Slow test taker, help!

<p>My daughter is a very slow test taker. She knows all of the materials, but simply doesn't move very fast. She is very deliberate over every question, and double and triple-checks everything. She's more than a bit OCD about it, and we have tried to get her to move faster, but it's just the way she's wired.</p>

<p>She's borderline on the autistic spectrum (her brother is fully on it, on the mild side) but not diagnosed and doesn't qualify for an IEP. She does have an ILP for a mild speech disorder and for the gifted program, but untimed testing was denied.</p>

<p>She was unable to finish her AP exams, and didn't even manage to finish some of her final exams this year. What she finished, she got good scores on, but lost two letter grades due to all the blank questions on her finals.</p>

<p>When she practices a Critical Reading section, try having her take the test with the only criterion being that she must answer all the questions. See what her score turns out to be. </p>

<p>It sounds like maybe she deserved to have untimed testing. I don’t know what score she’s aiming for, but it may take a lot of work to attain.</p>

<p>Personally, I usually digest the material very slowly and reread every page when I read books. This was evident in my scores originally, but the keyword for me was concentration. I’ve found that speed with a section varies quite closely with level of concentration. </p>

<p>Overall, my advice would be to have her take practice tests and make her primary goal be to answer all of the questions. As she practices, hopefully she will be able to develop an efficient thought process. Practice and concentration are key. Sounds like a difficult situation, but good luck.</p>