Night Before / Test Day Tips

Test Preparation
1

<p>Okay, for the next 2 weeks I need to get in a good mindset for the November exam. In October, with extensive prep and whatnot, I ended up going up only 100 points overall. I had 2-3 hrs of sleep and after I wasn't able to finish my essay, I panicked and kept trying to go back to it to finish it. I need good tips you guys use to stay calm, get a good nights sleep, and take each section on the test at a time. </p>

<p>Should I do any more prep even though I've exhausted all the CollegeBoard exams (10 Real, 8 Real, Online)...my sister suggested I go to the test center the weekend b4 and take a full test timed conditions and all in a classroom to imitate it and get comfortable. </p>

<p>Also, I was registered for SAT II's, but need to take SAT I. The lady said I have to do standby. Do I have to go 30 minutes early (7:30) w/ my confirmation ticket? What else do I need and how can I guarantee myself a test? </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>BUMP!.........please</p>

3

<p>Bump - also what are your tips on Time Management during the test. I'm making careless mistakes in Math because I'm rushing myself on the test. When I was practicing I always had 2-3 minutes left over to make sure I got the easy one's 100% correct, but on the test I'm stuck for time. Should I practice math sections b4 November allowing myself less time to get in the hang of working under strict time constraints so on test day I'll have enough to finish and review? </p>

<p>Also, I ran out of the 10, 8, and online Tests...would 11 Real by PR be good enough to use to practice Math...I need to score a 750+..I know I can, I need to just avoid careless mistakes and stay relaxed.</p>

<p>Someone please post what they did to stay relaxed night before and test day. If something goes wrong during the test (Oct. I didn't finish my essay...I freaked out and kept trying to go back to it to finish it)...if something like that happened to you, how do you stay calm and finish up the test like nothing happened?</p>

<p>THANKS</p>

4

<p>A Lost Cause? Someone give me insight :-)</p>

5

<p>Well I haven't had an experience as bad as yours, but I found that after my 2-3 wks of intensive prep (a practice blue book CB test every 2-4 days) I was feeling pretty good. I couldn't be bothered with much study the day before because after all it is an aptitude sort of test -- last minute cramming won't help. I slept well and on the day it went fine - just like the practice tests.</p>

<p>Now, I can't tell you what to do to sleep well or stop getting nervous. Whatever you do though, don't rush. You are better to settle for a lower score, and not even try to do all the questions on a section than to rush through and get a whole lot wrong. So go slow and steady (try this technique on a practice test first) and make sure you get right the questions you try. Apparently the easy qs come first in a section. Don't think too long b4 starting your essay - about 5 min should be plenty and then you have 20 for writing. I found on the day that being nervous made me think fast so I had plenty of time.</p>

<p>Don't do lots of study the day before. It will just make you nervous. If you've prepared well and it sounds like you have, then you should just do a bit of review, maybe some reading to keep some stuff fresh in your mind for using in the essay - examples, etc. Think about what you read and how it might be useful. I made a list of stuff I had read / knew about (novels, current affairs, historical stuff) and then kept looking at that so that I know I would be able to think of something to support my argument in the essay.</p>

<p>Don't give yourself less time on the practice tests, I don't think, but certainly be tough with time limits. Some one suggested to me that to get used to testing you could get someone to sit by you and watch you do the test... might prepare you a bit for the real thing.</p>

<p>You can't gatuntee yourself a standby test but if you get there early you increase your chance of getting it. First in best dressed with standby. I haven't done it myself so I'm not sure what else you have to do.</p>

<p>I wouldn't keep going back to my essay, because it will distract you and make sure that you don't have time to review any of the other sections. I would stay focused after the essay and use what time I have to get questions right. Remember that on the Maths grid in qs you don't lose points for guesses, so just put your best guess in there if you don't know the answer (thats what I should have done).</p>

<p>If you practice maths then you could either practice the easy stuff and doing it fast, or you could do harder stuff and make sure you get it right. I would do harder stuff earlier on, and then sharpen up my mind on the easy stuff nearer test day. Just do oodles of the easy stuff; you can just for practice take out the maths sections from the exams you've already done. </p>

<p>In the test I don't think its good to think about the sections you've just done. You have to stay focused and concentrate on what you're doing at the moment. Just forget what you just wrote, read, etc in the previous section so you have your mind clear for the section at hand.</p>

<p>Hope that help. Good luck.</p>

6

<p>Always get a good night's rest. As others stated, don't try to cram everything -- because it's not going to help. Get a good nights rest, etc</p>

7

<p>Stretch, jump up and down, kick in the air, and just be as active as possible during breaks. Bring along some type of natural/organic (not complete chemical) fruit snacks and chow down on those during your breaks, as well as drinking water at every allowed second (unless you have poor bladdar control). Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Yes, exercise is good, and worth doing some the day before the test. It clears the mind and helps you think. I mean exercise that really makes your heart beat and your muscles feel tired.</p>

9

<p>Here's some advice that I give my students:</p>

<p>• Get into a regular sleep cycle all this week. Practice visualization for success on Test Day.
• Do NOT do any work the day before. If absolutely necessary, you may do some vocabulary review or some light sections, but no more than an hour or two. Do something relaxing the night before. (I would add that taking the LAST TWO days off, Thursday and Friday, would be even better.)
• Go to bed early the night before. Be in bed by 10 pm at the latest. Gather materials, including ticket, calculator, timer, snack, and drink, before you head to bed.<br>
• Get up by 6 am. Your exam begins at 8 am. Take a shower the morning of the exam. Perhaps do some light exercise (for 10 minutes or so). DEFINITELY do some practice questions, from any source, for all three sections, before you leave the house. These can be brand-new questions, or even questions you’ve worked through before. Do NOT check through the answers. The point is to get your brain warmed up. This practice should take no more than 15 minutes. Get a good breakfast (but don’t eat too much). Don’t forget to bring your ticket, calculator, timer, snack, and drink with you.
• At the exam: Don’t talk too much with others, especially the nervous ones. Use the bathroom BEFORE the exam starts. Try to do some deep breathing to relax. Do NOT EVER get stuck on ANY question during the exam! Just guess and move on after some time. You can perhaps return to it later if you have more time. Have your snack and drink during the break. USE YOUR TIMER/WATCH, counting from zero for each section. Stay aggressive throughout the exam, and keep your confidence even if you think you’ve had a bad previous section. After all, it could have been an experimental section. Do not get OVER-confident, however. Remember to BREATHE during the exam. Treat the exam just like another diagnostic!</p>

<p>If you have done fairly well on the practice exams, one important piece of advice is to NOT GET TOO COCKY. Sometimes, a strong student of mine will get over-confident on the exam and make careless errors. In fact, the students who report immediately after the exam that "I did great" or "I felt really good" generally do NOT do as well as the ones who merely report "I think I did okay." The first set of comments show that you were not HYPER-aware on the exam and were falsely confident. Be almost paranoid (without spending too much time or getting stuck on a question) with the questions and answer choices; check through ALL five choices on verbal questions (Critical Reading and Writing) before you settle on one.</p>

<p>Good luck. :)</p>

10

<p>i tried sleeping early on the night before my SAT but I just couldn't fall asleep... when I finally did, it was well after 1am!! hehe</p>

<p>getting into a regular sleep cycle is verrry important. but i don't know how to stop thinking and try to sleep instead! :( it usually takes me long to fall asleep because i'm always thinking of sth! only if my thoughts really wander offf do i fall asleep! :(</p>

11

<p>Thanks for all the tips! They helped. I'll try to get in the hang of going to bed early and what I found was..when I come back from the gym after cooling down w/ some cardio after my weight lifting, I sleep much quicker and easier. So I'm goign to do that all next week. I'm gonna checkout Gruber's book to let me practice Math..not really the concepts, but the way to tackle them time wise. I'm going to try to get my hands on an organic energy bar to have during my break, some altoids, water, and a good breakfast. Its time that I kick ass in this and get a 1450 from a 1220. GL EVERYONE WHO IS RETAKING.</p>