Gameday Reminders: What Your Students Need for Test Day

“Confidence comes from being prepared.”  —John Wooden

Your students’ preparation and mentality for the ACT or SAT can have a massive impact on their scores. These 11 gameday reminders will help your students perform their absolute best on test day and be fully prepared for whatever may come their way!

1. Get enough sleep: Though it’s tempting to have a cram session the night before test day, this can hurt students’ scores more than it helps them. The ACT and SAT are long tests and mentally exhausting. In order to finish the last  sections with as much vigor as the first, it’s crucial to get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep the night before.

2. Eat well: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day—especially on test day. Not only does eating a balanced breakfast give you more energy throughout the day, but it also improves concentration!

3. Bring a watch: In order to get through the entirety of each section, it’s important to have a reliable watch to keep track of time. It’s best not to assume the test space will have a working wall clock.

4. Familiarize yourself with the test location: If the test is being held somewhere you have never been, it always helps to be familiar with the location so that you know how to get there and where to go.

5. Bring a fully charged calculator: You don’t want your only calculator to keel over in the middle of the test and end up having to do every calculation yourself.

6. Bring a healthy snack: Make sure not to bring anything loaded with sugar that can make you want to crash mid-test.

7. Wear layered clothing: You have no control over the room temperature. If it’s too hot or too cold, this can make it difficult to focus.

8. Bring your ticket and photo ID: These are must-haves on test day.

9. Bring plenty of number 2 pencils: Bring a back up for your back up—It never hurts to have too many.

10. Arrive early: Plan on arriving at least 30 minutes early. You never know for certain how traffic will be.

          Last but certainly not least,

11. Bring a positive attitude: Your attitude affects your aptitude! Having a positive attitude makes a huge impact on test scores.