Your test should: Accurately represent the content. Encourage students to read actively and with interest. Assess comprehension of the main events and characters. Reflect what an excellent reader would know. Represent events throughout the book. Some tips for writing an excellent Accelerated Reader test: Use sticky notes to jot down questions and answers as you read, selecting the best ones after you finish. Make all the answers plausible, with one outright winner. Do not write negative or ludicrous answers. Write thoughtful questions, do not try to "trick" the student. If there is a movie, make sure your test will not allow a "movie-only" student pass the test. Write questions that are grammatically correct. Add questions in the order they occur in the plot. Do not be too picky, a student may have to wait a day to test. Do not be too general, a student who has not read the book well should not pass. It is vital that you accurately assess the reading level and word count. Here are some suggestions: Do a Fry readability study. You can find the graph in the Accelerated Reader User's Manual, online at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/fry/fry2.html, and the directions for its use at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/fry/fry.html Accurately count the words so students get the benefit of full points for passing the test. The formula for word counts are in the User's guide as well. Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, use a search engine like Google to scan another library's tests for the proprietary AR Reading level and points. Use author (LN, FN) or title and the words "ar test." Ex: for Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson your phrase would be "speak ar test" or "anderson, laurie halse ar test." You may also use the AR title finder to identify the reading level and point value. Order these at www.renlearn.com. Knowing the point value of a book means you can experiment with the number of words until you get the points correct. Place a sticker on the book to identify that there is a test available for that title.