by Pangeacat

Created on: February 18, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

Here are a few things that should help you prepare for those nerve-wracking exams...
1)Always make sure you get enough good, restful sleep the night before. (This point can't be stressed enough. Socializing is great, and ultimately important for human development. Still, if you want to do well on that test, it's best to make sure you've made time to rest, relax, and clear your head for the day to come.)

2)Worrying about the test won't help you succeed at it. I know this will be the most difficult for most people to overcome, but try to erase the worry from your mind. Realize that you CAN do this; and, know that one bad grade isn't really the end of the world anyway.
3)If your teacher has been kind enough to give you a study guide ~ use it. The teacher knows exactly what will be on the test. If s/he tells you that you need to know when Mr. Inventor-Guy created some life-altering gadget, that's what you should be focusing on.
4)Assuming you have one of the many teachers who simply says, "know about everything we've discussed thus far," spend the majority of your study time focusing on those things which have given you the most trouble. (i.e. you're pretty darned good with X+Y=Z, so you focus on studying synthetic division instead).
5)The morning of the test, be sure to eat a good breakfast. We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Well, test day is not the time to try and prove those experts wrong.
6)If your test preparation has you studying from a book, get some small post-its to easily "mark" pages that you'll need to study from more extensively. On those post-its, make small notes about which paragraph, quote, or theme on that page you'll need to focus on more.
7)If possible, join a study group specifically devoted to your subject of interest. Two heads are always better than one, three is better than two, and so on. If a study group isn't a viable option for you, peers/friends and family can still be immeasurably helpful if they're willing to use their evening/afternoon/what-have-you in order to help you understand the material.
8)Last, but not least ~ Relax! If you've studied, and paid attention in class,you are going to be fine. The exams are really only there to find out if you've gained the necessary knowledge from the material you've been presented with. Chances are, unless you've been partying every night and skipping classes ~ you have gained that knowledge! :)

Good luck, and have fun in College!

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