Teacher Certification Study and Testing Guidelines

Here are some guidelines for candidates preparing for teacher certification this year.

Study tips:

1.Some foods aid the learning process. Food such as milk, nuts, seeds, rice and oats help your study efforts by releasing natural memory enhancers called CCKs (cholecystokinin) composed of tryptophan, choline, and phenylalanine. All of these chemicals enhance the neurotransmitters associated with memory. Before studying, try a light, protein-rich meal of eggs, turkey, and fish. All of these foods release the memory enhancing chemicals. The better the connections, the more you comprehend.

Similarly before you take a test, stick to a light snack of energy boosting and relaxing foods. A glass of milk, a piece of fruit, or some peanuts all release various memory-boosting chemicals that help you to relax and focus on the subject at hand.

2.Learn to take great notes. Make notes of important information you study from various resources. A brief summary is always helpful at the time of exam. You can always check out a good study guide for you.

3.Get the concept then the details. Too often we focus on the details and don’t gather an understanding of the concept. However, if you simply memorize only dates, places, or names, you may well miss the whole point of the subject. A key way to understand things is to put them in your own words. If you are working from a textbook, automatically summarize each paragraph in your mind. If you are outlining text, don’t simply copy the author’s words.

4.Ask “Why”? Pull apart written material paragraph by paragraph and don’t forget the captions under the illustrations. If you train your mind to think in a series of questions and answers, not only will you lean more, but is also helps to lesson the test anxiety because you are used to answering questions.

5.Read for reinforcement and future needs. Even if you have only 10 minutes, put your notes or a book in your hand. Your mind is similar to a computer; you have to input data in order to have it processed. By reading, you are creating the neural connections for future retrieval. The more times you read something, the more you reinforce the learning of ideas.

Even if you don’t fully understand something on the first pass, your mind stores much of the material for later recall.

6.Relax to learn so go into exile. Our bodies respond to an inner clock called biorhythms. Burning the midnight oil works well for some people, but not everyone. If possible, set aside a particular place to study that is free of distractions. Shut off the television, cell phone, pager and exile your friends and family during your study period.

If you really are bothered by silence, try background music. Light classical music at a low volume has been shown to aid in concentration over other types. Music that evokes pleasant emotions without lyrics are good. Try just about anything by Mozart. It relaxes you.

7.Use arrows not highlighters. At best, it’s difficult to read a page full of yellow, pink, blue, and green streaks. Try starting at a neon sign for a while and you will soon see my point, the horde of colors obscure the message. A brief dash of color, an underline, and an arrow pointing to a particular passage is much clearer than a horde of highlighted words.

8.Budget of your study time. Although you should not ignore any of the material, allocate your available study time in the same ratio that topics may appear on the test.

Testing Tips

1.Get smart, play dumb. Don’t read anything into the question. Don’t make an assumption that the test writer is looking for something else than what is asked. Stick to the question as written and don’t read extra things into it.

2.Read the question and all the choices twice before answering the question. You may miss something by not carefully reading, and then re-reading both the question and the answers. If you really don’t have a clue as to the right answer, leave it blank on the first time through. Go on to the other questions, as they may provide a clue as to how to answer the skipped questions.

3.Turn the questions into a statement. Look at the way the questions are worded. The syntax of the question usually provides a clue. Does it seem more familiar as a statement rather than as a question? Does it sound strange?

By turning a question into a statement, you may be able to spot if an answer sounds right, and it may also trigger memories of material you have read.

4.Look for hidden clues. It’s actually very difficult to compose multiple-foil (choice) questions without giving away part of the answer in the options presented. In most multiple-choice questions you can often readily eliminate one or two of the potential answers. This leaves you with only two real possibilities and automatically your odds go to fifty-fifty for very little work.

5.Trust your instincts. For every fact that you have read, you subconsciously retain something of that knowledge. On questions that you are not really certain about, go with your basic instincts. Your first impression on how to answer a question is usually correct.

6.Mark your answers directly on the test booklet and the scan sheet. Be very careful not to miss mark your answers when you eventually transcribe them to the scan sheet.

7.Watch the clock! You have a set amount of time to answer the questions. Don’t get bogged trying to answer a single question at the expense of 10 questions you can more readily answer.