Teaching Study Skills – What to teach
Study on test preparation – The Test Preparation Study was conducted from 2004 to 2008 by researchers at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto,
What Did Teachers Tell Us?
Preparing Students for the Test
We asked the teachers what activities or approaches they would recommend to a new Grade 3 teacher who asked how to prepare for the test. Almost all (99%) of the teachers recommended teaching students strategies for answering multiple-choice and open-response questions. More than 95% endorsed teaching students how to understand the test instructions, having students work on sample questions, discussing examples of good responses to those questions, and helping students get used to working independently. About 85% recommended administering a mock test and teaching students how to handle feelings of anxiety about the test. Less than half of the teachers recommended talking with the students about whether the test was important.
We asked the teachers the reasons for their recommendations. Most teachers felt it was important to teach students how to answer multiple choice and other types of test questions and how to work independently because these skill would be useful not just on this test, but in later grades. The teachers were more ambivalent about activities that were directly tied to the test, such as discussing sample questions or administering a mock test; they were especially wary of talking about the importance of the test.
See also – Teaching Study Skills – what to teach and How to Teach Effective Study Skills
Read the full study here >>>
Effective Study Skills Lesson Plan
How to Answer Multiple Choice
About the Author
Brian is a writer and web developer living in Victoria BC. He has a BA in Economics and an MA in Psychology. Brian has written and published widely on education, testing, psychology and popular culture. 
“Less than half of the teachers recommended talking with the students about whether the test was important.”
That shocked me. I thought it would be a lot higher.
-Brandon
StudyorFail.com
You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about half an hour. I am a newbie and your post is valuable for me.
Interesting that students placed a high value on learning how to follow the instructions on a test.
I am also surprised that explaining the importance of the test comes least. maybe the students are already supposed to know the test is important. why else are they taking it?
I agree with the teachers. students need to understand how best to take test and deal with test anxiety.