It's a familiar sight in today's education landscape: A child sitting at a desk with a pencil in one hand and a test booklet sitting in front of him or her.

Standardized test season returns to Texas classrooms Tuesday morning, as the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness — or STAAR — in both writing and mathematics kick off a three-day frenzy across many grade levels. And it's only the first part of the testing requirements students face, with more coming in May.

What exactly do these tests look like? The questions are a closely guarded mystery. But the format of these examinations, which students must contend with to battle anxiety, is drilled into their heads through benchmarks and practice exams administered throughout the year.

For instance, eighth grade students like Emma Castaneda and Rosemary Garcia at Mann Middle School must take both their math exams Tuesday and their reading tests Wednesday. It's a lot of preparation for students and teachers, getting them ready for what's ahead.

"There were a lot of review packets, going over notes and playing fun games (in class)," Emma said. "(The test) is really nerve-wracking."

"We use our benchmark tests to study, too," Rosemary said. "There's a little bit of everything. We took three (benchmark exams) each in math and reading."

For their math exam, the students each receive a Scantron sheet for answers, as well as the test booklet. They answer multiple choice questions by filling in the corresponding bubbles on their answer sheet.

In reading, the students read passages of varying lengths and answer multiple questions about what the author intended, what the characters were doing and similar queries designed to measure comprehension, according to Laura Donaway, a fourth-grade reading teacher at Wylie Intermediate School.

While Donaway's students won't take their reading exams until May, she said the tests are pretty similar the next step up. She drills with her students some best practices to help combat anxiety the students may have, she said, to get her younger students more confident they can handle the rigor.

"That's not to say the test won't be hard," Donaway said. "The state wants to test the knowledge of the student and that we're teaching them what they need to know. So it's hard. We just make sure they're equipped."

Leyton McCume, a fourth grade student at Wylie Intermediate, said she'd recommend students prepare by asking a number of questions. Her grade level is testing writing Tuesday and they prepared by writing a number of essays and reviewing a step-by-step process to familiarize the students with the process of writing the essay.

She said that's one way to earn the grade she wants to receive.

"We did a step-by-step process to writing the essays," she said. "We know to do this, then do this. That way, we can get a good grade."

While the students focus on taking the test, they also need to worry about getting enough sleep to handle the exams. And they need to eat a good breakfast, Mann Middle School English teacher Amber Ivy said.

It's a mental game as much as it is a physical one, as students must be able to work for a full four hours to complete the exams, she said. Getting the sleep and eating the right food only helps the mind perform at its best as long as the students need, she said.

"By eighth grade, the students are staying up way too late," Ivy said. "We tell them to get some sleep, just for this week. And we talk to them about not just eating sugar. This year, they'll be getting snacks, so that should help."

Twitter: @TimothyChippARN