Effective Test Preparation

Share / assign

Why it works

High-stakes testing creates pressure that can push teachers toward excessive, narrow test prep, drilling test items, narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, which research links to shallow learning and disengagement, and can even lower genuine achievement. More effective and ethical test preparation rests on good, rich teaching of the actual content and skills (which is the best test prep), familiarizing students with the test format and types of questions (so the format is not a barrier), teaching test-taking strategies modestly, and managing test anxiety, without sacrificing deep learning or weeks of instruction to drills.

The research: Research on test preparation and teaching to the test.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: prepare effectively and ethically

Teachers leave with a prep approach grounded in good teaching, not drills.

Recognize that rich teaching of the content and skills is the best test prep.
Familiarize students with the test format and question types (so format is not a barrier).
Teach test-taking strategies modestly and manage anxiety.
Avoid narrowing the curriculum or drowning in drills.

Good teaching is the best test prepEffective test prep is rich teaching plus format familiarity and managed anxiety, not weeks of drills. Serve students without sacrificing real learning.

Facilitator notes

Teach the content richly (best prep), and familiarize with format.
Teach strategies modestly, and manage anxiety.
Do not narrow or over-drill.

Teaching to the test narrows learning and often backfiresEndless drilling and curriculum narrowing produce shallow learning, disengagement, and sometimes lower achievement. Teach richly, familiarize with format, manage anxiety.

Adapt it

Elementary: format familiarity, low anxiety, good teaching.
Secondary: content, format, strategies, anxiety.
All settings: rich teaching, format familiarity, managed anxiety.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Test Preparation: good teaching first

Without narrowing learning: rich teaching as the main prep, format familiarity, modest strategies, managed anxiety.

How rich teaching of the content is my main prep:
How I familiarize students with the format:
The modest strategies and anxiety management:
What narrowing or over-drilling I will avoid:
The balance I will keep:

Make it stick

Good teaching first:

Make good teaching the prep.
Familiarize with format.
Bring an effective, non-narrowing prep approach to the next PLC.

Common questions

Don't I have to drill for the test?

The best test prep is good, rich teaching of the actual content and skills. Add modest format familiarity and anxiety management, but narrowing to endless drills harms learning and often does not even help scores.

What's the ethical line?

Teaching the content and skills well, and familiarizing students with the format, is ethical and effective. Narrowing the curriculum to the test, or drilling at the expense of learning, is neither.

What actually helps scores?

Deep learning of the content, familiarity with the format so it is not a barrier, modest strategy instruction, and managed anxiety, not weeks of drills that crowd out real teaching.