I want to introduce some essential tips that helped me ace all my tests in high school, university, and dental school. As you may have noticed already in my blog posts, I always like to emphasize the importance of getting the basics down first before you do any next-level things, whatever it may be. A good foundation will allow for further growth & development which you will truly appreciate and be confident with. Now, let’s get to the 5 things you must do before your test.
1. Avoid the worst-case scenario
You may have already figured out what I am about to say. Indeed, it is a horrendous feeling not being able to answer a single question on a test due to lack of studying, but what is worse is forgetting to show up to the test and not be able to even attempt at the questions. Trust me, I had this happen in high school, and I was devastated when I found out I had missed one of my important tests (luckily, I got to write at a different time). So, give yourself some credit if you make it to the test on time because you’ve just avoided the worst-case scenario. Ensure that you’ve recorded the test dates and time on your whiteboard, Google Calendar or other methods of your preference. Again, showing up is half the work done.
2. At least do your practice tests
Now, obviously you’ve got to study for your tests otherwise it would defeat the purpose of testing you in the first place. However, I understand that at times we are overwhelmed with our life events that we may find ourselves not fully prepared for them (a bad break-up might be one of them). Or sometimes, we intentionally choose our life events to be a higher priority than our academic work for the time being. Whatever the rationale may be, if you can’t really find the time or motivation to study for upcoming tests, I’d recommend that you at least take a stab at the previous exam questions and memorize them.
In my university years, there was a time where I had decided to put off the academic work and instead to help my parents’ business get started (that was 1st year uni). The business set-up required manpower and some negotiation in English, so I decided to jump in because it’s been my parents’ long-time aspirations and I wanted to help them fulfill them. This is precisely where my life event had become a higher priority than my academic work. During these times, I only really had the time and motivation to go through the previous exam questions and some summary notes my peers have shared with me. And it works from time to time (certainly not all the time). So, don’t give up your studying entirely, simply put in the minimal work necessary during these difficult times.
3. Rest the day before
If you haven’t already noticed, I like to use tennis as an analogy for virtually everything. Imagine you are preparing for your official match and you overwork yourself the day prior and end up bombing, losing 6-0 6-0 in your match. You’d probably feel like a total waste given that you’ve put in the time and effort for this day. It’s the same with tests or exams. It is important that you condition yourself well in preparation for the test so that you may perform at your best. My philosophy when it comes to preparing for exams is to complete all the studying two days in advance. It is to give yourself one full day of pure relaxation and favourite activities. I know we all are tempted to cram everything the night before, but once you develop this healthy habit, you will find yourself performing significantly better on your exams throughout your academic career. The habit comes in real handy particularly for big exams like MCAT, DAT, or NDEB (dental board exam) where they test you for easily over 4 hours. For long exams like these, you better make sure your brain’s had enough time to recuperate and reenergize.
4. Control your diet on the test day
I’ve seen that many students who strive for academic success get stressed easily especially around exam season (makes sense though). Now, you must understand that stress can have a pretty severe impact on your GI system, possibly causing stomach cramps, stress-induced diarrhea, or simply a general discomfort around the area. I’ve certainly had times where stress has hyper-activated my bowels, and I ended up spending good 10 minutes in the washroom during exams. What made it worse though was my heavy, fatty diet in the morning of. Eliminating stress entirely is merely impossible during exams, but you can certainly control what goes in your mouth beforehand. What I’d like to recommend prior to exams is to avoid fatty foods like burgers, fries, onion rings, and chips while also avoiding eating too heavy. Both these factors only increase your chance of feeling bloated and uncomfortable during your exams, which will only get in the way of your performance. Some foods I recommend are fruits, nuts, 1/2 bowl of rice, and non-fried foods like small portions of grilled chicken, salmon, tilapia in reasonable amounts. If you can’t memorize this list, simply think of our typical clean foods when we go on a diet. Controlling your diet in a healthy way will certainly benefit and enhance your performance on the test day.
5. Dress comfy and warm
Finally, one thing students may overlook is having on comfortable clothing during exams. Just imagine wearing your tight shirt where you find yourself constantly drying off the sweat and pulling at the shirt so it doesn’t stick too much to your skin. This unfortunately and quite annoyingly only diminishes your focus on the exams. Dressing temperature-appropriate is also a wise move. I noticed that dressing too cold tends to slow my thinking down, and dressing too warm will overheat my body and cause discomfort. I recommend that you have a comfy sweater over your t-shirt, so that when it’s too hot in the room you may take it off to avoid overheating yourself but also to keep it on if it’s cold in the room. Aside from your sweater, some of my go-to items are baggy hoodies and crewnecks with a pair of wide pants, sweatpants, or loose-fitting joggers. I normally avoid jeans because it can often restrict your movements or even your circulation if it’s too tight. All in all, choose the outfit that gives you comfort and makes you feel at home.
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