HELP! Educational Blog

• Study…ahead of time- I know this point seems obvious, but too many kids try to cram real quick the week, or even day before the test. If you know months before that a giant test is looming in the distance, prepare. Think of marathon runners. They don’t just start training the night before the test. If they did, guess what would happen? If you guessed, “They would fail!” then you are absolutely correct. Your SAT or TAKS test is going to be a mental marathon. Train for it. There’s nothing like the feeling of walking into a test knowing you have practiced.

• Be positive- If you tell yourself you aren’t going to do well, you won’t. Speak positively about the test and your abilities. It may sound cheesy, but you really do need to believe in yourself.

• Take it easy the day before- Nothing will freak you out more than trying to cram the night before and seeing a question or concept that you don’t know. But guess what, if you don’t know it by then, you probably won’t by the next day. Give yourself a break and take it easy before the test. Relax and treat yourself with a fun activity. Hopefully you studied hard and deserve it!

• Get some extra shut-eye- You do not want to be exhausted the morning of the test. In order to function at your optimal level, you need to be fully fueled. Would a Indy Car racer show up for the Indy 500 with half a tank of gas? Nope. As a matter of fact, let’s get crazy- why not go to bed early the night before the test???

• Eat breakfast- Again with the fuel analogy… food is part of your fuel. Your brain needs it, pure and simple. Besides, the last thing you want to be hearing during the test is your growling stomach. It will distract your neighbors as well, making you self-conscious, and taking your mind more off the thing it should be focused on. Make it healthy too. Don’t cram yourself full of sugar the morning of- that’s just asking for a midtest crash.
   
• Arrive early- It’s important to arrive to your test site early so that there is no “rush-factor.” If you are early, you have time to survey the situation and mentally prepare yourself to destroy the test. If you are late, your heart is racing and you are unprepared. Which sounds better?
    
• Do what you know- Studies show that if a student gets stuck on a question that is too hard, they are more likely to become frustrated and miss the easier questions that they do know. That being said, the best strategy is to answer the questions you know for sure first. This helps build confidence and save time. After that, answer the questions that you think you might know, but aren’t 100% sure. Finally, tackle the extremely difficult questions. Remember, sometimes it’s a good idea to try an educated guess. But if you have zero clue, it might be better just to leave it blank.

• Check it over- Make sure you check it all. Silly mistakes are often made when one is in a mad rush. Odds are, it’s inevitable. You can combat the odds by reading over each answer choice for each question. The answer choices are designed to trick the student that doesn’t pay close enough attention. Don’t be that student.

• Breathe- Take a moment to breathe. I know it’s cliche, but sometimes closing your eyes and taking a deep breath really does work. Remember, it really is just a test. Life goes on, and with the SATs you can always try again.  

• Celebrate!- After it’s over, try your best not to do the whole go-home-and-google-to-see-if-you-got-questions-wrong thing. Instead, celebrate. You worked hard and you deserve to have some fun. Go hang out with your friends or something. Worry about the test results when you receive them. At this point, there is nothing left for you to do except that!

Thanks to Sarah Yowell and Jimmie Sue Siptak for some ideas to start with.