What Should I Do the Day of the Test?
What should you do the day of the test to pass the test? This is one of the most asked about topics when it comes to certification exams. It’s finally exam day, a nerve-racking and potentially life-altering day. So, how do you know when you are prepared for your exam? You’ve already started studying (hopefully with a comprehensive study system like 240 Tutoring). You’ve employed the study strategies that we talk about in The 240 Tutoring Testing Approach. Now what? Well, we are narrowing the list down to 5 things you need to do to become exam ready. These are listed in chronological order, and begin the night before your exam.
Sleep Well
This is a little bit subjective, as different folks need different amounts of sleep to function with the most efficiency, so let’s not get hung up on specifics. Whether you need 7 or 10 hours of sleep to be firing on all cylinders, get that sleep! The worst thing you can to do your brain, after studying so religiously, is to rob it of its full ability to think and function. If you sacrifice sleep to cram, you’re really setting yourself up for mental blocks, and you’ll likely only remember the last information you looked at. Don’t make that sacrifice. It’s not worth it.
Eat Well
You’ve likely heard this your entire life. Even as kids, our parents would wake up early to make a big breakfast the day of our standardized test. Well, that’s because it’s been proven to work. Our brains are like engines, and they run the most efficiently on the best fuel. Oddly enough, the best fuel does not consist of processed sugars or nothing but black coffee. When you wake up from your full sleep, as prescribed above, eat some brain food. The options are endless, and there are guides to brain food cooking all over the internet. Your brain will thank you, and your test scores will show it.
Review
As stated earlier, this does not mean cramming. Reviewing means running through the content you’re studying at a very high level. Maybe hitting a few areas of emphasis, but mostly just studying with extremely broad brushstrokes. This is to get your brain in the right frame of mind, and also to keep testing topics at the top of your mind. The best piece of advice we can give you is to not get bogged down in any specific details. If you get too focused in your final morning review, you’ll remember those specific topics well, but be hazy on others. Trust us on this one.
Relax
As you’re standing or sitting and waiting for that exam to reach you, you’ll likely be racked with nerves. Just take a breath. Count your breaths. You need to relax. Your study and exam prep has put you in a great position for success, and no amount of fretting over the upcoming test will change the outcome.
That is, unless the stress you’re putting on yourself causes your score to drop, which is really the only effect, positive or negative, that stress brings. If your score can’t get better by stressing, just don’t do it. Stay loose, stay relaxed. You’ve got this.
Read
This point can’t be stressed enough. At this time, your exam is in front of you and you’re digging into the real thing. You’re prepared, you’ve slept well, ate well, reviewed, and are relaxed. There is only one tip left for you, and that is to calmly read the questions. These aren’t designed to trick you, so don’t read too much into them. Just relax and read exactly what the question is asking. Read the answers clearly, and begin eliminating the ones you know to be incorrect. You’re on your way to passing this certification exam.
We hope this helps you in the process of preparing for your exam.