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Preparing for Exam Day

Learn more about what to do and what not to do leading up to exam day

Nathan avatar
Written by Nathan
Updated over a month ago

Here are some general tips and things to keep in mind for exam week:

A week before the exam...

  1. Take care of yourself: Avoid burnout by maintaining a healthy routine β€” eat well, sleep well, and stick to a regular schedule.

  2. Build your confidence: Cramming in tons of practice exams will likely result in low-quality practice. To boost your confidence for exam day, plan your last practice exam to be one where you perform well. For example, you may plan to take two practice exams during your last week. If the first exam goes well, you may want to skip the last practice exam, which may make no difference or potentially hurt your confidence. If you do poorly, just continue with your schedule as planned.

  3. Plan out your morning: Plan ahead for test day morning so you are not stressed. Consider taking a test drive to your test center to get familiar with the location, transportation time, and what to expect when you show up.

  4. Replicate testing conditions: Reliable practice test results are only achieved under realistic conditions. Take your practice exams at the same time of day as your official exam, remove distractions, refrain from using your phone during breaks, etc. These details may seem arbitrary but the official exam can be a psychological battle, not just an academic assessment. This is a good rule to follow for all practice exams, but it is never too late to start!

A day before the exam...

  1. Take it easy: At this point, rigorous studying will not change much, so do not tire yourself out. Relax, let your brain rest, and only do light review at most.

  2. Build confidence: Focus on familiar concepts. It will not help to remind yourself about everything you do not know right before the exam. Reviewing cheat sheets and study sheets is best since this will allow you to utilize visual and spatial memory.

  3. Avoid change: By this point, you may be used to the routine you developed earlier. If not, avoid sudden changes to your normal routine. While it is good to sleep and eat well the night before an exam, suddenly changes often do more harm than good.

On exam day...

  1. Be punctual: Plan to arrive at the test center at least 15 minutes early and account for potential delays like traffic or construction.

  2. Bring ID: Remember to bring two pieces of signed identification, otherwise you will not be allowed to write the exam. You may opt to bring a snack, water, medications etc., but keep in mind that these items cannot be brought into the testing room.

  3. Use your breaks: Some people like to skip breaks so that they don't "lose focus". If this is what works for you, do not change your strategy. However, I recommend leaving the test room to walking around, get your blood flowing, and taking your eyes off the screen. The test is long, so give your brain a rest.

After the exam...

  1. Celebrate: No matter how the test goes, you just finished one of the hardest exams of your life! Take time to appreciate your efforts and enjoy a well-deserved break.

  2. Reflect: Whether or not you need to rewrite, reflection is important. Reflect on what worked, what didn't, and how you could improve. This will guide future studying efforts (especially if you rewrite) or help other test-takers if you publish your experience.

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