Put simply, sleep deprivation is death to test scores. Without sufficient sleep, all that effort and personal sacrifice go right out the door.
It’s vital that students give themselves the best possible chance of success on test day. “Stupid stuff” can sink math scores like nothing else, and must be assiduously avoided.
Don’t ruin you score over stupid stuff!
To perform at your best, you should:
1. Get eight to nine hours of sleep on each of the three nights immediately preceding test day.
2. Drink extra water on each of the three days immediately preceding test day.
3. Go to bed 30 minutes early, and get up in the morning 15 minutes early, on each of the three days immediately preceding test day, using the extra waking minutes to study your most important test prep notes.
4. “Night before, stuff at the door.” Before going to sleep on the night before the test, put all the things you’ll need at the front door, so you won’t forget anything (admission ticket, pens/pencils, snack, calculator, laptop, etc.)
5. Eat a normal breakfast on test day, with protein for extended energy. But don’t get too full (digestion can drain energy). Drink a glass of water, use the bathroom, and bring a small snack (e.g. a power bar) to eat during breaks.
6. Don’t sit during breaks! Get up and stretch, walk around, relax, and think about other things (to recharge your body and mind).
7. Leave in time to arrive at the test sight at least 15 minutes early.
8. To provide extra motivation and “Winning Focus,” write the name of your dream college atop your test page or scratch paper. Glance at this note when fatigued, and dive back into the test with renewed vigor.
9. If you’re preoccupied with anything upsetting, procrastinate dealing with it till after the test. Put the negative experience entirely out of your mind. You can deal with it later.
10. If you find yourself stressing out during the test, break the pattern of anxiety by taking three deep, slow, “belly breaths” and/or subtracting by sevens from 100; then re-focus on the test question right in front of you.
To perform at your best, you should:
1. Get eight to nine hours of sleep on each of the three nights immediately preceding test day.
2. Drink extra water on each of the three days immediately preceding test day.
3. Go to bed 30 minutes early, and get up in the morning 15 minutes early, on each of the three days immediately preceding test day, using the extra waking minutes to study your most important test prep notes.
4. “Night before, stuff at the door.” Before going to sleep on the night before the test, put all the things you’ll need at the front door, so you won’t forget anything (admission ticket, pens/pencils, snack, calculator, laptop, etc.)
5. Eat a normal breakfast on test day, with protein for extended energy. But don’t get too full (digestion can drain energy). Drink a glass of water, use the bathroom, and bring a small snack (e.g. a power bar) to eat during breaks.
6. Don’t sit during breaks! Get up and stretch, walk around, relax, and think about other things (to recharge your body and mind).
7. Leave in time to arrive at the test sight at least 15 minutes early.
8. To provide extra motivation and “Winning Focus,” write the name of your dream college atop your test page or scratch paper. Glance at this note when fatigued, and dive back into the test with renewed vigor.
9. If you’re preoccupied with anything upsetting, procrastinate dealing with it till after the test. Put the negative experience entirely out of your mind. You can deal with it later.
10. If you find yourself stressing out during the test, break the pattern of anxiety by taking three deep, slow, “belly breaths” and/or subtracting by sevens from 100; then re-focus on the test question right in front of you.
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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.
