Teenagers of all ages know the horrors of standardized testing. Whether it be the ACT, SAT, MCAT, or some other form of testing, you’re likely to be stressed out about it in some form or another. Here at tutit we have compiled a list of 10 strategies from reputable sources such as education.com and Kumon to help you do your best on test day.

1. Read the entire question first:

To understand how to answer something, students must first read the question. Don’t assume you know what is being asked without reading the full question carefully.

2. Save the hard questions for later:

Students should answer the questions they know how to answer and come back to the questions that are troubling them, as time is an important component of standardized testing.

3. Stick with your first answer:

Students should not second-guess themselves and change their first answer, unless they are absolutely positive the first one is wrong.

4. Pace yourself:

Time budgeting is key, as spending too much time on question can leave the student without enough time to complete the rest of the test.

5. Read every answer choice before selecting an answer:

Answer every single question, unless there is a penalty for answering incorrectly. In order to make a smart guess, eliminate the other answer choices you know are incorrect, and go from there.

6. Don’t seek out patterns:

Standardized testing questions follow no patterns, so be sure not to choose your answer based on what letter you think might go next. There really can be 4 C’s in a row.

7. Eat a good breakfast:

It is much harder to take a test without any nutrients fueling your brain power. Make sure the morning of your test you eat a filling breakfast with lots of fruit and protein.

8. Review your answers:

If you find yourself with left over time on test day, go over your answers. Although you will not have extra time on every section, it is a good use of the time you do have to look over your work, which can prevent reckless mistakes.

9. Watch your water intake:

Although it is important to drink water every day, you may want to be careful the morning before your test. The last thing you want to happen is you have an emergency and have to go in the middle of a section, and end up losing time as a result. In order to prevent this, don’t drink a ton of water the morning of, and go to the bathroom 10-15 minutes before the test begins.

10. RELAX!

We already know you’re going to do great, so make sure to relax on test day and do your best! tutit believes in you!

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