Young White woman in red plaid shirt taking test at desk between two men

5 Things You Need to Ace Any Test

When you have all five of these items, tests won't feel nearly as intimidating!

All the way through high school and into college, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with tests—that is, I love it when they’re over and hate it when they’re still looming over me! Fortunately, however, with years of exams behind me, I’ve identified a few things that help me feel prepared for those terrifying test days. Following these five tips, test day won’t feel nearly as intimidating!

1. Study time

This one should be a given, but sometimes we don’t schedule out smart, strategic study time. For example, pulling an all-nighter to cram is a very poor strategy. Sure, some people can pull it off once in a while, but losing sleep actually makes it harder to retain info, not to mention makes you grumpy and less focused on your test day. Instead, be aware of how you retain material best. For my ITS class, I found it helpful if I re-typed my programs several times a week—that was around 10–15 minutes a day. However, for my history class, I was better off if I spent several hardcore hours reviewing the study guide nearer to the test day.

If you don’t know your study style yet, I would recommend that you plan to begin reviewing notes a week or two in advance of any test. Make sure to add into your daily schedule too—if not, “study time” will turn into “Starbucks and Netflix time.” (Trust me.) Finally, if you find yourself struggling with the material, include tutoring or meeting with your professor in this study time. Most tests will rely on your understanding of the material, not just your memorization of it!

Related: Our Best Advice for Homework, Studying, and Tests

2. A good night’s sleep

I know I sound like your mother, but it’s true! As I mentioned above, being tired on the test day is no fun. You’ll be much less focused and much more moody, and therefore you may struggle with actually taking the test. However, if you are well rested, you will feel much more prepared and confident. (And you’ll be able to remember everything you need to bring!) To make sure that you get the sleep you need, consider giving yourself a specific curfew, whether it’s 9:30 or 11:00. After this time, you need to be in bed, and that does not include scrolling through Tumblr! Some people believe that screen time can also affect how well you sleep and how quickly you fall asleep, so it could be a good idea to put away the laptop and phone half an hour or an hour before bed. Instead, get a shower, hang out with a friend, or pick up a book—those Marvel headcanons will still be there when you’ve rocked your test.

3. Your power outfit/comfortable shoes/your lucky charm/a pep talk

This one is all about what makes you feel confident. Personally, I feel way more prepared to succeed if I’m wearing my favorite outfit—even for an 8:00 am exam. However, some people are built up by other methods, like a pep talk, a chat with a friend, or a little quiet time. Not only will you do better on your exam when you feel sure of yourself, but you will be more prepared to face the whole day!

4. Multiple pencils

A low-tech tip, but an important one! Always bring at least two pencils to an exam, especially if it’s a long haul like the SAT or ACT. Even though the days of standardized tests are behind me, I’m still in the habit of bringing an extra pencil. You never know when something will go wrong with your first one, or when your neighbor will have forgotten to bring hers. That way, you won’t need to ask to stop the exam partway through or write your test in pen.

Note: Most professors have several extra pencils around just in case, but it’s always better to bring your own! You never know when theirs will be less sharp or with terrible erasers, and sometimes it’s not a room that they are used to, so it’ll be hard to get supplies.

5. The right attitude

In this girl’s humble opinion, a good attitude is the most important test-day accessory! As someone with mild test anxiety, I spent all of high school panicking over my tests and placing way too much weight on my performance. It’s hard to get over anxiety, but it’s important to try to stay as positive as possible. Remember that you are going to try your hardest, and that is all you can do! If you have studied, odds are you will do well, and even a mediocre score is not the end of the world. You aren’t defined by your final exam percentage, and you aren’t a better or a worse person depending on your test performance. If you keep up with studying and put your all into the test, you should be proud of yourself!

Let’s chat: how do you prepare for a test? Let us know on Twitter @CollegeXpress!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Dia Huth

Dia has been writing for, roughly speaking, forever. Her first stories were about 162 imaginary ponies that “lived” in her backyard, but now she has graduated to penning sci-fi novels and tweeting like a madwoman. After a cross-country move her senior year of high school, she’s proud to be a part of Campbell University’s Class of 2019! Besides writing, she loves art, pilates, and foreign films.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Michael

Michael

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress showed me that Western New England University was a great match for me both with curriculum and location. CollegeXpress is an excellent resource both future and current college students.

Asia Stockdale

Asia Stockdale

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me overcome a huge hurdle. Because of the small town I live in, I felt like I would never achieve more. I felt like I could never go beyond because of costs. I feared I wouldn’t be able to find scholarships. I had no idea of where to start. With CollegeXpress, I easily found scholarships—they came to me. It was a helper, and I was instantly matched with opportunities to go above and beyond educationally.

Katie

Katie

High School Class of 2019

My favorite feature of CollegeXpress is the scholarship search. As someone going out of state for college, I needed all the financial help I could get, and CollegeXpress helped me easily find scholarships I could apply for to help fund my education.

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Armstrong

High School Class of 2022

I am a deaf student, and I had always dreamed of going to Gallaudet University. CollegeXpress helped me search though other qualified universities. They helped me know for sure that Gallaudet University was the right choice for me!

Melanie Kajy

Melanie Kajy

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me tremendously during my senior year of high school. I started off using the college search to find more information about the universities I was interested in. Just this tool alone gave me so much information about a particular school. It was my one-stop shop to learn about college. I was able to find information about college tuition, school rank, majors, and so much more that I can't list it all. The college search tool has helped me narrow down which college I want to attend, and it made a stressful process surprisingly not so stressful. I then moved to the scholarship search tool to find scholarships to apply for because I can't afford to pay for tuition myself. The search tool helped me find scholarships that I was eligible for. The tool gave me all the information I could ever need about a particular scholarship that was being offered. The CollegeXpress scholarship search tool is so much better than other tools offered, like the Chegg scholarship search. Thanks to CollegeXpress, I was able to apply to tons of scholarships in a relatively easy way!

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO

Lynn University

Boca Raton, FL

Pace University - Westchester

Pleasantville, NY