Q. My teacher says that we are going to have a test quiz next week. Isn't that term a bit redundant? What in the world is a test quiz?

A. Ah, the wiley test quiz. It's an odd creature indeed and it is very rarely encountered in the wild. In fact, you are a very lucky student to have a teacher that even knows what a test quiz is much less is wiling to administer one.

A test quiz is a preparatory quiz that is given in advance of a major test. Its purpose is to familiarize you with the type of questions that are going to be asked on the major test without revealing the actual questions that will be asked.

For example, if you've ever taken the PSAT test, then you've taken a test quiz. The PSAT test is designed to prepare you to take the actual SAT tests that many colleges require high school students to take before applying for admission.

The fact that your teacher is willing to give you a test quiz means that he or she truly cares about you and wants you to do well on the actual test that will soon follow. If you read between the lines, you might also see where your teacher is saying words to the effect of "the actual test is going to be tough folks so I'm going to give you a test quiz, in advance, so you'll have a better idea what you'll need to study."

There aren't many teachers who are willing to take the time to write a test quiz and that's the reason why most students will never see one in the "wild".

Take advantage of you teacher's generosity and study well for your test quiz. The chances are you'll see the same concepts in the actual test that you saw in the test quiz. If you do well on the test quiz then you'll probably do well on the test itself. If you fail the test quiz, however, you'd better hits the books harder and leave the partying until after the test.