Six Tips for OSSLT Success

By: D'Arcy Murphy

The test that seems daunting to many students across the province is coming up soon. While most of the school will be sleeping in on Thursday, a portion of students at Holy Trinity and every other school across the province will be writing the dreaded Literacy Test. The amended timetable for the day is found below. If you’re nervous about the test, keep reading for some top-notch tips for success!

Holy Trinity will be employing a drastically modified timetable to accommodate the writing of the test. Here is the test schedule for any students who will be writing the OSSLT:

Here is the afternoon schedule for anyone who plans to stay for class:

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), a requirement for graduation, is taking place this Thursday. Students are eligible to take the test beginning in grade ten. Students must pass the test with a score of 70% or higher in order to meet the province’s requirements. Here are some helpful hints for the big day:

• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. You may have heard this one a hundred times before, but it really does make a difference. The OSSLT is not a knowledge based test. Reading and writing does not require late night fact cramming-but it does need a well rested and alert mind.
• Read through every prompt and question carefully. If you’re concerned about how to answer a question or complete a response, try getting a better understanding of what the question is asking in the first place. Read every question through at least twice and underline key words or commands.
• Fill in the bubble sheet as you go. Students in the past have been known to select the correct multiple choice answers on the their test booklets, planning to fill in the bubble sheet at the end of the test. That’s all fine and dandy until you forget to do that last step until a minute before you need to hand in your test. Fill in your bubble sheet after answering each question.
• Use process of elimination. A large portion of the OSSLT is multiple choice. Typically, two answers can easily be ruled out without much thought. That leaves you with two more answers and a 50% chance at a correct guess if you can’t figure out the question yourself.
• Manage your time effectively. Your teacher will likely recommend a certain amount of time to be spent on each section of the Literacy Test, similar to a final exam-listen to that advice! Taking extra time to get one section done and then sacrificing time on the rest of the test usually doesn’t end well. Additionally, answer the questions you are confident with first to make the most of your time.
• Proofread your test. Since this is a literacy test, spelling and grammar are important. Read over your test before handing it in to verify that you’ve answered every question to the best of your ability, error-free. This is also a great time to make sure your bubble sheet matches your booklet multiple choice answers. Final edits of a test always save a few marks, so don’t miss this tip!

Good luck to everyone writing the OSSLT on Thursday, and in the immortal words of Effie Trinket, “may the odds be ever in your favour!”