Testing Word Search for Test Week and Early Finishers

Press New puzzle for 15 test week words, from Eliminate to Breakfast, then print a quiet sheet for early finishers.

Name Date

Testing Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 15 words found

JPQOFFBECGWGWRA

AHUNDERLINEOOER

OHEUILELIMINATE

RTSEENAYDAORLUR

ETTIDPKSOODORRE

ALIONAFKUIIEGNA

TFOVHSAJBOBVAGD

SJNATSSOLTTIICG

WSPYGATRESIDSMY

EFEDTGFOCUSETTP

FFSLEEPIHARNAGB

FYECPLBFEUQCOTR

OTIAIPENCILETKD

RMHIINYTKUPACEN

TSHOWYOURWORKYF

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

FocusFOCUS
RereadREREAD
EliminateELIMINATE
UnderlineUNDERLINE
PacePACE
ReturnRETURN
EvidenceEVIDENCE
Double checkDOUBLE CHECK
Show your workSHOW YOUR WORK
PassagePASSAGE
QuestionQUESTION
PencilPENCIL
BreakfastBREAKFAST
SleepSLEEP
EffortEFFORT

15 of 24 words from the Testing list.

Pick three strategy words you will use on test day. Write one sentence about each.

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

More options

Show clues, not words

Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Testing Word Search

JPQOFFBECGWGWRA

AHUNDERLINEOOER

OHEUILELIMINATE

RTSEENAYDAORLUR

ETTIDPKSOODORRE

ALIONAFKUIIEGNA

TFOVHSAJBOBVAGD

SJNATSSOLTTIICG

WSPYGATRESIDSMY

EFEDTGFOCUSETTP

FFSLEEPIHARNAGB

FYECPLBFEUQCOTR

OTIAIPENCILETKD

RMHIINYTKUPACEN

TSHOWYOURWORKYF

FOCUS, REREAD, ELIMINATE, UNDERLINE, PACE, RETURN, EVIDENCE, DOUBLE CHECK, SHOW YOUR WORK, PASSAGE, QUESTION, PENCIL, BREAKFAST, SLEEP, EFFORT

Next step Make a word search from your own review words Make a test week word scramble

All 140 words

Test-Taking Strategies 23

Best answer Two choices can both look right. The test wants the one that fits the question most fully.
Context clues Hints in the nearby sentences that help you work out a word you do not know.
Cross out To draw a line through a choice you have ruled out.
Double check To look over your finished paper one more time before you hand it in.
Eliminate To rule out the choices you know are wrong, so fewer are left to pick from.
Estimate To find a rough answer fast. It tells you whether your exact answer makes sense.
Evidence The words in a passage that prove your answer. Strong written answers point to it.
Focus To keep your mind on one thing. On a test, that thing is the question in front of you.
Guess An answer you are not sure of. With the wrong choices ruled out first, it has a better chance.
Highlight To mark important words in a bright color, on paper or with an online tool.
Keyword An important term in a question, such as not, except, first or most.

Show all 140 words (129 more)

Test-Taking Strategies, continued

Pace How fast you work. A steady one gets you to the last question before time is up.
Reread To go over a passage or a question a second time, slowly, before you answer.
Restate To put the question into your own words as the first line of a written answer.
Return To go back to a question you left empty once the easier ones are done.
Review To look back over what you learned, or over your answers when you reach the end.
Scan To run your eyes over a page hunting for one word, name or number.
Show your work Write down each step of a math problem, not only the last number, so a reader can follow you.
Skim To read quickly for the general idea before reading closely.
Skip To leave a hard question for now and move on. Mark it so you can find it again.
Slow down What to do when you catch yourself rushing. Careless mistakes come from speed.
Underline To draw a stroke beneath the important words of a question so they stand out.
Work backward To start from the answer choices and try each one in the problem.

Direction Words 22

Calculate To work out a number using math.
Cite To point to the exact words or paragraph your answer came from.
Compare To tell how two things are alike.
Complete To fill in the missing part of a sentence, table or pattern.
Contrast To tell how two things are different.
Define To tell what a word means.
Describe To tell what something is like, using details a reader can picture.
Determine To find out or decide, usually after several steps.
Evaluate In reading, to judge how strong something is. In math, to find the value of an expression.
Explain To tell how or why, giving reasons. A one-word reply never does this job.
Identify To pick out or name the right thing, such as the noun in a sentence.
Infer To figure out something the author never said outright, using clues plus what you know.
Interpret To tell what a graph, a chart or a line of a poem means.
Justify To give the reasons or the math that prove your answer is right.
Label To write the name of each part on a diagram, graph or map.
Match To pair each thing in one column with its partner in the other column.
Round To change a number to the nearest ten, hundred or other place.
Select To pick from the choices given. If the question asks for two, mark exactly two.
Simplify To write a fraction or an expression in its shortest form.
Solve To find the answer to a problem.
Summarize To retell only the most important points, in a few sentences of your own.
Support To back up your answer with details or quotes from the passage.

On the Test Page 25

Bubble The small oval you fill in to mark an answer.
Caption The words beside a picture that tell what it shows.
Chart Information set out in a picture or grid so it is quick to read.
Diagram A drawing with named parts that shows how something is built or how it works.
Directions The lines at the top that tell you what to do. Skipping them is a classic mistake.
Distractor A wrong choice written to look right. That is the real name test writers use for it.
Essay A piece of writing several paragraphs long. The name comes from a French verb meaning to try.
Example A finished question shown at the start so you can see how to answer.
Excerpt A short piece taken from a longer book, story or speech.
Graph A picture of number data, drawn with bars, lines or dots.
Item What test writers call one question.
Main idea What a passage is mostly about. The details all point back to it.
Option One of the possible answers listed under a question.
Passage A piece of writing you read and then answer questions about.
Points What each right answer is worth.
Prompt The topic or question a piece of test writing must answer.
Question A sentence that asks for an answer. Tests number them so you can keep your place.
Rubric A scoring guide for written answers. The name comes from the Latin for red ochre, once used to write headings.
Score The number that tells how you did.
Section One part of a test, often with its own time limit.
Short answer A question you reply to in a few words or sentences, with no choices given.
Stem The part of a multiple-choice question that comes before the choices.
Table Rows and columns of facts or numbers.
True or false A statement you must judge. If any part of it is wrong, the whole statement is wrong.
Word problem A math question told as a short story.

In the Testing Room 23

Answer sheet The page of bubbles where you mark your choices. A scanner reads the dark marks.
Begin The word that starts the test.
Booklet The stapled pages that hold the test questions.
Calculator A machine for arithmetic, allowed only on some parts of some tests.
Clock Shows the time of day, so you can judge how fast to work.
Desk Your work space. On test day it is cleared of everything but the tools you need.
Divider A folded screen that stands on a desk to keep eyes on your own paper.
Do not disturb The sign that hangs on a classroom door while a test is going on.
Eraser Rubs out a mistake. The first patent for fixing one to the end of a pencil dates from 1858.
Honest Doing your own work and keeping your eyes on your own paper.
Minutes Small units of time. The board often shows how many are left.
Pencil The classic test tool. Its core is graphite and clay, and it never held any lead.
Proctor The adult who hands out a test and watches the room while it is taken. In Britain the job is called invigilator.
Quiet Low noise, so every person in the room can think.
Raise hand What to do, without calling out, when you need help or a new pencil.
Ruler A straight edge marked in inches or centimeters.
Scratch paper Spare sheets for working out math or planning writing. They are handed in at the end.
Session One sitting of a test. A long test may be split over several days.
Stop The word that ends the test. Pencils go down.
Testing What is going on in a quiet room on exam day. You may see this word on a door sign.
Timer Counts down what is left of a section.
Turn in To hand your finished test to the teacher.
Water bottle A drink kept within reach, where the rules allow one.

Testing on a Computer 15

Drag and drop A question type where you move an answer into place with the mouse or a finger.
Flag An online tool that marks a question so you can find it again.
Headphones Worn for listening questions, or to have the text read aloud.
Keyboard The keys you type answers on.
Laptop A folding computer that many schools use for online tests.
Login The step where you type who you are to open the test.
Next The button that moves you to the following question.
Password A secret code typed to open a test session. The proctor often hands it out.
Progress bar A strip on screen that fills up as you move through the questions.
Screen Where the questions appear during an online test.
Scroll To move the page up or down to see the rest of a long passage.
Sign out To leave the testing program when you are done.
Submit The button that hands in your answers. Press it only when you are done.
Test ticket A slip of paper with the details you need to sign in.
Text box The space on screen where you type a written answer.

Getting Ready 13

Alarm Set it so the morning does not start in a rush.
Breakfast The morning meal. Teachers ask families not to let it slide on test day.
Early Ahead of time. Getting to school this way leaves room to settle in.
Flash cards A question on one side and the answer on the other, for quizzing yourself.
Hydrate To drink enough water.
Notes What you wrote down in class, ready to read over again.
On time Not late. Test sessions start by the clock.
Pack To put what you need in your bag the night before.
Practice test A trial run with questions like the real ones, so the format is no surprise.
Pretest A check given before a unit to see what you already know.
Sleep What your body does at night. Going to bed early comes before a big test.
Stretch To reach and bend so stiff muscles loosen up after sitting a long time.
Study guide A sheet that lists what a test will cover.

Calm and Confident 19

Brain break A few minutes of moving or stretching between test sections.
Breathe In through the nose, out through the mouth. Slow ones settle a racing heart.
Calm Peaceful inside, with a slow heartbeat and a clear head.
Careful Taking your time and paying attention to small details.
Celebrate To mark a job well done with something fun.
Confident Sure that you can do it, because you have prepared.
Count to ten A trick for settling down: say the numbers slowly before you go on.
Do your best All anyone can ask of you on test day.
Effort The hard work you put in. It counts for more than any one score.
Finished Done. Turn your paper over or read without a sound until time is called.
Good luck A friendly wish before a test.
Jitters A shaky, fluttery feeling before a big event.
Keep going What to do when a question stumps you: move on and do not give up.
Nervous Jumpy or worried before something big. Nearly everyone feels it on test day.
Patient Able to wait or keep working without getting upset.
Ready Prepared and set to start.
Self talk The words you say to yourself in your head. Kind ones help.
Stamina The strength to keep working through a long test.
Worry A nagging thought about what might go wrong. Naming it can shrink it.

How this list was compiled: 140 test-week words and short phrases chosen and defined for this site: seven themed lists (test-taking strategies, direction words, on the test page, in the testing room, testing on a computer, getting ready, calm and confident), a 24-word starter list, 12 short words and every entry of 8 letters or more. The list names no test, publisher, testing company or state program. Definitions are our own wording for readers of about 8 to 12. Facts were checked on 19 September 2026 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_choice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_mark_recognition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubric https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exam_invigilator and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/proctor Licence: own work

How it works

Eliminate, Double check and Breakfast are among the 24 starter words of this testing word search, the words pupils hear in test week. Seven themed lists follow, and none names a test, a publisher or a state program.

Read the full guide

Seven themes for test week

Test-Taking Strategies holds 23 entries, such as Reread, Cross out and Work backward. Direction Words holds 22 verbs that questions use, from Compare to Justify. On the Test Page, In the Testing Room, Testing on a Computer, Getting Ready and Calm and Confident finish the set. Under the word list the sheet prints a task: pick three strategy words for test day and write a sentence about each.

A silent sheet for early finishers

A paper word search needs no talking and no device. Press New puzzle between prints and neighbors get different grids, each with its answer key on a second page.

Rubric comes from the Latin for red ochre, once used to write headings.

Questions and answers

Can pupils do a word search after they finish a test?

That depends on your testing program. Many let early finishers read a book and nothing else until every paper is collected, so check the manual or ask your test coordinator. Where puzzles are out, use the sheet on the days before and after.

Does the list name a state test?

No. It names no test, publisher or state program, so one sheet serves unit tests, benchmark weeks and spring state testing anywhere. To add the name of your own test, type it at the end of the word list under the grid.

Which list has the words test writers use?

On the Test Page, 25 entries. Distractor is what test writers call a wrong choice written to look right, and Stem is the part of a multiple-choice question that comes before the choices. Rubric, Excerpt and Prompt sit beside them.

Which list helps with direction words such as Infer and Justify?

Direction Words, 22 verbs. Its clues say what each verb asks a test taker to do, so tick Show clues, not words for review: Infer is to figure out something the author never said outright, using clues plus what you know.

All 140 words

Test-Taking Strategies 23

Test-Taking Strategies, continued

Direction Words 22

On the Test Page 25

In the Testing Room 23

Testing on a Computer 15

Getting Ready 13

Calm and Confident 19

How it works

Seven themes for test week

A silent sheet for early finishers

Questions and answers

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