Final Countdown! Maximizing the Week before Test Day.
We blinked, and now the test is almost here! Below are thoughts on sleeping, eating, and staying calm in the lead-up to the Big Day.
SLEEPING
The Body Remembers. Teenagers need 9 hours of sleep a night, anything less than that threshold amount contributes to a sleep deficit that carries over to the next night, etc. Scientist call this sleep debt.
Friday Night is Not Enough. Many teenagers tally up staggering sleep debts during the school week, often tallying 10 hours or more of missed sleep by Friday. That's why "getting to bed early the night before the test" is not entirely effective or sufficient. Even if achieved, it's simply not enough sleep to regain what's already been lost.
Play the Long Game.The best solution is to make sure teens accrue no debt during the week before to the test. 9.25 hours a night is goal. If that is unrealistic, then resting well (9+ hours) on *both* Thursday and Friday gives the body a bit more time to catch up.
EATING
Cut as Much Sugar as Possible -- Ideally, the week up to the test, most definitely breakfast before the test on Saturday. Think lean meats, whole grains, eggs. What we want to avoid are blood sugar spikes that inevitably bring on a mid-test crash.
Make Sure They Pack a Snack on Saturday. Suggestions: Jerky, nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts), apples, cheese sticks and water. Things to avoid: Sugar bombs disguised as energy / cereal / granola bars, dried fruit, candy, energy drinks, sugary yogurt, etc.
KEEPING CALM (Looks weird in all caps, right?)
The Hard Part is Over. Effective prep takes place over weeks as students complete and analyze tests in a repetitive process. In other words, the work that will determine a student’s success has already happened -- so they needn't 'ramp up' this week. Indeed, Preppers need to stay focused and collected.
Make Sure They Review their Next-Level Notes. At the end of every session, a Mighty Prepper receives digital Next-Level Notes that not only explain challenging problems, but also include macro-level strategic notes, links to additional study materials, and QR codes to exclusive lectures and seminars. Reviewing notes from every session allows the student to track her weekly progress, and target consistent weaknesses (as well as the remedies and resources outlined to help them). During the last week, careful digestion of ten weeks of Next-Level Notes is often more effective than trying to cram in an ‘extra’ practice test.
A Treat Always Helps. Oftentimes what makes the test especially stressful is the and-then factor, as in "I have to take the ACT and then go to water polo practice and then head to a basketball banquet dinner and then --" Suggest to your teen they keep their schedule as open as possible on test date ... with one exception. I have found that planning something fun after the test has an almost talisman-like effect in focusing and calming a student.
Process vs. Product. Finally, it's critical to remind our students that their ultimate focus should be summoning the attention necessary to appreciate every word of every question on test day. In other words: Awareness, awareness, awareness. Worrying about a score, or trying to "hit a number," -- ironically, all of that takes the student out of the total focus necessary for upper level scores.
So we don't worry about product, we emphasis process -- that's why we take so many tests, that's why we write up so many Next=Level Notes, and that's why we can proceed with so much confidence to the testing center!