriminate and Eliminate
Chapter 7: Psyching Up on Exam Day
Chapter 8: Post-Test Survival and Review
Chapter 9: How Teachers Make Up Tests
Index
FOREWORD
THERE WILL BE A QUIZ ON THIS
In case there weren’t enough tests already, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandated annual tests for math and reading proficiency for grades three through eight. In the fall of 2007, children in these grades also began annual tests in science.
Since two-thirds of students are not proficient readers when they leave school, and I suspect a majority probably couldn’t balance a checkbook, it’s hard to argue that something had to be done. But more tests? Just what you need, right?
The book you are holding in your hands has been helping students and parents (and even teachers) for 15 years. (The other books in my How to Study Program—How to Study itself, Get Organized, Improve Your Memory, Improve Your Reading, and Improve Your Writing—are also now available in new editions.)
Thank you for making these books so successful.
I cannot take very much credit for their longevity. Unfortunately, the state of affairs that existed in 1988, when I wrote the first edition of How to Study, has not improved—teachers are still underpaid, students are still undertaught, schools are still underfunded, and study skills are still underutilized, the No Child Left Behind Act notwithstanding. As a result, my How to Study Program is, for many of you, parents and students alike, the only source of information about the vital skills needed to succeed both in school and in life.
So Who Are You?
A number of you are students, not just the high school students I always thought were my readers, but also college students and junior high school students.
Many of you reading this are adults. Some of you are returning to school, and some of you are long out of school, but if you can learn now the study skills your teachers never taught you, you will do better in your careers.
All too many of you are parents with the same lament: How do I get Jill to do better in school? She just doesn’t test well.
If you’re a high school student, you should be particularly comfortable with both the language and format of this book—its relatively short sentences and paragraphs, occasionally humorous (hopefully) headings and subheadings, and a reasonable but certainly not outrageous vocabulary. I wrote it with you in mind!
If you’re a junior high school student, you are trying to learn how to study at precisely the right time. If you’re serious enough about studying to be reading this book, I doubt you’ll have trouble with the concepts or the language.
If you’re a traditional
college student, who went right on to college from high school, how’d you manage that leap without mastering test-taking techniques? Well, here you are, facing more and tougher tests than ever before.
If you’re the parent of a student of any age, your child’s school is probably doing little if anything to teach him how to study. Which means he is not learning how to learn. And that means he is not learning how to succeed.
Should the schools be accomplishing that? Absolutely. After all, we spend more than $300 billion on elementary and secondary education in this country. We ought to be getting more for that money than a diploma, some football cheers, and a rotten entry-level job market.
What Can Parents Do?
Okay, here they are, the rules for parents of students of any age:
1. Set up a homework area. Free of distraction, well lit, with all necessary supplies handy.
2. Set up a homework routine. When and where it gets done. Studies have clearly shown that students who establish a regular routine are better organized and, as a result, more successful.
3. Set homework priorities. Actually, just make the point that homework is the priority—before a date, before TV, before going out to play, whatever.
4. Make reading a habit—for them, certainly, but also for yourselves. Kids will inevitably do what you do, not what you say (even if you say not to do what you do).
5. Turn off the TV. Or at the very least, severely limit when and how much TV watching is appropriate. This may be the toughest suggestion to enforce. I know. I was the parent of a teenager.
6. Talk to the teachers. Find out what your kids are supposed to be learning. If you don’t know the books they’re supposed to be reading, what’s expected of them in class, and how much homework they should be scheduling, you can’t really give them the help they need.
7. Encourage and motivate, but don’t nag them to do their homework. It doesn’t work. The more you insist, the quicker they will tune you out.
8. Supervise their work, but don’t fall into the trap of doing their homework. Checking (i.e., proofreading) a paper, for example, is a positive way to help your child in school. But if you simply put in corrections without your child learning from her mistakes, you’re not helping her at all…except in the belief that she is not responsible for her own work.
9. Praise them when they succeed, but don’t overpraise them for mediocre work. Kids know when you’re being insincere and, again, will quickly tune you out.
10. Convince them of reality. (This is for older students.) Okay, I’ll admit it’s almost as much of a stretch as turning off the TV, but learning and believing that the real world will not care about their grades, but will measure them by what they know and what they can do, is a lesson that will save many tears (probably yours). It’s probably never too early to (carefully) let your boy or girl genius get the message that life is not fair.
11. If you can afford it, get your kid(s) a computer and all the software they can handle. There really is no avoiding it: Your kids, whatever their ages, absolutely must be computer savvy in order to survive in and after school.
12. Turn off the TV already!
13. Get wired. The Internet is the greatest invention of our age and an unbelievable tool for students of any age. It is impossible for a student to succeed without the ability to surf online. They’ve got to be connected.
14. But turn off IM (Instant Messaging) while doing homework. They will attempt to convince you that they can write a term paper, do their geometry homework, and IM their friends at the same time. Parents who believe this have also been persuaded that the best study area is in front of the TV.
Dos and Don’ts About Tests and Testing
1. Don’t get overanxious about your child’s test scores. Too much emphasis solely on grades can upset a child, especially one already chafing under too much pressure.
2. Children who are afraid of failing are more likely to make mistakes on tests. Help them feel confident about everything they do.
3. Don’t judge your child by a single test score, no matter how important the test. No test is a perfect measure of what a child can do or what she has actually learned.
4. Talk to your child’s teacher as often as possible. Her assessment will be a far better measure of how your child is doing than any test, or even any series of tests.
5. Make sure your child attends school regularly. You can’t do well on tests if you are rarely in class.
6. Make sure your child gets enough sleep, especially before a big test. Tired eyes lead to tired grades.
7. Review test results with your child and show them what they can learn from a graded exam paper. This is especially crucial in math and the sciences, where a new concept builds upon the previous ones.
8. Look at the wrong answers. Find out why she answered as she did. This will identify times when your child knew the right answer but didn’t fully understand the question.
9. Read and discuss any teacher comments on the test, especially if your child received a poor grade.
The Importance of Your Involvement
Don’t underestimate the importance of your commitment to your child’s success: Your involvement in your child’s education is absolutely essential to her eventual success. The results of every study done in the last two decades about what affects a child’s success in school clearly demonstrate that only one factor overwhelmingly affects it, every time: parental involvement—not the size of the school, the money spent per pupil, the number of language labs, how many of the students go on to college, how many great (or lousy) teachers there are. All factors, yes. But none as significant as the effect