Nails have been bitten, teeth have chattered and good luck charms have occasionally been grasped tightly, but according to docstoc.com’s 101 FCAT tips, once you have an understanding of the test, you are guaranteed to pass.

FCAT measures school performances based on standardized test in Language Arts and Math courses. The Florida Department of Education uses electronic scoring for most grades and a combination hand scoring by the department’s contractors for the long response segment. When hand scoring, contractors use rubrics. Computer programs that are able to read multiple choice and gridded-response answers and correct the tests with an answer key. In the Reading portion of the test, the range of scores a student can receive is from 100 to 500.

The following are 10 of the many tips and statistics that are listed on docstoc.com –

1. Students who determine that FCAT is a big priority in their life tend to establish happy successful careers.

2. The few weeks prior to FCAT are usually the most important times to pay attention and listen to teachers when they provide tips.

3. Studies show that kids who watched fewer than three hours of television a day scored higher on standardized reading tests than those who watched more.

4. By picking up and reading instructions, magazines, books, food labels, and even recopies you are practicing.

5. Sleep loss is cumulative so do not just get a good nights rest a day before the test, but go to bed a little bit earlier for 5 nights prior to the test.

6. Determine strategies to use when reading over a passage and answering a multiple choice question.

7. Determine strategies for when coming across a short or long response question.

8. Think about what you will do when you have no idea what the answer is to a particular question.

9. Be present on test day. Students taking tests on make up days tend to score lower.

10. Lastly, its mot a myth hunger can lead to a poor performance so eat a good breakfast the morning of the test and a good dinner the night before.

Students who fail the FCAT three times in high school will not receive a standard diploma unless they receive excellent scores on SAT tests.