<p>Alright, it's the week of, and I've started my "Emergency-ACT-Plan-of-Action."</p>
<p>This basically consists of me studying all of this weekend, and then at least an hour every day except Friday. On Friday, I will proceed to read a book of my choice and take a long, relaxing bath. </p>
<p>Anyway... </p>
<p>I will also try to get enough sleep. I happened to have Wednesday and Friday off of the past week, and then over the weekend I slept until my body woke itself up. I'm trying to decrease my sleep debt so I'll be more alert on test day. Now, I have all of this planned out, but what about the day of the test?</p>
<p>Should I have some coffee beforehand? Do some jumping jacks? What should I bring to eat during the break(s)? Any tips would be appreciated. You can share your plan as well!</p>
<p>Are you a morning person? Do you normally drink a lot of coffee? Have you been to your testing center before? </p>
<p>I would recommend getting up a couple of hours before you have to test. Stretch. Sitting in the chair for all that time with very short breaks, and being tense can be hard on your neck and back, after the test is over.</p>
<p>I like the idea of making sure you get enough sleep. I would recommend protein in the morning of the test. English muffin with peanut butter and sliced bananas is a nice filling energy breakfast. Don’t do anything that will crash your blood sugar levels! No pop tarts or sugary breakfast! </p>
<p>I have also heard that chewing gum increases concentration on tests…can’t do that during standardized tests, but I would definitely try it for an hour before the test and toss it before going in to take the exam. I am not a student, but when I have a big presentation, I often chew gum - relieves nervous energy and does seem to give me more focus that lasts a while! </p>
<p>Don’t drink too much tea or coffee, though. You will have to pee and you don’t want to be distracted while testing.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply!</p>
<p>I have heard about the gum thing before, but your mention of it made me look it up.</p>
<p>[Forget</a> What You Heard in School, Chewing Gum Activates Your Brain](<a href=“http://ezinearticles.com/?Forget-What-You-Heard-in-School,-Chewing-Gum-Activates-Your-Brain&id=198507]Forget”>http://ezinearticles.com/?Forget-What-You-Heard-in-School,-Chewing-Gum-Activates-Your-Brain&id=198507)</p>
<p>The last sentence really made me wish we could chew gum during the test. Reading speed up 80%? That would help! I really wish that I could even do the “fake chewing” motion while testing… but the proctor would probably think I was actually chewing something, and that would defeat the purpose.</p>
<p>I have been to the testing center before, and I can be a morning person - if I get enough sleep. I don’t usually have coffee, so I guess I shouldn’t drink that. A problem that I had in the past with testing was sitting in one place for so long. I must have back problems (already?!) because my back starts killing me a little more than halfway through. Do you think getting up earlier will help remedy this?</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestion on breakfast. That sounds delicious.</p>
<p>My son had back problems in high school and sitting for too long always aggravated his back. Getting up early and stretching often helped him. Just being awake a little earlier than normal also tends to help because you are less groggy! </p>
<p>I would try not to alter my routine too much on test day. If you feel panicky, breathing deeply or yawning can also help. It helps give your brain more oxygen (swimmers often use this to focus before a big race or meet!)</p>
<p>Use whatever breaks you get during the test to try to stretch too. Hydrate - but not too much. </p>
<p>Don’t forget new batteries for your calculator if you are taking one. </p>
<p>I agree about the chewing gum. I bet kids would do better on big tests if they could use this trick.</p>