The NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association), a non-profit organization based in Oregon, US, partners with more than 3500 organizations worldwide to aid students in their research activities. It conducts a test known as MAP (Measures of Academic Progress), an adaptive achievement test for school students.
This test helps educators understand a student’s abilities, monitor their progress, and identify the areas they need to work on. This test is adaptive, which means, if you can answer an easy question correctly, the computer will generate a little tricky question next. However, if you’re not able to answer it, the difficulty level will get reduced.
So, if you’re planning to appear for the MAP test and wish to score high, here are a few tips!
- Take practice tests
Ever heard of the saying “practice makes perfect”? Well, even though it might not be possible to achieve a perfect score, you can very well aim for a near-perfect one. And this will only happen if you practice throughout the year.
Taking practice tests will familiarize you with the question paper pattern and help you solve the paper faster. Your school district must have a study guide or practice test series, so seek those out and start practicing regularly.
- Ask for help from your teachers
It’s alright to get stuck in a particular chapter or question when preparing for the NWEA MAP test. But it’s essential to get those doubts resolved so that you can understand those concepts better. Thus, whenever you’re unsure of a particular question, mark it down and ask your teacher. You can even ask your school counselor or guide to give you extra classes after school.
- Divide the calculations
You’ll often notice that a bigger calculation in your math paper can be solved easily if you break it down into more minor calculations. This holds especially true for chapters like percentages.
For example, instead of calculating 35% of a number, you can easily break it down to 10% and then multiply it by 3. Next, calculate 5% by dividing the 10% into half, and voila! You’re done! For this, make sure you’re good at calculating things mentally.
- Read more
When it comes to the language papers, most students face problems solely because they don’t read much. In today’s era of smartphones and computers, children often get swept away with gadgets and forget the importance of reading.
Try to get your hands on as many books as possible. If you’re not comfortable with paperback books, download ebooks on your Kindle or tablet. Make sure you read every day and digest materials that are good for your brain.
- Review the parts of speech
Always remember to review and go through the definitions of the basic parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and interjections.
To make things easier, you can even write down the definition of each part of speech along with an example. Then, stick this list on your study table or wall and read it aloud at least twice a day. This will significantly help you understand grammatical errors and become stronger in English.
- Answer all the questions
When it comes to the MAP test, do not leave any space blank in your paper. Even if it means you’ll have to take a wild guess, make sure you write down something remotely close to the correct answer.
On the bubbles, darken the circles completely and neatly so that it’s easier to examine.
In the essay questions, write in complete sentences and never write things we often use while texting, such as “brb” or “ttyl.”
- Be calm
Most importantly, it would be best if you stayed calm in order to score high. No matter how well your preparation is, things won’t work out well if you’re constantly agitated or jittery.
So on the day of the exam, take a deep breath, meditate, and tell yourself that you’ve tried your best. Try not to cram too much the night before the exam because that will increase your anxiety. Instead, get a good night’s sleep.
Over to you…
These are the seven essential tips that would be best if you follow to score high in the MAP exam. Just remember to stay focused when you attempt the paper!
