FCAT Math Test Tips

• Math is one of the areas covered by the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. maths mark image by Bram J. Meijer from Fotolia.com

  The FCAT, the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, tests Florida elementary and secondary school students in reading, mathematics and science. The topics will vary depending upon your grade level, but the test is designed to be difficult every year you take it. Fortunately, you can prepare yourself for all the covered topics, including mathematics.

Review Released Exams

• The Florida Department of Education has a number of previous FCATs posted on its website. While every student is told the general mathematical subjects that will be covered, actually seeing the kinds of questions that will be on the test will help you prepare. Work through the exams and check your answers. Figure out the areas you are struggling in and spend extra time practicing those types of problems.

Familiarize Yourself With The Format

• Like most standardized tests, your answers will be marked on a Scantron and graded by machine. Regardless of what you wrote down on your scratch paper as you were working the problem, your grade will only reflect what the machine scans. Make sure you bubble carefully and within the lines. Also practice answering non-multiple choice grid answers. These are the answers where you will have to bubble your precise answer into a grid of numbers, instead of selecting between four or five possible answers. Make sure you are comfortable with this format so you don't lose points for incorrectly recording an answer you got right.

Time Management

• While taking the test, manage your time effectively. Don't spend too much time on any one problem. You get the same number of points for a correct answer, regardless of its difficulty, so make sure you maximize the number of questions you can answer correctly before sinking too much time into any one problem.

If You Don't Know

• If you don't immediately know how to do a problem, don't panic. Think about what the question is asking for, then think about what you know how to do. Taking inventory like this can help you find your way to the solution.