How Tutoring Can Boost Test Taking Skills
Understanding the content is only part of doing well on a test. Students can spend hours studying but still have trouble showing what they know. They may rush through reading directions and not answer what the question is asking. They may become nervous and forget what they’ve studied. Tutoring can be an effective way of reducing test anxiety and equipping students with a variety of test taking skills.
Content Confidence
First and foremost, tutoring can be a great way of reinforcing content knowledge and boosting your child’s confidence. They can feel more prepared knowing that they understand the material. A tutor can present information in different ways to check for understanding and improve comprehension. They can teach your child multiple strategies for taking and organizing their notes, creating a study plan, and getting ready in the days leading up to the test.
Diverse Test Taking Strategies
Tutoring can also help students learn how to approach different types of tests. Answering a multiple-choice question is not the same as answering a true/false question or a short response question. Your child may be great at writing out an explanation, but when it comes down to narrowing their choices on a multiple choice, they may have trouble picking the best answer.
With one-on-one tutoring, a learning specialist can understand your child’s strengths and how they think and reason. They can use your child’s learning style to help them retain and recall information more effectively. Plus, they can work on the importance of time management, carefully reading directions, double-checking their work, and picking out keywords that tell them what they need to do for each question.
These same skills can be used whether they are taking a unit test, final exam, or the SAT or ACT. They can generalize and transfer their knowledge to different types of tests. Plus, they can work with a tutor before each exam to focus on specific skills they’ll need.
Reduced Anxiety
Having all of these tools, strategies, and resources available to them can help your child feel calmer and more confident in their abilities. Rather than panicking about the thought of an upcoming test, they can remind themselves that they know how to approach different types of questions, they have studied the material, and they can work through challenges.
Tutoring can give them the positive reinforcement, encouragement, and motivation they need to put their knowledge and skills to use on the exam. It can teach them strategies to clear their mind, focus, and relax before a test.
If your child becomes stressed out before a test, worries about what to expect, or is not confident that they know the material, tutoring may be a good option. Crafting Scholars creates a customized curriculum aligned with your child’s individual needs and goals. Learning specialists work with their strengths and learning style to close gaps, reinforce key skills, and maximize their potential. Contact us today to get started!
