Get your students ready for state testing without the stress and pressure. Here are five essential test prep tips for stress-free success.
Spring is an exciting time of year, but it also means state testing is creeping up fast.
We’ve worked hard all year to teach, reteach, differentiate, and support our students. However you feel about standardized tests, we all want our kids to walk in feeling confident and ready to show what they know.
The good news? Test prep doesn’t have to be stressful! With the right strategies in place, we can help students feel prepared, stay calm, and perform their best.
No-stress test prep
Help your students reach their full potential with these five easy-to-follow tips.
1. Plan Review Activities That Target Key Concepts
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the things students need to know, so focus on the biggest bang-for-your-buck review activities.
📌 Real-Life Example: One of my favorite activities was having my students become the teachers! I split my students into groups, and each group created a mini-lesson, quiz, or game on a key standard. I chose the topics that needed review and broke them down into chunks that I could assign to them. Students got to decide on how to teach their lesson.
They absolutely loved getting to explain concepts to their classmates, and it really reinforced their learning.
Plus, they came up with hilariously creative ways to test each other (one group turned a review into a “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” game!).
💡 Try this: Instead of drilling worksheets, mix in task cards, games, scavenger hunts, and partner quizzes to keep students engaged while reinforcing the content they need most.
2. Identify and Fill Learning Gaps Before the Big Day
Now’s the time to zero in on weak spots and reinforce tricky skills.
📌 Real-Life Example: I once gave my class a quick “Rate Your Confidence” checklist for math and reading skills. They self-assessed how comfortable they felt with different topics (1 = “Wait, we learned this??” and 5 = “I could teach this in my sleep”).
That gave me a roadmap of what to reteach in small groups. That year, fractions were the biggest struggle, so I put extra practice and review into our daily routine leading up to the test.
💡 Try this: Create a simple exit ticket for key concepts – if you see a pattern of misunderstandings, you know exactly what needs extra attention before test day.
3. Get Familiar with the State Test Format
Even the smartest students can struggle if they don’t know what to expect on test day.
📌 Real-Life Example: I’ll never forget the year I introduced sample test questions, and my students panicked over a weirdly worded multi-part question. It included “salutation” rather than “greeting.”
It wasn’t that they didn’t know the content – they just weren’t used to seeing certain words and questions written that way.
After that, I made it a yearly habit to walk through sample questions with my students, highlighting tricky wording and breaking down exactly what the question was asking.
💡 Try this: Show students a sample question every morning for a quick “Practice Question of the Day.” The more exposure they get, the less intimidating the real thing will feel.
Also, review and clarify test-specific terms students may not understand, such as “evaluate” and “examine” – trust me, it’s time well spent.
4. Use Formative Assessments to Pinpoint Struggles
If you’ve been using exit tickets, quizzes, or quick checks throughout the year, now’s the time to dig into that data and focus on misconceptions.
📌 Real-Life Example: I once had a group of students crushing their weekly comprehension quizzes but struggling with open-ended responses.
I decided to focus on how to use text evidence more effectively. So, we spent extra time practicing RACE strategy responses (and yes, I bribed them with stickers and high-fives!).
By test day, they were confident pros at backing up their answers. And they knew they needed to write more than a sentence or two to explain their reasoning!
💡 Try this: Look back at student work, especially short-answer responses. Are they showing their thinking clearly? If not, spend some time reviewing how to justify answers before the test.
5. Teach Students How to Pace Themselves on Test Day
Many students rush through tests, excited to be the first one finished – but we all know speed doesn’t equal success!
Other students get stuck on one tricky question, losing valuable time and wearing themselves out. Teaching students how to pace themselves can make a huge difference in their performance.
📌 Real-Life Example: One year, I had a group of students who rushed through their practice tests like they were in a race.
They weren’t taking their time, double-checking their answers, or using any of the strategies we had practiced. When I looked at their work, I saw careless mistakes on problems I KNEW they could solve.
After that, I started teaching “Smarty-Smart Test Strategies”. We practiced skimming long passages before reading the questions, tackling easier problems first to build confidence, and using any extra time to review answers.
I even set a class challenge: if they finished early, they had to search for mistakes in their work before turning it in. I tried turning it into a game to spot and fix errors before time was up – anything to get them to look over their work!
💡 Try this: Encourage students to slow down and check their work. Remind them that finishing first isn’t the goal—accuracy is! I know you probably already tell them this over and over (and over and over!!), but this is one guideline we really need to sink in!
We were practicing smart strategies like rereading tricky questions, underlining key details, and using extra time wisely, with the goal of developing strong test-taking habits.
Bonus Tips for Test Day!
✔️ Check with your admin about allowing short breaks – even a quick stretch or brain break can help students refocus and stay engaged.
✔️ Encourage students to get a good night’s sleep (and yes, I remind them that staying up playing video games all night is a terrible idea).
✔️ Hype up breakfast! If your school doesn’t provide one, remind students that eating something nutritious before testing helps fuel their brains.
✔️ Keep an eye out for test anxiety. If a student seems nervous, remind them that this test doesn’t define them or all the hard work they’ve put in. A few deep breaths and some encouraging words can help them feel better and ready to tackle the test.
Final Thoughts on Test Prep
State testing doesn’t have to be overwhelming—for you or your students. With a few simple prep strategies, review activities, and confidence-boosting moments, you can help students feel prepared and ready to succeed!
And if you’ve read this far… you deserve a giant cup of coffee. ☕😂
Have a favorite test prep tip that works in your classroom? Drop me a quick email at [email protected] — I’d love to hear what’s worked for you! 🚀
Ready to Make Test Prep Easy?
If you need done-for-you review materials, check out my Test-Prep Bundle for Reading Comprehension!
Inside this bundle, you’ll receive:
Weather Events Text Evidence Passages – 10 nonfiction passages for comprehension and close reading.
Compare and Contrast Step-By-Step Lessons – with pictures, paired passages, and writing support.
Main Idea and Supporting Details Passages – for skill-building practice.
Reading Comprehension Strategy Posters – for quick-reference anchor charts.
📌 Get it here!
Want to read more test-prep articles?
No-Stress Test Prep: The Ultimate Guide
How to Teach Students to Cite Text Evidence
How to Teach Compare and Contrast Essays
How to Teach the RACE Writing Strategy
Prepare for Testing with Writing Stems
Written by Jules Rhee, MEd, and 30-year teaching veteran; published 3/13/23; updated 2/16/25
