Monday, January 11, 2016

Test taking 101

          I don't know about you, but I hate tests. Not only do I hate taking a test, I hate preparing and studying for tests. It's not like I fail every test I take. I usually get fairly good grades, but the stress I go through before, during, and after a test is almost impossible to cope with. Sometimes, before a test my anxiety gets so bad that my hands shake, and every possible terrible scenario plays through my head in an endless cycle. I have been in high school for almost half a year now, and I have taken at least five tests per class (I take seven classes). I know what I should and should not do before a test. For example, today I had a midterm test in english where we had to write an essay on the status quo. We either wrote about sticking with the status quo or rebelling against it. My english class is not all that difficult. We've had around five tests, but two of them were vocab quizzes. We have written maybe two essays in the class. By comparison, in History I have written ten, or so, essays. I was particularly anxious about this test because we had done little to prepare in class. The teacher gave us an outline to fill out which we could then bring in to the test, but other than that there was no other guidance. Last night's I reviewed my outline (which means I took it out to make sure I had it) and then proceeded to watch Netflix. I should have reviewed, and actually looked over my outline, and then possibly written a rough draft of my essay just for practice. The second thing I did not do when preparing for this test was getting a good night sleep before hand. That I remedied with a large amount of caffeine in the morning. Please do not do the previous two things I did before your test. In this particular case, I wasn't to concerned about the test. This leads me to my third point. Do not stress! Right, because that's going to calm you down, but I'm serious. Tell yourself whatever you need to or whatever loophole you can find. For instance, maybe the test has a makeup afterwards, it doesn't count for that much of your grade, you know the material to the best of your capabilities, the class doesn't really matter to you, or in the long run a poor grade will not affect your entire life. This part of my test preparation I do a very good job of. I love finding loopholes in things or excuses. It's what most teenagers do best; procrastinate. I also find that thinking about these loopholes calms me down. Another thing that helps me get through a test day is a full stomach. You've probably heard it before, but I'll say it to you again. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and not only is it important it is an encouraged eating session. All of my health classes have told me to eat breakfast, and breakfast is a good excuse to eat pancakes, waffles, sausage, and the ultimate superfood, bacon. Usually every morning I have my tea and eggs over-easy. Sometimes my mom makes smoothies or cuts up fruit. I could never go through the day without breakfast (I highly recommend it). If you are having difficulties with the subject matter I find it's great to talk one on one with a teacher or if that's not possible, email your teacher. All of the teachers I've had, love a well written and formal email. That includes starting with dear (your teacher's name), ending with sincerely (your name), and thanking them for their time somewhere near the end. If all else fails you could talk to a friend or a upperclassmen. You could also look up help videos or other recourses. One of my favorite websites is khan academy. They have some great tutorials. The most important thing when taking a test is to try your best and be sincere about what you know. The best use of a test is to help you, and your teacher, gage where you are. If you struggle in a particular area, a test will show that to your teacher. Just remember, this is high school, and a single number out of thousands is hardly significant.

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