1. Read or listen carefully to the instructions.

2. Answer the questions you know first, then if there is time left when you reach the end, go back to the ones you skipped.

3. For a multiple-choice question, eliminate the answers that are obviously wrong, and from the remaining choices choose the one that seems  most logical. (Find out before the test whether you will lose points for an incorrect answer. If so, it may be best not to guess.)

4. Practice doing timed drills so that you are accustomed to working well under the stress of a deadline.

5. Review math vocabulary words such as sum, quotient, divisor, and common denominator so that you will understand the questions.

6. Review basic language concepts such as subjects and predicates, analogies, determining the main idea, and correct punctuation of dates and addresses.

7. Keep the review low-key and maintain a positive attitude. Remember that passing evaluations is no more the point of homeschooling than paying taxes is the point of working. It’s just something that must be done.

For further reading:

Using Portfolios to Assess Student Performance is $4.00 postpaid from Far West Laboratory, 730 Harrison Street, San Francisco, California 94107.

Student Portfolios and Teacher Logs: Blueprint for a Revolution in Assessment, a twelve-page report, is available for $3.50 postpaid from National Center for the Study of Writing, 55134 Tolman Hall, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720. (Be sure to request Report #TR-65.)