Week 4, Day 1: Review for Midterm

 

Preparing for a Standardized Test:

(some of these may not apply to online testing during pandemic conditions)

 

The weeks & days before:

·       Study regularly daily – at least 10 practice problems a day, especially in struggle areas!

·       Review the testing website for any possible changes to policies & procedures

·       Review terminology, use flashcards, etc.

·       Have a “study outfit” you can wear to the test center when the time comes; this is useful for getting in the right mindset and triggering your memory during testing

·       Sign up with the name on your legal ID so it is exactly identical

o   My horror story: my married name was different from my maiden name, and my old ID did not include my new marital patronymic, but I signed up with the new name. I was forbidden from taking the test and they refused to permit any refund. If you are rich, this might not be an issue for you, but most of us are not rich!

o   Be very careful about hyphens, spelling, double last names, etc.

·       Make a practice drive to the test center at the same day and time for which your test is scheduled – online testing? Familiarize yourself with the testing procedures early and often!

·       NO major life changes (new medications [unless absolutely necessary], breakups, quitting or starting anything important, etc.)

·       If you have an early test, start going to bed and getting up earlier

 

 

The night before:

·       STOP STUDYING – cramming is worse than useless, it is actually harmful!

·       Lay out what you will need to bring with you: study outfit, registration confirmation, keys, water bottle, legal ID, wallet – online testing? Consider having this stuff ready in your testing space

·       Eat well (healthy, safe, non-irritable food)

·       Drink well (plenty of water, NO alcohol nor other intoxicants including “smart” drugs)

·       Sleep well (start going to bed early a week ahead if your test is early in the morning)

 

 

The morning of:

·       NO STUDYING – a waste of time, will only stress you out more

·       Eat well (healthy, safe, non-irritable food; brain food includes whole grains, yogurt, eggs)

·       Drink well (caffeine only if you regularly have it, plenty of water, etc.)

·       Put on your study outfit and bring your necessities with you

·       Arrive at least 30 minutes early – online testing? I suggest at least 1 hour early

·       Bring nothing in except the necessities: legal ID, water bottle, car keys, wallet, confirmation of test registration

 

 

During the test:

·       Use your breaks to get extra scratch paper/noteboards, use the restroom, drink a little water

·       When stuck on a problem try one of two methods:

·       Mark and Review / ‘easy’ test first (GRE only)

·       Stare at the ceiling and think about anything else for 30 seconds or less (both exams)

 

Basic Strategies

·       Easy test first

·       Leave no question blank

·       At least guess

·       Use scratch paper/note boards/whiteboard

·       Memorization

·       Process of elimination

·       Read all answer choices, also notice formats

·       Check that you answer the question asked!

·       Check your answers

·       Take notes