9th Grade TAKS Reading Test Prep and Practice

Sample Tests from the Texas Education Agency

For a state-specific practice test for the 9th grade TAKS in reading, use the reading practice test available from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TAKS 9th grade reading test measures reading objectives, such as basic understanding, literary elements, techniques, analysis and critical evaluation. The questions require multiple-choice and short answer responses to reading passages.

Test-Taking Advice from the American School Counselor Association

Some children experience test anxiety, which inhibits them from doing their best. Parents can help their children by providing test-taking strategies to help them manage emotional problems of self-doubt, frustration and anger, all of which are feelings that can interfere with a child's ability to take a test successfully.

The American School Counselor Association gives tips on using breathing techniques to clear the mind of negative feelings and produce a calm state. It also discusses how thinking good thoughts can reduce test-taking anxiety. Other tips include eating a good breakfast and getting enough sleep before the day of testing.

Practice Reading Strategies with Scholastic

Scholastic offers test taking strategies to help children increase reading comprehension. Reading strategies can be important because kids need to know how to quickly identify the main ideas of a story to answer the multiple-choice questions.

Talk with your child and identify what aspects of the test-taking process he or she struggles with. Then, review these strategies with your child to help him or her be as prepared as possible on the actual test day. Some test-taking tips available here include:

1. Read the questions first and then scan to find out what areas of the passage require close reading.

2. Identify the main idea in the first and last sentence.

3. Skip long passages and go back to them later to avoid 'burning out.'