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Writer's pictureJordan Allan

Take Your Test Prep Up A Notch!

Updated: Jan 14, 2023

If you get test anxiety, this post is for you. Test prep can be a stressful obstacle for any student of any grade or subject, but it doesn’t have to be. Our team of tutors is on your side. Here are some ways you can take your test prep up a notch:
Gamification Some schools already incorporate study games into their classrooms like Study Island, Nearpod, and Duolingo. Digital flashcards alone can be treated like a video game! Play a memory game with regular flash cards or pictionary with some visual concepts. Logic puzzles or sudoku in math class can also be a great way to gamify a new lesson. Find a way to make studying fun that keeps you engaged and ready to learn more.

Make a Study Template Tutors create their own lesson plans to keep students on the right path, but they can also offer some great study templates to help prepare for big tests. If you don’t yet have a tutor, that’s okay, you can make your own. If you know the formatting of the upcoming test, keep that in mind (multiple choice vs essays vs true/false, etc). Outline the concepts and key factors in your upcoming test or notes overall and focus on those areas in your study sessions.
Don’t Focus On The “What”, But Focus On The “How”
It’s so easy to think about what was covered in class earlier in the day, but it’s so much easier to forget the how of the concept. To really understand the lesson, really learn how that concept can be used. Look for the strategies, methods, patterns, etc that come into play in the lesson you learned and homework or study examples.

Practice on Old Exams
If you have the option, try to practice on old exams or quizzes leading up to a cumulative test. This is not memorization, but learning the concept of answering the different kinds of test questions. Knowing the formatting of an upcoming exam gives you an edge when it comes to your test prep so you know whether you need to learn more vocabulary or math or conceptual keys, etc. You can even use old exams to make new exams.
Plan Out Your Exam Days
Keep your time management skills sharp by planning for test days long before the day of. Know what you are expected to bring and where you’re going to be headed. It may be important to note how long it will take to get there, plus a little wiggle room for traffic or bathroom breaks. If you do a test run of where you’ll be heading for test day, don’t forget - it’s okay to take a few moments to breathe.

Test prep is about so much more than studying. Keep your head, and health up when you are preparing for a big test and you’ll overcome whatever comes your way. Stay organized and plan ahead, and that test will be a piece of cake. If you aren’t convinced, ask a tutor to guide you through some test prep tips and activities.

How do we help raise test scores, you may ask?
Tutoring & Beyond team tutors to the curriculum, not to the test. Students may feel like memorizing potential test questions and answers are the only option, but no - we want our students to understand and know the material they are being tested on. Our tutors are also lifesavers at reducing test anxiety and help students build fun study schedules around their busy lives. Even if you only have one big test you’re worried about, ask a tutor for a hand, they’ll give you the perspective you may be missing.

Which test are you preparing for?

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