Standardized tests are designed to assess and measure the academic achievement of individual students. However, they are also designed to be tricky and tend to drive students crazy. “Standardized testing sucks,” said Mr. Bonvicino, head of the Math Department at North High. Especially with the competitive nature of north high, students tend to get extremely stressed and overwhelmed from standardized tests, especially the infamous SAT and ACTs. If you are one of those students, here are a few tips from your fellow classmates on how to succeed on these tests and manage your stress appropriately.

1. Make a schedule

The worst thing you can do is to study for a test the night before you will be taking the exam. First of all, if you find yourself having questions or being confused about something while studying, you will not have an opportunity to ask your teacher for help before the test. Also, the information you go over will not be as familiar to you as it would be if you study it in advance. The best way to prepare for a test is by making a schedule the second you are told you will have an exam. You can make a plan where three days before the exam you create flashcards, the next day you learn the material, and then the day before you do practice questions to prepare for the test. This way, you are not overwhelmed the night before and at the same time, you are learning the material efficiently.

2. Rewrite notes on paper

One of the best ways to memorize information is by writing by hand on an old-fashioned piece of paper. The act of physically writing things down forces your brain to in a more detailed way and forces the information into your brain. “The best advice I have is to write everything on paper, no typing,” said junior Eliana Sadykov. “It seriously helps me memorize things so much faster.”

3. Do lots of practice

A great method to know exactly what you are doing while taking a test is by doing a ton of practice problems beforehand. Print out past problems you did during class, and complete them without looking at the answers. Then, check what you got wrong and redo those problems until you fully understand them. This process will ensure that before taking the test, you are familiar with the types of questions and content you will encounter.

4. Create flashcards to quiz yourself

If you don’t have anyone to test you on the material you will be tested on, make your own flashcards. “My favorite way to make flashcards is by using Quizlet. It’s so convenient because you can test yourself wherever you are as long as you have a device on you” said junior Megan Kashi. Testing yourself helps make sure that you know the material without any indication of what the answer is, and helps you get to know the content much better.

5. Take deep breaths before the test and relax

Taking a test is inevitably stressful. However, a great way to alleviate some of that stress is by taking deep breaths before the test. In doing so, you are calming down your nerves and also making all the information stored in your brain much clearer, so you will be more successful in answering the questions. “I take three deep breaths before every test I take. It really helps with my concentration and helps calm my nerves” said junior Kayla Hakimi. 

6. Teach the material to someone else

A technique that is proven to be extremely effective in understanding and memorizing information is teaching the material to someone else. Students who teach what they’ve learned to others tend to show a better understanding and knowledge retention of the material. So next time you are having trouble memorizing information, try to teach it to a friend to recognize what you do or don’t remember or entirely understand.