How to Prep for a Big Test

To start off, I am a junior in high school and every year the teachers stress that we need to prepare for the EPT and SAT and the exit exam. Then they always give a bunch of tips to be successful on the test, but they do not always work. Most of the tips hardly work for anyone at all. I am a great test taker, and I never even study. Here is what I do before a big test.

I always go to sleep at the same time every night (9 pm just because it is convenient for me) and I wake up relaxed. Never break your sleep schedule before a test. More often than not, you will disrupt your sleep pattern and cause yourself to be less relaxed when you wake up, along with being sleepier.

Everybody says eat a good breakfast before the test. I never eat breakfast and I still do great on tests, although when I do eat breakfast I do tend to focus more. For the most part just a bit of toast or cereal is good enough. It does not have to be an extravagant breakfast of bacon and eggs with hash-browns and oj. If you will be taking a test for a long time, it would be wise to eat a nice breakfast so you do not get hungry during the test.

I do not know how many times this is stressed, but it is one of the most important things to remember and practice. ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, read the directions, questions, and ALL answers(if multiple choice) CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY. I have had this happen to me before. I do not read the whole question and then I look back over it and see that the answer I chose was not the BEST answer. (EX. A.cations are made from gaining electrons B.cations are made from losing electrons C.anions are made from gaining protons D.anions are made from losing protons) I was stuck on this question in chemistry and then I read the word protons and realized the answer was actually B, not C. If applicable, use and educated guess or process of elimination. Many a time this has come in handy to me.

My teacher has brought this up and many people do not read the whole prompt given to them (paragraph, essay, poster, ETC.) and then they go to look at the questions and pick the first thing that they think applied to it and it is actually something in the fine print the question was asking about. Be careful and read the whole prompt, this could help bring you up from a B to a B+ or A-.

Most importantly, STAY RELAXED AND FOCUSED. Do not worry about time, as you will likely have more than enough time, even if that means you have to be the last person to finish. If it is a math test, work the problem out or plug in the multiple choice answers if applicable. If worst comes to worst, use an educated guess or an outright guess. A guess is better than leaving an answer blank, you might just get it right. When people start to worry about time and think that they will run out of time, they tend to get jittery and unrelaxed. Do not do that, because then you can not focus as well as you could be focusing. Just stay relaxed and focused and you will pass that test like it was something everyone knows, and keep these tips in mind since they are really helpful.