Texas students know that specific brand of April anxiety. It’s the smell of No. 2 pencils and the sound of a fluorescent light humming in a silent gymnasium. If you’re a student or a parent trying to figure out how to pass the STAAR test, you’ve probably heard a million different strategies from teachers, TikTok, or the neighbor whose kid somehow gets a "Masters Grade Level" every single year. Honestly? Most of that advice is just noise.
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) isn’t an IQ test. It’s not a measure of how smart you are or how successful you'll be in life. It’s a very specific, very rigid measurement of how well you can navigate the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum. To beat it, you don't need to be a genius. You just need to understand the mechanics of the game.
The new "STAAR Redesign" is actually a different beast
Let’s be real: the STAAR test you’ve heard about for years isn’t the one students are taking right now. Since 2023, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has moved the whole thing online and changed the question types. Gone are the days of just bubbling in A, B, C, or D for four hours. Now, you’ve got "interactive" questions.
You might have to drag and drop an answer into a box. Or click on a specific sentence in a reading passage that proves a point. There are even multi-select questions where you have to pick two right answers, and if you only get one, you get zero credit. It’s brutal if you aren't ready for it. The biggest hurdle for most kids isn't the math or the reading—it's the interface. If you can't use the online highlighter or the "line reader" tool effectively, you’re wasting precious mental energy on the software instead of the questions.
One thing that hasn't changed? The pressure. But here's a secret: the test is designed to be passed. The passing standards (what the TEA calls "Approaches Grade Level") are often lower than you’d think. On some versions of the Algebra I EOC, you only need to get roughly 35% to 45% of the questions right to pass. That’s a failing grade in a normal classroom, but it's a "pass" in the eyes of the state.
Reading between the lines of the RLA section
The Reading Language Arts (RLA) section is usually where the most tears are shed. Why? Because of the "Extended Constructed Response" (ECR). That’s fancy talk for an essay. In the old days, the essay was its own thing. Now, it’s baked into the test, and it’s based on a passage you just read.
If you want to know how to pass the STAAR test in reading, you have to master the evidence. The graders at the TEA (and the AI bots they use to do the first pass of grading) are looking for one thing: did you cite the text? If you write a beautiful, poetic essay about your life but don't quote the story provided, you will get a zero. Period.
You’ve gotta be a detective. Find the "smoking gun" sentence in the text that proves your claim. Use phrases like "In paragraph 4, the author states..." It feels repetitive. It feels clunky. But it works. Also, don't ignore the "editing" questions. These are the ones where you fix commas or capitalization. They’re basically free points if you know basic grammar, and they count just as much as the hard reading comprehension questions.
Math isn't about the numbers; it's about the "What"
Math STAAR is a reading test in disguise. Almost every problem is a word problem. If you’re just looking at the numbers and trying to guess whether to multiply or divide, you’re toast.
The TEA loves "multi-step" problems. This means you do one calculation, get a number, and think you're done. But wait—that number is just the first step. The actual answer requires you to take that result and do something else with it. They always put the "halfway" answer as choice A to trick you. Don't fall for it.
Essential Math Tools
- The Desmos Calculator: Since the test is online, you have access to a built-in graphing calculator. Learn it. Love it. You can solve almost 40% of the Algebra I test just by knowing how to type equations into Desmos.
- Reference Materials: They give you a formula sheet. Use it. Even if you think you know the area of a trapezoid, check the sheet. Stress makes you forget things you knew three weeks ago.
- The "Elimination" Method: Since many questions are still multiple choice, look for the "absurd" answers. There are usually two choices that are nowhere near the right ballpark. Cross them out immediately to give your brain more room to breathe.
Dealing with the "Online Fatigue"
Sitting in front of a Chromebook for four hours is exhausting. Your eyes get dry. Your back hurts. Your brain starts to feel like mashed potatoes. This is where most people fail—not because they don't know the material, but because they give up at the three-hour mark.
Take the "mental breaks" that are allowed. You can’t leave the room without an escort, and you can’t talk, but you can close your eyes and breathe. You can stretch in your seat. The TEA allows for "frequent breaks" if they are written into a student's 504 plan or IEP, but even general education students can take a second to look away from the screen.
Focus on the "Grid." The online system shows you which questions you’ve answered and which you’ve flagged. Use the "Flag" tool. If a question looks like it was written in ancient Greek, flag it and move on. Do the easy ones first. Build some confidence. If you spend 20 minutes on one hard question, you’re stealing time from five easy ones at the end of the test.
Why the "Sample Items" are your best friend
If you go to the Texas Assessment website, you can find the "Practice Tests." These are literally carbon copies of the software you’ll use on test day. Most students never look at these until the day of the test. That is a massive mistake.
You need to know how the "Hot Spot" questions work. You need to know how to use the "Strikethrough" tool. If you're figuring out the buttons for the first time during the actual exam, you're losing. Practice on the exact interface the state uses. It takes the mystery out of the process.
The role of the "Field Test" questions
Here is something many people don't realize: not every question on your test actually counts toward your score. The TEA embeds "field test questions" to see if they are good enough to use in future years.
You won't know which ones they are. They look just like the real ones. This is important because if you hit a question that seems impossibly hard or weirdly phrased, it might just be a trial question. Don't let it wreck your confidence. Just make your best guess and move on. One weird question won't be the reason you don't pass.
Actionable steps for the week of the test
Passing isn't about a last-minute cram session. It’s about maintenance.
1. Fix the sleep schedule now.
You can’t stay up until 2:00 AM playing Valorant and expect your brain to process complex reading passages at 8:00 AM. Start going to bed 30 minutes earlier every night for a week leading up to the test.
2. Eat protein, not just sugar.
The "STAAR breakfast" provided by many schools is often a giant muffin or a sugary cereal. That leads to a sugar crash right around the time you're starting the hardest part of the test. If you can, eat some eggs or peanut butter. You need slow-burn energy.
3. Check your tech.
Make sure your laptop is charged. Make sure you have your charger. It sounds stupid, but a dying battery in the middle of a test creates a spike of cortisol that can ruin your focus for the next hour.
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4. Review the "Power TEKS."
Not all standards are created equal. The TEA focuses heavily on "Readiness Standards"—these are the core concepts that make up about 60-65% of the test. Ask your teacher for a list of the Readiness Standards and focus your review there. Ignore the "Supporting Standards" if you're short on time.
5. Read the entire prompt.
In the writing section, students often see a keyword and start writing. They don't realize the prompt actually asked them to do something specific, like "Compare how the two authors use imagery." If you just write about the plot, you fail the essay. Read the prompt three times. Circle the "verb"—what is it asking you to do?
Success on the STAAR is about persistence. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. If you find yourself clicking random answers just to be done, stop. Take a breath. Remember that you only need a certain percentage to move on with your life. You've got this.
Immediate Next Steps:
- Visit the Texas Assessment Practice Site and take at least one practice section to get used to the online tools.
- Identify your "weakest link" (is it the essay, the long word problems, or the time limit?) and spend 20 minutes specifically on that one area.
- Verify your testing date with your school counselor to ensure you have all necessary accommodations in place.