<p>I had this problem when I took standardized tests and now my son has the same problem - you have lots of mental energy and acuity for some of the sections but then on others your brain is tired and refuses to think. How do you maintain focus for 3 1/2 hours? I know getting a good nights sleep is good, but should he have snacks between sections? What should he eat?</p>
<p>Great question! He should definitely have snacks. Avoid junk food, or anything else with sugar. There are some who can handle that, but some who have issues with focus can have an adverse reaction to it. That really messes with your concentration. It is also very important to eat a good, healthy breakfast (in fact, that is important every day). I would also recommend he try the snacks that he will bring on test day during his full-length practice tests to make sure it works for him.</p>
<p>Also, I know you know about sleep, but make sure to get 8 hours of sleep on a consistent basis a few weeks before the test. This is especially important for those who, like me have trouble sleeping when they are nervous. </p>
<p>He should also bring a watch (but watches are not allowed if they have an audible alarm). Proctors do not always give warnings when they should.</p>
<p>He should also follow his usual caffeine routine. By that, I mean, if he usually drinks two cups of coffee in the morning, he should not suddenly drink four. </p>
<p>To maintain focus: Practice! I would emphasize taking between four to six full-length, timed practice tests under actual test conditions (only give yourself the breaks allowed by the test and use the watch I mentioned earlier). If you really want him to do well, you’re going to HAVE to be a stickler on this. It is an incredible challenge for me to get students to come in for full-length practice tests (even though our are free) and to then get them to not finish early. Pretend you are the real proctor, and do not be a perfect one either, so he gets used to pacing himself. He should also only use real College Board exams. This site has some great links for where to find them for free: <a href=“College Board SAT Test Links - SAT Preparation - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/757034-college-board-sat-test-links.html</a></p>
<p>You’re a great dad. I can tell. </p>
<p>@testadvice hit it on the head. Personally, I tried to eat a dinner high in starches the night before. I ate a decent breakfast the morning of the test (a couple fried eggs and some toast I believe). For a snack, choose something high in carbs (I had Sun Chips.) and a diet snapple (no sugar.). Although I normally consume high amounts of caffeine, I stayed away from such high consumption during my testing. Also, during breaks he can do little exercises to get the blood flowing to his brain, which helped me.</p>
<p>@tmo2112 But that’s true of you and a small minority of students. It would be akin to saying, “I eat chips and cookies everyday, but I still have a 28 inch waist, what’s all this talk about proper diet?” There are people who can do that, but I don’t think most people can function at their best without proper nutrition. This is one of the most important challenges a teenager faces, so what’s the downside of taking some time to eat a good breakfast? </p>
<p>So high carb snacks without sugar. But I thought your body converts carbs to sugar in your bloodstream. Maybe something that has more of a steady release, like brown rice cakes or some whole grain chips? I like the Sun Chips idea. Also I like the suggestion on specific exercises to increase blood flow. Maybe some water as well. With his schedule, the idea of getting 8 hours sleep every night is just impossible - maybe the night or week before at best. Thanks this is all very interesting. I hate to micromanage the process like this, but the variance in his practice test results is huge and this seems to be the big factor.</p>
<p>If he can try to get good sleep the two days leading up to the test, he will feel much more rested at the time of the test.</p>
<p>also don’t try to suddenly adjust your sleeping pattern by sleeping early the night before! i have a zero period and therefore wake up at 5:20 every morning, and usually go to bed because of homework at 11 or 12. i erroneously decided to go to bed at like 9 the night before and was so groggy the entire test that i was falling asleep. now this may not be the same case for every student- your son could be different as well- but do try to readjust your schedule so you’re not like falling asleep.
(oh and snacking definitely helps as well as consistently drinking water. make sure to use the restroom during breaks! haha)</p>
<p>I recommend students start getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night an entire night before the test. It makes a huge difference.</p>
<p>I personally like protein bars for myself. Particularly the Zone bars or the Luna bars, but make sure those work for him first.</p>