Test Success
Help your preteen consider test mistakes as learning experiences
Your child probably knows that a test is an assessment of what she has learned. But does she know that a test is also a way to learn? Unless your child is perfect, each test should be a learning experience for her.
Your middle schooler will learn the most from tests if she:
- Jots down thoughts about the test as soon as possible after taking it. What did she struggle with? What does she think she knew best?
- Keeps the test when the teacher hands it back! Some teachers require students to correct their tests. If her teacher doesn_t, she can correct it herself at home. She can use it as a study guide for midterms or finals.
- Figures out what kinds of mistakes she made. Were they careless errors? That is a warning to pay closer attention when marking answers. Were they errors representing a lack of knowledge? She can come up with ways to study more effectively next time, by taking notes from the textbook or making a study guide.