Math Test Prep: Types of Math Questions

One thing I learned after my first year of teaching was that my students can master a math skill but not show that mastery on a test. One reason for this is the types of questions can throw the students off or confuse them. Especially if the students’ mastery of a skill is still emerging or progressing. A way to help with this is to ensure your instruction and assessments include a variety of math questions like the ones students will see on tests. This post shares free resources for the different types of math questions that will help you throughout the year and during math test prep.

Click here to see reading test prep question types and resources you can use to teach them.

Types of Math Questions

Here are the common types of math questions your students might encounter on the end of the year test (depending on which state and what assessment is given):

• Multiple Choice Questions
• Multi-Select Questions
• Constructed Response Tasks
• Multi-Part Tasks
• Drag and Drop Technology Questions
• Drop-Down Technology Questions

Multiple Choice Math Questions

Multiple choice questions require students to choose an answer to a question from a list of several choices.

These can be tricky for students because they often have distractors that are common errors students may make. Students also may be quick to choose an answer without working through the problem first. I always recommend that my students solve a problem before looking at the choices to help them not get tricked by the choices.

Tips for Multiple Choice Math Problems:

• Solve the problem or answer the question before looking at the choices.
• Read all of the choices before choosing your answer.
• If necessary, prove that the other choices are wrong before selecting your answer.
• Immediately mark through choices that you 100% know are wrong.

Multi-Select Math Questions

With multi-select math questions, students have to answer a question by selecting all of the correct answers from a list of several choices.

These questions can be tough for students because most often the question does not specify how many answers from the list are correct.  Students may struggle with how many answers to choose.

These questions are also just a bit trickier in general. I always recommend a lot of practice with multi-select questions as part of your regular math instruction and assessment.

Tips for Multi-Select Math Questions:

• Solve the problem or answer the question before looking at the choices.
• Read all of the choices before choosing your answers. Remember that more than one answer will be correct.
• If necessary, prove that the other choices are wrong before selecting your answers.
• Immediately mark through choices that you 100% know are wrong.

Constructed Response Tasks

For constructed response tasks your students will be required to openly respond to questions without provided choices. The students will need to write or type their responses.

To help my students with these, we use a strategy called LOVE. This strategy really helps break down the parts needed for a complete math constructed response. Click here to read more about the LOVE math strategy.

Tips for Constructed Response Tasks:

• Answer the question or write the solution to the problem in a complete sentence.
• Work out the problem on scratch paper, and transfer it to the answer space if needed.
• Make sure that you answer all parts of the task.

Multi-Part Tasks

Multi-part tasks or questions will require the students to complete multiple tasks that are connected to the same text.

These types of questions can be hard for students because they require multiple steps and often times mix using multiple choice and constructed responses.

Tips for Multi-Part Tasks:

• You may need to use information from the first part’s problem or answer in the other parts.
• Make sure that you carefully think about what information is needed to answer the parts, pulling in information from other parts if needed.

Drag and Drop Digital Questions

For drag and drop questions, students will be dragging and dropping numbers, words, or phrases to show your answer.

Students might:

• complete charts by dragging and dropping numbers or statements to the correct headings.
• drag and drop numbers or words to complete statements about math
• label mathematical diagrams or models by dragging and dropping numbers

Tips for Solving Drag and Drop Questions:

• Read the directions carefully and more than once if needed.
• When you are done, look back at where you dragged and dropped the items to double check your work.

Drop-Down Digital Questions

For drop-down questions, students will complete sentences or statements by choosing the correct numbers or words from drop-down lists.

Here are some tips for Drop-Down Questions:

• Read the sentence or statement, and think about what might go in the blank before clicking to see the choices.
• Plug each choice into the sentence/statement to see which one is correct.
• You may be choosing more than one number or word for a sentence.

About the Resource

This free resource includes printable posters, interactive notebook templates, and practice questions for each type of question (with digital versions of each).

There are TWO versions for the practice questions: one with 4th grade skills and one with 5th grade skills.

Each poster has a description of the type of math question and tips for tackling that type of question. There are also interactive notebook templates so you can choose what works best for your classroom and your students.

Interactive Notebook Templates Included:

• Mini Posters
• Tabs – Types of Questions ONLY (students write definitions and tips underneath)
• Tabs – Types of Questions and Definitions (students write tips underneath)

And finally, there are practice questions for each type of question included. Each type of question has a tips review section and a practice section. The practice section contains a grade level math question of that type to respond to. There are two versions included: one for 4th grade math skills and one for 5th grade math skills. The digital version includes a Google Slides and a Google Forms version.

Need help assigning Google Slides? Click here.

Need help assigning Google Forms? Click here.

Get the FREE Math Test Prep Resource!

To get these free Math Test Prep Resources, click the gif below and enter your email address in the pop-up form. The download will arrive in your inbox. In the download, you will find a PDF containing the printable version. Access to the digital test prep resources can be found on page 4.

Want more math test prep resources for 4-5 grades?