The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides study guides that can be downloaded from its website (see Resources) to help in preparing for the test. These guides include strategies and practice questions. You can make your own study guide by using a systematic plan to organize your notes. Reread the lecture notes from your class to make sure you understand the concepts. A graphic organizer is a good tool to provide a visual representation of your notes. Outlines also work well to help you structure prior knowledge. These study aids help you recognize facts and ideas. Use your textbook to review concepts that are unclear. Study with a friend or test yourself often.
Games can help take the drudgery out of preparing for TAKS. Make flash cards from colored index cards to review key points and facts. Use a different color card for each concept and work with a study partner or study in a group. For example, use blue cards to represent people, purple for events or battles, green for types of governments and red for documents. Color association aids in remembering. Make your own matching game by using terms or events on one side of the paper to match with names on the other. For example, "dictator of Germany during World War II" on one side, "Adolf Hitler" on the other.
Every year the previous year's tests are released, and they can be downloaded from the TEA website. Even though the tests are changed each year, the practice tests give an idea of the type of questions that will be on the test. Hide the answers, then practice taking the test. This will provide valuable information on what to study, because the questions will be representative of concepts covered in the test.
Many Texas school districts offer comprehensive tutoring programs specifically designed for TAKS social studies. These tutorials are usually offered before or after the regular school day. Many districts hold half-day sessions on Saturdays. Social studies teachers spend a great deal of time preparing students for the testing and provide support out of class when needed. Some school districts use volunteers from the community to help with tutoring students.