<p>“Every standardized test I take just leads to an inadequate score”
“I’m just called a bad test taker.”</p>
<p>Well there is some reason why you test badly. Top suspects include:
Never having mastered test-taking strategies (despite the efforts of classroom teachers to get kids to learn these early on, some students do get to high school without developing this basic skill set)
Test-induced anxiety
Slower than normal information processing (this often manifests itself as an issue that classifies as dyslexia)
Weakness in fine motor skills (so it is difficult to fill in those little dots)
Vision disorders (including visual processing disorders)
Focus and attention issues (where you can’t keep your attention on the exam in the way you would be able to with your homework)</p>
<p>Each of these issues is different, which means that each has a different work-around. If you’ve never got a handle on test strategy, that is fixable with a bit of formal exam prep. If you do poorly because you feel stress and can’t focus well, then start with an evaluation for anxiety. If you do poorly on standardized exams because you normally run out of time, I’d suggest you start with an evaluation for processing issues. If you have trouble with fine motor skills, have that formally evaluated so that you can be given appropriate testing accommodations. Etc.</p>
<p>And yup, you can be dyslexic and not know it. I have a good friend who wasn’t diagnosed until halfway through her PhD program. Dyslexia is an umbrella term that covers a number of different issues having to do with reading and interpreting text. You can by dyslexic in English, but not in Chinese (and vice versa). As with any other learning difference, the smarter (and more hard working) the student, the less likely it is that the issue will be noticed by parents or teachers. There are scads of students in AP classes and GT programs all over the country who would have had their dyslexia-type issues identified years ago if they just weren’t so smart.</p>