Young White woman in red plaid shirt taking test at desk between two men

4 Simple Things You Need to Ace Any Test

While there's no magic solution to learning equations or memorizing the presidents, there are ways to improve your test day results. Here's how to prep!

All the way through high school and into college, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with tests—that is, I love it when they’re over and hate it when they’re still looming over me! Fortunately, however, with years of exams behind me, I’ve identified a few things that help me feel prepared for those terrifying test days. Following these five tips, test day won’t feel nearly as intimidating!

1. Study time

This one should be a given, but sometimes we don’t schedule in smart, strategic study time. For example, pulling an all-nighter to cram is a very poor strategy. Sure, some people can pull it off once in a while, but losing sleep actually makes it harder to retain info, not to mention making you grumpy and less focused on your test day. Instead, be aware of how you retain material best. For my ITS class, I found it helpful if I re-typed my programs several times a week—that was around 10–15 minutes a day. However, for my history class, I was better off if I spent several hardcore hours reviewing the study guide nearer to the test day.

If you don’t know your study style yet, I would recommend that you plan to begin reviewing notes a week or two in advance of any test. Make sure to add into your daily schedule too—if not, “study time” will turn into “Netflix time.” (Trust me.) Finally, if you find yourself struggling with the material, include tutoring or meeting with your professor in this study time. Most tests will rely on your understanding of the material, not just your memorization of it!

Related: Infographic: Find Your Learning Style and Study Smarter 

2. A good night’s sleep

I know I sound like your mother, but a good night’s sleep is important! As I mentioned above, being tired on the test day is no fun. You’ll be much less focused and much moodier, and therefore you may struggle with taking the test. However, if you are well rested, you'll feel prepared and confident. (And you’ll be able to remember everything you need to bring!) To make sure you get the sleep you need, consider giving yourself a designated bedtime, whether it’s 9:30 or 11:00. After this time, you need to be in bed, and that does not include scrolling! Some people believe that screen time can also affect how well you sleep and how quickly you fall asleep, so it could be a good idea to put away the laptop and phone up to an hour before bed. Instead, take a shower and pick up a book to help you fall asleep easier.

3. Find what makes you feel confident

This one is all about what makes you feel confident and comfortable on test day. Personally, I feel way more prepared to succeed if I’m wearing my favorite outfit—even for an 8:00 am exam. However, some people may be built up and motivated by other methods, like a pep talk, lucky charm, or quiet meditative time. Not only will you do better on an exam when you feel sure of yourself, but you will be more prepared to face the whole day!

Related: 12 Tips and Tricks to Build Confidence in High School

4. The right attitude

In my humble opinion, a good attitude is the most important test-day accessory! As someone with mild test anxiety, I spent all high school panicking over tests and placing way too much weight on my performance. It’s hard to get over anxiety, but it’s important to stay as positive as possible. Remember you’re going to try your hardest, and that’s all you can do! If you have studied, odds are you will do well, and even a mediocre score is not the end of the world.

Related: How to Conquer Your Test Anxiety

You aren’t defined by your final exam percentage, and you aren’t a better or a worse person depending on your test performance. If you keep up with studying and put your all into the test, you should be proud of yourself no matter what the final grade is!

This is just the beginning of all the tips and trips we have on getting ready for exams! Check out Our Best Advice for Homework, Studying, and Tests to maximize your prep time.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Dia Huth

Dia Huth has been writing for, roughly speaking, forever. Her first stories were about 162 imaginary ponies that lived in her backyard, but now she has graduated to penning sci-fi novels and tweeting like a mad woman. After a cross-country move during her senior year of high school, she was proud to join the Class of 2019 at Campbell University! Besides writing, she loves art, pilates, and foreign films.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Texas Wesleyan University

Fort Worth, TX


Casey Kammeyer

Casey Kammeyer

$500 Refer-A-Friend Scholarship Winner

I love the site CollegeXpress; it has been very helpful finding colleges and getting them to send me information. It has also been very, very helpful with finding tons of scholarships. Also, I told many of my friends about it and they love it as well!

Lydia Huth

Lydia Huth

Student, Campbell University; CollegeXpress Student Writer

I discovered CollegeXpress while embarking on my college search journey as an excited—but scared and way confused—high schooler without a counselor or college-bound sibling to give me advice. Let me tell you, I’m so glad that I stumbled on this community! CollegeXpress helped me find potential colleges and keep application deadlines straight. It gave me a great list of scholarships, and the blogs and emails made me feel like I wasn’t going it alone. Almost three years later and with freshman year of college down, I still love the CollegeXpress vibe so much that I’m writing for them. I’d recommend this site to anyone!

Rhiannon Teeter

Rhiannon Teeter

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2012

I have spent a lot of time aggressively searching for scholarships. It was a long and frustrating process until I found the CollegeXpress network. This site made my search so much easier. With the simple check of a few boxes, the site sorted out scholarships I was eligible for and led me directly to the correct websites. Winning this scholarship has definitely given me and my family some financial relief, and CollegeXpress has allowed me to improve my chances of winning further financial aid. Thank you so much!

Fabiola Rodriguez

Fabiola Rodriguez

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me on my journey to get to the school of my first choice by showing me all the options I have. I didn’t know of the College of Southern Nevada until I went on this website, and it helped me look for other choices and compare what colleges would be right for me.

Caio Matos

Caio Matos

High School Class of 2022

Starting the college admissions process as an international student was daunting. Thankfully, CollegeXpress was the first website I used for that cause and it helped me so much, from knowing where to start to deciding what my next move would be. I'll take a gap year, but I’m certainly using the website again when applying for fall 2023.