AceYour Exit Exam

CAHSEE Prep

Many students are intimidated by the idea of a two-day exam that will determine whether or not they receive a high school diploma. Who could really blame them? The thought of a 200-question test covering material that hasn't been studied in several years is enough to scare even the best of students. So how should students prepare for an exam that covers such a vast amount of material? The best and most effective way for high-schoolers to prepare for the CAHSEE is to spend all of their study time attempting practice problems.

Statistics show that students who attempt at least 100 practice questions prior to taking the actual CAHSEE perform significantly better than their counterparts. Why is that the case? Spending time solving practice problems does two things that are critical for student success on the CAHSEE: 1. It familiarizes students with the format and style of the questions that will appear on the real exam. 2. It helps students focus their review of the underlying academic concepts.

Let's discuss why these are both very critical to success on a test like the CAHSEE. Students who attempted at least 100 practice problems reported very low anxiety levels on the morning of the exam. This was a stark contrast to the high anxiety levels that were generally reported. These students identified "Test Familiarity" as a major factor for their low anxiety levels. It is a well-known fact that students who are relaxed will generally perform better on exams than those who are anxious, so test familiarity should be an important goal for any student preparing for the CAHSEE.

While test familiarity is certainly important, it is even more important for students to have an organized way to review the underlying academic concepts being tested. Since this exam covers an extensive amount of material, students are often uncertain of what and where to begin studying. Focusing on practice problems enables students to make the most efficient use of their preparation time by allowing them to review the specific concepts needed to solve each question. Each practice question is tied to a specific instruction standard and solving practice problems ensures that students are spending all of their time reviewing areas that will actually be tested on the exam. Since the CAHSEE does not test every instruction standard, it is important that students not waste time studying material that will not be tested. A problem-centered approach ensures that students are not going into too much depth in one particular area while simultaneously neglecting other areas. A focused and concise conceptual review centered around practice problems is a critical component to overall student success.

The next question is "Where should students go to find accurate sample questions for the CAHSEE?" The California Department of Education offers students hundreds of sample questions that have been taken from previous CAHSEE exams. Here are a pair of links: Sample Math Questions Sample English Language Arts Questions. There are also several websites that offer CAHSEE practice material online. Good Luck!